Stefanie Mandelbaum, an artist, mathematician and avocational musician, was an adjunct assistant professor at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ from 1990 to 2007, where she taught in the Education, Fine Arts, and Management Science departments. Her courses included Teaching Mathematics: Pre-K-8, Twentieth Century Art, and Introduction to Quantitative Methods. She has taught both math and art on all levels in school, museum and library settings and has worked extensively with students with math anxiety, learning disabilities and attention-deficit disorder. Mandelbaum holds a BS in mathematics from Queens College (CUNY), an MAT (mathematics) from Montclair University and an MFA (sculpture) from Pratt Institute. The book is based on over 300 student and teacher workshops she has presented throughout the tri-state area.

Jacqueline S. Guttman most recently founded the Arts for Life Network of NJ, providing active arts programming for active older adults. A former flutist and teacher of music in grades K-12, she has written numerous teacher supplements to complement in-school performances and arts workshops. In addition, she spent a decade as Director of Performing Arts at Wave Hill, a New York City cultural institution, and taught performing arts marketing in the Arts Administration Program at New York University. Guttman holds a BS in music education from SUNY Potsdam and Masters Degrees in music education and arts administration from New York University. She is the author of The Partners in Excellence Handbook, a guide to partnerships between community arts schools and public schools, published by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. Not incidentally, she was a math-anxious student for most of her school career.