Brenda Knight is a twenty-two year publishing veteran, starting at HarperCollins, where she fell in love with publishing. She is the Publisher of Cleis Press and Founder and Publisher of Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press. Knight is author of the American Book Award-winning Women of the Beat Generation, Rituals for Life, Wild Women and Books, and The Grateful Table. Knight has worked with many bestselling authors, including Mark Nepo, Phil Cousineau, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and Paolo Coehlo. She volunteers for the American Cancer Society as a counselor for the newly diagnosed and leads writing workshops. Knight lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.