Matt Farwell (Author) Matt Farwell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Men's Journal, Playboy, and other publications. He was an Army infantryman for five years, including sixteen months in Afghanistan. He lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Michael Ames (Author) Michael Ames is a regular contributor to Newsweek and Harper's. His work has also appeared in the Atlantic, Slate, the Daily Beast, and the Believer. He lived and worked for nine years in Idaho as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor, and now lives in Brooklyn.