Dr. Tilar J. Mazzeo is the Clara C. Piper Professor of English at Colby College in Maine and the New York Times best-selling author of The Widow Cliquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It and The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume. Professor Mazzeo earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington. In 2008, she won the Gourmand Award for the Best Work of Wine Literature in the United States for The Widow Cliquot. She is also the author of Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma and Back Lane Wineries of Napa. Her travel, food, and wine essays have appeared in a range of national publications, including Food and Wine magazine. Professor Mazzeo held the prestigious Jenny McKean Moore Writer-in-Residence position at The George Washington University. Her lessons, exercises, and advice on the art and craft of creative nonfiction have appeared in collections including Now Write! Nonfiction: Creative Nonfiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers.