Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin has excelled in so many forms of writing that his admirers may argue over whether he is properly characterized as a journalist, memoirist, novelist, humorist, or America's greatest living comic poet. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Trillin graduated from Yale University, where he was Chairman of the Yale Daily News. After serving in the Army, he worked as a reporter for Time magazine and covered the integration of the University of Georgia, an event that became the subject of his first book, An Education in Georgia. In 1963, Trillin joined the staff of The New Yorker. For 15 years, he wrote the magazine's popular "U.S. Journal" feature, reporting local events, both serious and frivolous, from all over the country. Along the way, he became a champion of regional American cuisine, a passion he shared in three books: Fried American; Alice, Let's Eat; and Third Helpings. In recent years, his gustatory adventures have taken him even farther afield, as recorded in Fe