The New Yorker College Tour: University of Iowa, Iowa City: Searching for the Story

George Packer has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2003. This year, his subjects have included the Iraqi elections and the tensions between religious and secular groups in Basra; the father of a soldier killed in Iraq; and the Bush Administration's "war on terror" strategy. He is the author of The Village of Waiting, Blood of the Liberals, and, most recently, The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq.

Mark Singer has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1974. Most recently, he has written Profiles of David Milch, the creator of HBO's Deadwood, and the chef David Pasternack, of Esca, who catches many of the fish he serves in his restaurant. Singer's books include Funny Money, which first appeared in The New Yorker; Mr. Personality, a collection of Profiles and Talk of the Town pieces; and Somewhere in America, a compilation of his U.S. Journal articles from the magazine. A new collection of his New Yorker pieces, Character Studies, came out in July.

Jane Mayer joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 1995. Based in Washington, D.C., she writes about politics for the magazine. Her recent subjects include the controversial role of medical and scientific personnel in designing and monitoring interrogations at Guantanamo Bay; the torture of United States terror suspects in other countries; and the philanthropist George Soros. She is the author of two best-selling books: Strange Justice, written with Jill Abramson, and Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984¿1988, written with Doyle McManus.

Daniel Zalewski is the features editor of The New Yorker.