Michael Owen Jones is professor emeritus of folklore studies and world arts and cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is author of a dozen books including Corn: A Global History, Craftsman of the Cumberlands: Tradition and Creativity, and Studying Organizational Symbolism: What, How, Why?; coauthor of Folkloristics: An Introduction; and coeditor of Comfort Food: Meanings and Memories, published by University Press of Mississippi.