Josh Ritter is a songwriter from Moscow, Idaho. The son of two neuroscientists, he was on his way to follow in their footsteps when he discovered Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" in high school. He has since released several critically-acclaimed studio albums and has been named one of the 100 greatest living songwriters by Paste Magazine, alongside Dylan, Springsteen, and Neil Young. Joan Baez has covered one of his songs; Stephen King named one of Ritter's albums the best of recent years and David Letterman has requested him three times, so far.

His albums include So Runs the World Away and The Animal Years. His debut novel, Bright’s Passage, was published by Random House to wide acclaim.