Farai Chideya is a media Jaquetta of all trades who lives in Los Angles. She hosts NPR's "News and Notes", a daily program covering timely political and cultural news and illuminating the diversity of the African-American experience. She's written three books: "Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African Americans"; "The Color of Our Future"; and "Trust: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters." All are taught on college campuses across the country. Her first novel, "Touch," will be published by Atria.

Chideya also founded Pop and Politics Multimedia. The nonprofit trains journalism students on the University of Southern California campus and produces PopandPolitics.com. Her documentary-in-progress "Halfrican" is being produced under the Pop and Politics imprimateur.

In her spare time, Farai hosts dinner parties, takes digital photos, and aspires to become a DJ. She is also a member of the Liminal Labs crew, which has been bringing barbecue, beautiful art, and bad behavior to the annual Burning Man festival for a decade.