Michael Potemra was born in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1964, and spent his childhood years in Montreal, Canada. He received a B.A. in philosophy at the Catholic University of America. He served as an aide to President Reagan, as a research assistant in the White House speechwriting office. He subsequently worked at President Reagan’s grassroots PAC, the Citizens for America, and as speechwriter to three U.S. Senators (Kasten of Wisconsin, Durenberger of Minnesota, and DeWine of Ohio). In August 1999, he joined National Review; since 2001, he has been the magazine’s literary editor. He has a passion for religion and cats.