She’s a staff writer at The New Yorker and Co-Founder of the online literary community Figment — who also happens to have two poetry books under her belt. But that’s not the reason we’ve spotlighted Dana Goodyear for our Book Issue. Months after its release, we’re still taken with her nonfiction debut, Anything That Moves, which tackles, yes, extreme food culture. Dana gets at its roots by exploring the underground culture of gourmands, chefs and restaurateurs willing to experiment and experience food in a way that will both shock and intrigue. For these hardcore foodies, there is nothing they wouldn’t consider eating in pursuit of the ultimate gustatory high, from creepy crawlies and ice cream flavored with lichen-covered logs to a dish of lavender vapor — served “in a plastic balloon covered in Irish linen, under a bowl of yuzu pudding, ham nage and gooseberry coulis.” Page after page, we were captivated — Dana’s writing is thoughtful, witty and candid, and left us, if not exactly hungry, then hungry for more.

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