Rona Jaffe (1931-2005) was the author of sixteen books, including the bestselling internationally acclaimed novels The Road Taken, The Cousins, Family Secrets, Mr. Right is Dead, Mazes and Monsters, The Last Chance, and Five Women, as well as the classic bestsellers Class Reunion and The Room-Mating Season. She founded The Rona Jaffe Foundation, which presents annual awards to promising women writers of literary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. It is the only national literary awards program dedicated to supporting women writers exclusively. Ms. Jaffe was a lifelong New Yorker.