Franz Metcalf teaches religious studies at California State University, Los Angeles. He is the president of the Western Region of the American Academy of Religion and an active leader in the Forge Institute. His books include What Would Buddha Do? and Buddha in Your Backpack.

A scholar-practitioner of Buddhism, Franz received his doctorate from the University of Chicago. He is a review editor for Journal of Global Buddhism and author of scholarly works on Buddhism and psychology. He is a founding member and newsletter editor of the Forge Guild of Spiritual Leaders, and author of four books applying Buddhist wisdom and practice to our hectic everyday lives. His first, What Would Buddha Do? has appeared in a dozen languages.