Born in Nova Scotia, Judith Cowan grew up in Toronto and was educated at the University of Toronto and l’Université de Strasbourg, France. She has lived in Trois-Rivières for many years and has translated the work of a wide range of Québec poets, including Gérald Godin, Yves Préfontaine and Yves Boisvert. Her previous story collection, More Than Life Itself (Oberon, 1997), was shortlisted for the Québec Writers’ Federation First Book Award. Cowan was a finalist for the Glassco Prize for her translation of Quartz and Mica (Guernica, 1987) and was awarded Le Prix Gérald-Godin by the city of Trois-Rivières in recognition of the story collection Plus que la vie mème.