Herménégilde Chiasson is one of Canada's most accomplished cultural icons. He is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, over 30 plays, and several collections of essays. A filmmaker, visual artist, curator, and widely published author, he has received numerous awards for his work, including the Governor General's Award for poetry, le prix France-Acadie, the prestigious Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and the Prix quinquennal Antonine-Maillet-Acadie Vie. In 2003, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.

Jo-Anne Elder has translated many of Chiasson's works of poetry, including Beatitudes and Conversations and, with Fred Cogswell, Climates. She and Fred Cogswell also edited and translated Unfinished Dreams: Contemporary Poetry of Acadie.

Fred Cogswell (d. 2004) was a poet, UNB professor, editor, translator, and mentor to many aspiring writers. A long-serving editor of The Fiddlehead and founder of Fiddlehead Poetry Books, he was the author of more than twenty books of verse. With Jo-Anne Elder, he translated Climats and Conversations by Herménégilde Chiasson and edited and translated Rêves inachevés / Unfinished Dreams (Goose Lane, 1990), an anthology of contemporary Acadian poets.