Monique Durand
Veteran broadcaster, journalist, director and producer Monique Durand has been working at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) since 1982, pursuing a keen interest in international development and humanitarian aid, and creating several radio series in developing countries, including investigative pieces on women in war, human rights and social justice. Durand’s literary credits include a series of short stories in 1998 and La Femme du peintre The Painter’s Wife, her first novel published in France in 2003.

Sheila Fischman
Born in Saskatchewan, Sheila Fischman is a member of the Order of Canada and has a doctorate from the University of Waterloo.

A two-time Governor General’s Award winner, Fischman has translated from French to English more than a hundred novels by such prominent Quebec writers as Michel Tremblay, Jacques Poulin, Anne Hébert, François Gravel, Marie-Claire Blais and Roch Carrier.

In 2008, Fischman was awarded the prestigious Molson Prize for her outstanding contributions to Canadian literature.