Francisca Aguirre was born in Alicante, Spain in 1930. Her family was forced to flee to France at the end of the Civil War because they sided with the Republic. In 1942, as a result of the German invasion, her family returned to Spain where her father, painter Lorenzo Aguirre, was murdered by the Franco regime. Francisco Aguirre began publishing late in life, garnering many awards, including the prestigious Esquio Award. She lives in Spain with poet Felix Grande, a member of the second generation of post-civil war poets.

Ana Valverde Osan was born in Morocco. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She specializes in translating poetry by women, particularly the translation of long poems such as Ithaca. She lives in Valparaiso, IN.