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Born in Louisiana, Melissa Bonin is a Francophone of Cajun and Creole heritage. She works as

a visual artist, poet, lyricist. She was an artist-in-residence for Governor Kathleen Babineaux

Blanco. In 2024, she was awarded a literary residency in Montreal supported by Le Salon du

Livre Montréal, the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques, c.o.d.o.f.i.l., and the Fondation

Louisiane. Recent exhibitions and presentations include: Residency in Chianti, Italy, Poetry at

Roundtop, Texas, Salon du livre Montréal, San Miguel Poetry Week, Hilliard Museum

Louisiana, and New Brunswick, Canada, where she was the first female artist/poet to represent

Louisiana for the Congrès Mondial Acadien. In 2023 she was invited to the residence of the

Ambassador of France in Washington, D.C. Her lyrics and songs have been recorded by Luce

Dufault, Marie-Eve Janvier and Jean-François Breau and Zachary Richard.

Parmi ses publications, citons: When Bayous Speak, Lorsque les bayous parlent, A Unique Slant

of Light, National Endowment for the Humanities, Expressions of Place de John Kemp, The

Oxford American, Ô Malheureuse, Feu Follet, Mockingheart Review, Roundtop Anthology…