Munira Judith Avinger (1941- ) is a poet and author who lives in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She has several books of poetry and one novel to her credit. Borealis Press has recently released two of her books: "Hidden/Caché" and "Julia." She leaves her country home to give poetry readings, teach writing workshops, and lead dances of universal peace. She finds inspiration in watching the seasons change from her forest cabin and in listening to music and meditating.

      Munira Judith Avinger lives in the country in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She enjoys going out into the world to give poetry readings, teach writing workshops and lead the Dances of Universal Peace. The time she values the most, however, is spent wandering through the forest, watching the buds open in the spring and the leaves fall in the autumn or sitting by the window in the winter meditating on the moonlight shining through the icicles hanging from the roof of her cabin.
      Munira Judith Avinger habite à la campagne en Estrie, au Québec. Elle aime donner des lectures publiques de sa poésie, enseigner des ateliers dÕécriture et animer les Danses de la Paix Universelle. Toutefois, elle apprécie le plus se promener dans la forêt, observant les bourgeons sÕouvrir au printemps et les feuilles tomber en automne ou sÕasseoir près de la fenêtre en hiver méditant à la lumière de la lune à travers les glaçons qui pendent du toit de sa cabane.
      Hédi Mizouni is a yoga teacher and a Sufi initiate. His adventure with poetry began when he translated MuniraÕs first book, The Empty Bowl/Le Bol Vide. The act of translation became for him a voyage to the temple of spiritual love. Hédi is interested in mysticism and is working toward an integrated approach to spirituality. He has found resonance to such an approach in MuniraÕs poetry.
      Hédi Mizouni est professeur du yoga et initié soufi. Son aventure avec la poésie a commencé avec la traduction du premier livre de Munira, The Empty Bowl, Le Bol Vide. Le processus de traduction est devenu pour lui une incursion dans le temple de lÕamour spirituel. Hédi sÕintéresse au mysticisme et il aspire à une approche intégrée à la spiritualité. Il a trouvé une résonance de cette approche dans la poésie de Munira.

Julia is the story of two young people growing up in the middle of the forest in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. They are home schooled. They donÕt watch television or listen to pop music. Instead they converse with a tree and adopt an abandoned fawn. And, through their adventures, they learn the lessons of life and death and the meaning of community.

Author, Munira Judith Avinger, has made an in-depth study of several of the spiritual traditions of the world, including Yoga, The Course In Miracles and Sufism. She has applied that study to her work as a leader of the Dances of Universal Peace and as a teacher of creative writing workshops. Shortly after moving to the Eastern Townships, she built a little cabin in the forest where she spends her time writing, meditating and playing music. Most of the poems in this collection were written in this cabin. Munira decided to have her poems translated because "I love living in a bilingual environment and I wanted my poetry to be available in both official languages of Canada. I feel that the goal of Canada to create a multicultural country, with unity in diversity, could be a model for all who strive for peace and harmony throughout the world."