JoAnn Dionne holds an Honours BA in English from McGill University and an MFA in Writing from the University of Victoria. Her first book, Little Emperors: A Year with the Future of China, was a finalist for the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize and short-listed for the George Ryga Award. Her work has been anthologized and has appeared in the literary journals Prairie Fire and The Malahat Review. A long-time resident of Victoria, BC, JoAnn has also lived in Japan, China, Hong Kong and India. She now spends most of the year in the city of Guanajuato, Mexico.