The Author: Rafika Merini was born in Morocco. She has been living in the United States since 1972 but she still travels extensively. She is credited with the securing of grants, conception, and development of the Trois-Pistoles French Immersion Program at SUCB/University of Western Ontario, which she directed in 1995. It is now in its fifth year of operation. She obtained her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Binghamton University (SUNY). She is now Associate Professor of French at the State University College at Buffalo where she also coordinated the Women's Studies Interdisciplinary Unit for six years. Dr. Merini has contributed numerous articles to professional publications and is a frequent guest participant at conferences and workshops. She is also a published literary translator.