Lorna Goodison is the author of 15 books of poetry, most recently Mother Muse which was shortlisted for The Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry. Véhicule Press released her first-ever book of essays in Canada, Redemption Ground, in 2023. Born in Jamaica, Goodison has taught at the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan, and now lives in Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia. Goodison was Jamaica's Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2020 and was the recipient of The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2019.

Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence and is considered Italy's greatest poet. It is believed that The Divine Comedy, a masterpiece of world literature, was written between 1308 and 1320. He died in Ravenna in 1321.