Élise Turcotte first saw the light of day in Sorel in 1957. A poet, novelist and short story writer, she completed her masters in literary studies at the University of Quebec at Montreal in 1984, and a doctorate in Creative Writing at the University of Sherbrooke in 1991. Since 1986, Turcotte has been teaching literature at the Vieux-Montréal College. She regularly contributes to journals such as Estuaire, La Nouvelle Barre du Jour, Moebius and Lèvres urbaines.

Turcotte has worked in several genres, such as the short story, novel and poetry. She has also worked in children’s literature, with a dozen titles to her name. Furthermore, Turcotte has written for the Montreal entertainment weekly Voir, has penned an essay on Joyce Carol Oates and a work that discloses her literary roots.