Melissa Bonin is a native Louisiana Creole and Cajun francophone, Francophile trailblazer. She has worked as a visual artist, poet, lyricist and mansion artist for Governor Kathleen Blanco. Recent exhibitions/presentations include: Residency in Chianti, Italy, Salon du livre, Montréal, San Miguel, Poetry Week, Hilliard Museum and New Brunswick, Canada where she was the first woman artist/poet to represent Louisiana for The Acadian World Congress. In 2023 she was invited to the home of the Ambassador of France in Washington, D.C. Her song lyrics have been recorded by Luce Dufault, Zachary Richard, Marie-Eve Janvier, and Jean-Francois Breau. Publications include: When Bayous Speak, Lorsque les bayous parlent, A Unique Slant of Light, National Endowment for the Humanities, Expressions of Place by John Kemp, The Oxford American, Ô Malheureuse, Feu Follet, Mockingheart Review, Roundtop AnthologyF