Magda Carneci is a widely acclaimed writer, translator and art critic in Romania, where she has become a leading voice among the gifted group of poets who began their careers under the waning influence of Communism in Eastern Europe. She is the recipient of prizes and grants from the Fulbright Foundation, Getty Trust, European Union, and more; in 2013, she won the "Opera Omnia" career prize from the Romanian Writers' Union. her poems have been translated into thirteen languages and included in numerous anthologies.

Sean Cotter has translated many works of Romanian literature, including Mircea Cartarescu's Blinding (Archipelago Books, 2013) and Wheel with a Single Spoke, a selection from Nichita Stanescu (Archipelago Books, 2012), winner of the Best Translated Book Award for poetry. He is Professor of Literature and Translation Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he is part of the Center for Translation Studies. He is currently working on a translation of Mircea Cartarescu's Solenoid.