Joan Barbara Simon has a Bachelor of Art's degree in English Literature and Classics (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne), a Masters degree in Educational Science (Open University) and is currently a doctoral student at Goldsmiths College, University of London. After leaving the UK in 1989, she lived briefly in Portugal and Germany before moving to France, where she has lived for the past fourteen years. A keen performance artist, she has recited on the radio, at art exhibitions, open mike sessions and at diverse conferences on New English Literatures.