Merrily Weisbord is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

literary non-fiction writer, documentary screenwriter and broadcaster. Her 2010 book ''The Love Queen of Malabar'', a memoir of her longtime friendship with the late

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n writer

Kamala Das Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity ...

, was a finalist for the 2010

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction The Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to the best work of non-fiction by a Canadian writer. Canada's most lucrative non-fiction prize, the winner rec ...

, the QWF Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-fiction, and the

Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction The RBC Taylor Prize (2000–2020), formerly known as the Charles Taylor Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation to the best Canadian work of literary non-fiction. It is named for Charles P. B. Taylor, a ...

."Merrily Weisbord and Kamala Das: Reciprocal revelations"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 29, 2010. Her other books include ''Dogs with Jobs'', '' The Valour and the Horror'' (coauthored with

Merilyn Simonds Merilyn Simonds (born 1949) is a Canadian writer. Biography Merilyn Simonds was born in 1949 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She spent her childhood in Brazil, returning to Canada as a teenager, where she was educated at the University of Western Ontari ...

), ''Our Future Selves: Love, Life, Sex and Aging'' and ''The Strangest Dream''.

Career

Weisbord lives in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and the

Laurentian mountains The Laurentian Mountains ( French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...

. She was a

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

broadcaster before writing ''The Strangest Dream: Canadian Communists, the Spy Trials and the Cold War''. She co-authored ''The Valour and the Horror: The Untold Story of Canadians in the Second World War'', which was six weeks on ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'' best-seller list. She also authored ''Our Future Selves: Love, Life, Sex and Aging'', published in Canada, the US, French Canada, and Japan. She co-created the hit TV series ''

Dogs with Jobs ''Dogs with Jobs'' is a Canadian documentary television series about working dogs and show dogs. Each half-hour episode consists of two to three segments on individual dogs from around the world. The family-friendly series has featured service ...

'', which sold in 57 countries worldwide, and she wrote the documentary ''Deconstructing Supper'', finalist for the

Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada is an organization representing more than 2,500 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the Guild write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of th ...

Top Ten Awards. She wrote and co-directed ''Ted Allan: Minstrel Boy of the Twentieth Century'', winner of the Chris Award for social documentary. Weisbord is a founding member of the Quebec Writers Federation, served on the National Council of the Writers' Union of Canada and the CBC Short Story Competition jury, Canada Council Non-Fiction and Public Reading juries, and the Hilary Weston Non-Fiction jury. She is currently coordinator of the QWF Workshop Committee. As a teacher, Weisbord was distinguished visiting professor at the Honors Center at

SUNY Plattsburgh The State University of New York College at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) is a public college in Plattsburgh, New York. The college was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The college is part of the State University of New York (SUN ...

, has taught creative writing and documentary film at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

and

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

and was Concordia's first literary non-fiction

writer-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

. She is based in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

Books

*''The Strangest Dream: Canadian Communists, the Spy Trials and the Cold War'' (1983) *''Our Future Selves: Love, Life, Sex and Aging'' (1991) *''The Valour and the Horror: the Untold Story of Canadians in the Second World War'' (co-written with Merilyn Simonds, 1991) *''The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das'' (2010, McGill-Queens University Press) *''Dogs with Jobs: Working Dogs Around the World'' (co-written with Kim Kachanoff, 2000)

Film and television

* Writer/co-director: ''Ted Allan: Minstrel Boy of the Twentieth Century'' * Writer: ''Deconstructing Supper'' * Creator: ''Dogs with Jobs'' * Writer: ''Prostate Cancer: The Male Nightmare'' * Writer: ''Once in August: Margaret Atwood'' * Writer: '' Songololo: Voices of Change''

References

External links

Merrily Weisbord Profile on QWF Literary Database of Quebec English-Language Authors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisbord, Merrily Canadian women non-fiction writers Writers from Montreal Living people Year of birth missing (living people)