Merilyn Simonds

Merilyn Simonds is the author of three e-born works of fiction and 20 books. Her work has been anthologized and published internationally in eight countries. She writes in a wide variety of genres—literary fiction such as the novel THE HOLDING, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and creative nonfiction, including the Canadian classic, THE CONVICT LOVER (in print for 30 years), as well as personal essay, travel, and memoir—but she is best known for her innovative hybrid works such as the memoir/biography WOMAN,WATCHING, awarded Foreword Reviews 2022 Editor’s Choice Prize for Nonfiction, and most recently, the reflective essay/memoir, WALKING WITH BETH which became an instant bestseller on publication in 2025.

She was Founding Artistic Director of Kingston WritersFest in 2009, as well as the leader of its resuscitation in 2025. She taught in the MFA creative writing program at the University of British Columbia, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Saskatoon. For twenty years she has been mentoring emerging writers, including the bestseller Michelle Good (FIVE LITTLE INDIANS). Born in Winnipeg, Canada, she grew up in Brazil and now divides her time between Kingston, Ontario, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.