about meredith
in short…
Meredith Jaffé is the author of five novels for adults, including the bestseller The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison, which was twice voted into the Better Reading Top 100 and is currently optioned for television. Her other works include The Tricky Art of Forgiveness, The Making of Christina, The Fence, and the children's novel Horse Warrior.
A versatile writer, Meredith was the literary editor for The Hoopla, and her feature articles, reviews, and opinion pieces have appeared in The Guardian Australia, The Huffington Post, and Mamamia. She was also the founder and festival director of StoryFest, held on the NSW South Coast, and is a seasoned facilitator at major writers' festivals and author events.
In her latest novel, The Importance of Being Delia, Meredith brings her signature wit and empathy to the lives of older women—the "invisible glue" of their families. Herself living through the challenges of the Sandwich Generation, Meredith writes for every woman who has sacrificed herself on the altar of family love and is finally ready to reclaim her own story.
She lives on the NSW South Coast with her family, including a large tabby who may, or may not, be part Maine Coone.
the long version...
However, like many authors, how she became a writer is a different story. Meredith became a writer via the scenic route. As a schoolgirl, she wrote stories and poetry almost exclusively on the topic of horses (her poem The Brumbies was published in the annual school magazine!) When not writing about or riding horses, she channeled her energies into drama classes earning bit parts in the annual school plays. In Year 12, Meredith scored one of the leading roles in the school’s production of Pride and Prejudice. Playing the part of Darcy remains the pinnacle of her acting career.
Meandering off to university, she majored in English Literature and Sociology and upon graduating announced that she was going to be a writer. Her parents told her not to be silly and to get a real job, which she did. For 9 years, she worked in an insurance company and later became quite successful as a recruiter, possibly because it allowed her to collect other people’s life stories.
Facing the impending birth of her third child, she decided it was time to write or die wondering. Her early writing caught the eye of one of the founders of the online women’s magazine The Hoopla and Meredith joined the magazine when it launched in July 2011. In March the following year, Meredith stepped into the role of Editor, Books and enjoyed three blissful years reviewing books and interviewing writers before the magazine closed its doors in March 2015.
She regularly chairs panels, presents workshops, and interviews fellow writers for various literary festivals and other writerly events. So, when she moved to the country and they didn't have an established festival to celebrate story-based stuff, she immediately spotted the gap in the market.
In 2018, Meredith co-founded StoryFest, a storytelling festival on the beautiful New South Wales south coast. As Festival Director, she was responsible for putting together a star-studded program featuring Australia's finest fiction, non-fiction, songwriting and film-making creatives. In 2022, she passed on the baton to a new StoryFest crew and is writing full time.
If you want to read Meredith's novels, you can order The Fence and The Making of Christina here. You can also find The Dressmakers of Yarrandarah Prison, The Tricky art of Forgiveness here AND preorder The Importance of Being Delia here. You can find Meredith’s middle grade novel Horse Warrior here.
And last but not least, if you would like Meredith to facilitate your next literary event, give an author talk or attend your book club, you can get in touch here.
