Meryl Tobin, writing name Meryl Brown Tobin, is a writer of short and long fiction for adults and children, non-fiction, especially travel, poetry and educational puzzles. She has had 18 books published. These include puzzle/activity books, black-line masters books of educational puzzles, work books for primary students, a travel book, a children’s picture storybook, a poetry collection and a haiku collection with four other poets of The Society of Women Writers Victoria and has edited one book and co-edited two others. In total, nearly 300,000 copies of her first four puzzle books, which were published by Ashton Scholastic, were sold in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Hundreds of her poems, puzzles, short stories and travel and other articles, and some cartoons and comic strips have appeared in more than 150 magazines, newspapers and anthologies in Australia and overseas, including India, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the USA. Some of her stories and poems have also been broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission and other radio stations while others have been published on the Internet. In 2001, as a guest on the set of Ch7’s children’s program The Book Place, she read her story LEFTY with regular presenter, Lyn Western.
Her awards include being placed or shortlisted in literary competitions run by the Australian Society of Authors Inc, Fellowship of Australian Writers (Vic), Free XpresSion, Poetry Matters, Positive Words, Redoubt, The Society of Women Writers Victoria Inc, Waterline Writing Competition, Woman’s Day and Writer’s Friend and other competitions.
A member of The Society of Women Writers (Australia) Victorian Branch, now The Society of Women Writers Victoria, since 1971 soon after its inception, Meryl served on the Committee and was President, August, 2004-August, 2005.
A former teacher, she taught Humanities subjects in secondary schools. Apart from her family and home, her interests include travel, bush-walking, conservation, including researching rare fauna in Australia, current affairs and humanitarian and social justice issues.
BOOKS
Puzzles Galore! Ashton Scholastic, 1978, New Edition: Eldorado, 1993
More Puzzles Galore! Ashton Scholastic, 1980, New Edition: Eldorado, 1994
Car Loads of Fun, Ashton Scholastic, 1983
Exploring Outback Australia, Kangaroo Press, 1988
Puzzleways: Grammar and Spelling, Longman Cheshire, 1990, New Edition: Ningan Publishing, 2000
Animal Puzzle Parade, Ashton Scholastic, 1991
Puzzle Round Australia, Macmillan Education, 1992
Puzzling Cats, Macmillan Education, 1992
Pets to Puzzle, R.I.C. Education, 1995
Puzzles Ahoy! R.I.C. Education, 1995
Play with Words, Macmillan Education, 1996
LEFTY, Ningan Publishing, 2000
Thoughts in Miniature with Rhona Fahey, Dorothea Trafford Lavery, Janet Howie and Rebecca Maxwell, Ningan Publishing, 2003
Walk in the Forest: Collection of Poems by Meryl Brown Tobin, Ningan Publishing, 2004
Puzzle Fun Years 1-2, Five Senses Education Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, NSW, 2012
Puzzle Fun Years 3-4, Five Senses Education Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, NSW, 2012
Puzzle Fun Years 5-6, Five Senses Education Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, NSW, 2013
Puzzle Australia, Five Senses Education Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, NSW, 2013
Most of these books are now out of print. However, the last four are available from https://fivesenseseducation.com.au/ .
Copies of Thoughts in Miniature and Walk in the Forest: Collection of Poems by Meryl Brown Tobin are available from Meryl Brown Tobin via her website. Click on the last thumbnail below to be taken to the Contact page.
BOOKS EDITED
Contrasts: Poetry from Chisholm Institute Berwick, 1999.
BOOKS CO-EDITED
Thoughts in Miniature, Ningan Publishing, 2003.
Climb the Mountain: Poetry & Prose from the Society of Women Writers Victoria Inc, Free Xpression, 2004.
MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS
Eastern Post Gazette, Knox-Sherbrooke Gazette, Aussie RV’s Trader, RV’s Downunder, Caravan World, The Age, The Sun News-Pictorial, Toorak Times, Challenge, Pursuit, Disney Adventures, K-Zone, The Mozzie.
OVERSEAS
Her World; Her World Annual (Singapore); Journal of Australian Literature (India); Mainichi Daily News (Japan); Metverse Muse (India); Red Lamp (UK); New Zealand Woman’s Weekly; Short Story International (USA); Student Series: Seedling: Short Story International (USA); Valley Micropress (NZ).
RADIO
5UV Short Stories; ABC; ABC Regional Radio; John Reid’s Poet’s Corner, ABC; Radio Nag–91.3 FM, Yeppoon; Write Now–Southern FM 88.3; Writers @ Work (with Del Nightingale).
TELEVISION
Children’s picture story book featured on Ch7’s children’s program The Book Place with her and one of the regular presenters reading it.