Congratulations to Rachel Matlow, whose memoir DEAD MOM WALKING (Penguin Random House Canada) was shortlisted for the 2021 Vine Awards in the Nonfiction Category! Sponsored by the Koffler Centre of the Arts, the Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature honors the best in Canadian Jewish Writing. The awards winners will be announced November 23 in a virtual ceremony.
From the Vine Awards Jury:
“In this memoir of the illness and death of her mother, Rachel Matlow brings her unusual family vividly to the page, and addresses with both agony and sharp humour her conflict with a beloved mother who refused surgery that all but promised to save her life from cancer, opting instead for unproven treatments that ultimately failed to save her. Matlow delves fearlessly into the deepest and most vulnerable facets of her story with an unforgettably honest, wry, and deeply loving voice, and while her frustration with her mother’s decision is palpable, she attempts, with great empathy, to understand and show how and why her mother came to her worldview, and to choices that seemed, on the surface, unfathomable.”
Rachel Matlow (she/her/they/them) was a long-time producer on the arts and culture program Q on CBC Radio, where she also worked on Spark and The Sunday Edition. Her audio documentary “Dead Mom Talking” won a 2016 Third Coast award and a 2017 Gabriel award. She has written for The Globe and Mail, National Post, and The Believer. She plays chess every weekend and is forever planning her next long-distance hike. Rachel is represented by Samantha Haywood.
To see the full list of honorees, please visit: https://kofflerarts.org/News-Insights/News/The-2021-Vine-Awards-Shortlist?fbclid=IwAR3n4Pi-Hvr5D9TssF93r9P4dAv3l_tLZkM0wg7Tlac-NQbhIUwQyv7zrm8