Michele Landsberg

Michele Landsberg (born 12 July 1939) is a Canadian journalist, author, and feminist social activist. She is known for writing three bestselling books, including Women and Children First, This is New York, Honey!, and Michele Landsberg's Guide to Children's Books. She has written columns for the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and Chatelaine magazine, and was one of the first journalists in Canada to address sexual harassment in the workplace, racial discrimination in education and employment opportunities, and lack of gender equality in divorce and custodial legal proceedings.

In 2005, the Canadian Women's Foundation established the Michele Landsberg Award in her honour, to recognize outstanding young women (ages 18–30) and their accomplishments in media and activism. In 2006, Landsberg was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. , she is a member of the Women's College Hospital Board of Directors.

Personal life Michele Landsberg was born on 12 July 1939, in Toronto, Ontario. She attended high school in North York. In 1957, following her high school graduation, she traveled to Israel, where she spent a year of study and work as a kibbutz volunteer. After returning to Ontario, she attended the University of Toronto, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor's degree in English and literature. She has also received an honorary degree from McMaster University,

Career

Journalist In 1962, Landsberg joined the staff of The Globe and Mail. She married Stephen Lewis soon after signing on with the Globe, but maintained a byline under her birth name, since her editors preferred that it not be known that she was married to a socialist politician. When her children were born, she resigned her column with the Globe, opting to work on a freelance basis.

Activist Landsberg is an outspoken critic of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation and is known for challenging the credentials of foundation advisors, saying that they "are people who really do have powerful motivation to deny the truth".

Honors and awards Landsberg is the recipient of two National Newspaper Awards, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the Dodi Robb Award from MediaWatch, the Robertine Barry Prize for journalism from the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, the Florence Bird Award from the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, several honorary degrees, and the Canadian Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the 1929 Persons Case and Democratic Development, an award acknowledging contributions to equality for women which have resulted in positive change.

Published works Landsberg, Michele (1982). Women and Children First, Macmillan of Canada, 239 pages. Landsberg, Michele (1986). Michele Landsberg's Guide to Children's Books, Penguin Books Australia, 274 pages. Landsberg, Michele (1987). Reading for the Love of It, Simon & Schuster, 327 pages. Landsberg, Michele (1989). This is New York, Honey!, McClelland & Stewart, 304 pages. Landsberg, Michele; and Fran Newman (1993). Children in Crisis, Scholastic Canada, 207 pages. Landsberg, Michele (2004). The Grubby Pleasures of Gardening, McClelland & Stewart, 240 pages. Landsberg, Michele (2011). Writing the Revolution, University of Toronto Press, 304 pages.