Meri Weiss was born and raised in New York. She graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's degree in English. In 2002, she was awarded a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Southampton College/Long Island University; in 2006, she earned the President's Award and a Master of Arts in Literature from SUNY New Paltz. Meri has been the recipient of Southampton College's John Steinbeck Award as well as the Sarah Tucker Award for Fiction.