Ruth Thomas
Telephone:
(0131) 221 1266Home address:
28 Upper Gilmore Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9NJEmail:
rst@makespan.co.ukWebsite:
www.ruth-thomas.comBRAW network:
noLL funded:
yesPublisher:
Faber & FaberBiography:
I was born in Kent and moved to Scotland in the mid 1980s to study English Literature at Edinburgh University. After graduating I began writing poetry and short stories, combining writing with part-time tutoring and administrative jobs. My first short story collection, Sea Monster Tattoo, was published by Polygon in 1997 and was followed in 2000 by The Dance Settee. My first novel, Things to Make and Mend, was published by Faber in 2007, and a third short story collection, Super Girl (also Faber) in 2009. I have recently finished my second novel for Faber, which is scheduled for publication in June 2012.About writer's work:
I love the presence of small details and imagery in fiction and the ways these can suggest larger themes or preoccupations.
My first collection, Sea Monster Tattoo, was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Saltire First Book Award. The Dance Settee won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and Things to Make and Mend won the Good Housekeeping Award for Most Entertaining Read. My stories appear regularly on BBC Radio and I have also narrated my own work for BBC broadcast.
About writer's events and projects:
I am available to read from my work and to lead workshops for adults, as a one-off event or as part of a residency. I also have experience of working with adults with learning disabilities. My workshops often explore the use of detail and description in short-story writing, and ways in which memories can be triggered by certain pictures or objects. I also look at the different approaches between novel and and short story writing. Recent events this year have included a residency in Warwickshire, and readings and workshops at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the West Port Book Festival and at Moniack Mhor (Arvon Foundation). In 2011 I was a guest tutor for the Faber Academy, at courses taking place in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Language:
EnglishAge groups:
AdultsBooks written
Stories addressing contemporary dilemmas and classic situations: disastrous dates, irritating girlfriends, obscure longings for escape. There is Mary, struggling with quiche Lorraine in Home ...
A collection of stories which chart the difficulties people have when faced with the need to change. Poised on the cusp of melancholy and comedy, fragility and folly, the stories offer a take on the ...
From childhood to old age, from family loyalties to communication breakdowns, and from loss to love and freedom, these stories touch on a number of themes and characters. Settings include Scotland, ...
A first novel centring around the lives and memories of two estranged schoolfriends, and the reasons behind that estrangement. Themes include single motherhood, relationships, career fulfillment and ...
