Kristie De Garis

Kristie is a Scottish writer, photographer, drystone waller, and author of Drystone - A Life Rebuilt (Birlinn, 2024), a memoir about place, identity, and rebuilding a life from the ground up. The book received national press coverage and her writing has appeared in The Times Magazine, The Scotsman, and Caught by the River, among others. She was also featured in a Smithsonian Magazine global article on drystone walling.
Since publication she has built up significant experience as a public speaker and event participant, appearing at book festivals, universities, and literary events across Scotland and beyond. She is available for author readings, in-conversation events, panel discussions, talks, residencies, and workshops, and can tailor her involvement to suit an event's needs. As an experienced photographer and drystone waller, she is also able to incorporate these skills to offer more hands-on events for organisations looking for something beyond the traditional author format.
Her work draws on memoir, landscape, belonging, race, neurodivergence, mental health, addiction, motherhood, and the craft of life writing. Kristie is a direct, warm, and engaging presence on stage and in the room. She is based in Perthshire.