Elizabeth Ruth

Elizabeth Ruth’s work has been recognized by the Writers’ Trust of Canada Fiction Prize, The Amazon.ca Best First Novel Award, the City of Toronto Book Award, and One Book, One Community Program. The CBC named Elizabeth Ruth one of 10 Canadian Women writers you need to read!

​Elizabeth Ruth’s first novel, Ten Good Seconds of Silence was published in 2001 by Dundurn and subsequently by Random House, Germany. In 2002 she compiled and edited the anthology, Bent On Writing: Contemporary Queer Tales, (Canadian Scholars’ Press/Women’s Press) which was based on work presented at a reading series she founded and curated. Elizabeth’s second novel, Smoke, was published in 2005 by Penguin Canada. (Random House, Germany, the following year.) In 2013, Cormorant Books published Elizabeth’s third novel, Matadora to critical acclaim. That same year, Elizabeth also published a GoodReads novella in plain language for adult literacy learners, entitled, Love You To Death.

​Elizabeth Ruth holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. She teaches creative writing through SCS at University of Toronto and is known for her mentorship of aspiring writers through the Humber School for Writers’ Correspondence Program, Diaspora Dialogues, Writers in Electronic Residence, and various writer-in-residencies. In 2019 Elizabeth was invited to Dawson City, Yukon, to be the Berton House Writer-in-Residence.

Elizabeth Ruth has just finished a fourth novel and is at work on a book of creative non-fiction entitled, You Cannot Miss What You’ve Never Known. Elizabeth is also developing a collection of poems entitled, This Report Is Strictly Confidential inspired by the life (and papers) of her aunt, who lived 30 years in a notorious residential hospital.

Elizabeth is a Long Form 2014 mentor.