PALEWELL PRESS

Ruth is a poet and writer who has worked in an unusually wide variety of community settings including time as Poet-in-Residence at then Shepherd School 2003-4 (now Oak Field School, whose students live with profound and multiple disabilities) in Nottingham and continue to lead workshops there. For many years she was part of group of writers ‘Inside Out’ who led workshops in HMP Nottingham During that time they published 6 volumes of work by the participants, which were displayed in Nottingham City Library and held a series of reading based around their work. She also worked in HMP’s Whatton, Gartree, Leicester and HMYOI Glen Parva.

Ruth organized the first Southwell Poetry Festival in 2003. In 2009 she was one of five writers recruited nationally to work with Barnado's producing work with sexually exploited young women for an exhibition in the Women’s Library, London. She has twice been runner-up in the Manchester Cathedral International Poetry Prize. Ruth is an experienced broadcaster with 'The Diviners’ a poetry group with faith connections lead a poetry based ‘Morning Service’ for the BBC in 2010.

Her poems have appeared a variety of magazines including Ambit, The Delinquent, The Wide Skirt, ‘Theology’ journal, London Magazine and Magma. As Ruth Shelton she co-authored ‘Making Nothing Happen – Five Poets Explore Faith and Spirituality’ published by Ashgate in 2014.

Her poetry is inspired and informed by city life and the hidden life of the streets, where homeless and vulnerable people inhabit their own language and culture alongside the students, shoppers and office workers. In May 2019, Palewell Press published Ruth's solo poetry collection - Arthur Talks. In December 2023, Palewell Press will publish her pamphlet, Starwise - a few poems for the season of light, in which Ruth returns to the subject of homelessness and its spiritual significance.