Ruth Borthwick, Hon. FRSL, is a British arts administrator, literature executive and educator, who for more than three decades has worked with writers in bookselling and publishing, and as an advocate for literature in the UK and internationally. In 2018, she was elected an Honorary Fellow by the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

, rewarding "significant contribution to the advancement of literature". Formerly chief executive and artistic director of the Arvon Foundation for ten years (2009–2019), she has been Chair of

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...

since 2021.

Background

Ruth Borthwick's early career spanned publishing, researching and bookselling in England and in Australia, where she worked in the first bookshop in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

to sell gay books. In 1995, she co-founded with

Bernardine Evaristo Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo (born 28 May 1959) is an English author and academic. Her novel ''Girl, Woman, Other'' jointly won the Booker Prize in 2019 alongside Margaret Atwood's ''The Testaments'', making her the first Black woman to win ...

London's writer development agency Spread the Word, "to encourage new voices to emerge and tell their stories". Borthwick was for a decade chief executive of the Arvon Foundation, a leading UK charitable organisation that promotes creative writing, from 2009 until 2019, during which time she oversaw renovation of its

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

centre The Hurst, expanded work with teachers and launched a new digital programme. From 2000 to 2007, she directed the Literature and Talks programme at London's

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

, where she founded the children's literature festival "Imagine", and revived Poetry International, a biennial festival inaugurated by

Ted Hughes Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...

. She also headed the "Planet Poetry" initiative, a consortium of poetry organizations, that aimed to "help develop a new economy for poets and poetry by increasing the number, range and diversity of people who engage with poetry". International initiatives with which she has worked over the years include the annual

NGC Bocas Lit Fest The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the Trinidad and Tobago literary festival that takes place annually during the last weekend of April in Port of Spain. Inaugurated in 2011, it is the first major literary festival in the southern Caribbean and largest lit ...

in Trinidad, and the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

's 2016 collaboration with the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate of Leo Tolstoy. In December 2021, having served as a trustee of

since 2019, Borthwick was named as its Chair, taking over the position from writer, translator and academic Maureen Freely, with Aki Schilz (Director of The Literary Consultancy) as vice-chair, taking over from journalist Claire Armitstead.

Awards and recognition

In 2018, Borthwick was elected an Honorary Fellow of

The Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, electe ...

, an award made for "significant contribution to the advancement of literature".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borthwick, Ruth Living people Year of birth missing (living people) British arts administrators Presidents of the English Centre of PEN Women arts administrators