The Creative Writing and Publishing (CW&P) program in Oakville’s Sheridan College has named Naben Ruthnum as this year’s writer-in-residence.
Ruthnum’s work spans genres and can’t be pigeonholed; he is a renaissance man who has penned thrillers, comedies, dramas, and even several screenplays. That diversity is on show this year with two published works - the horror novella Helpmeet (Undertow, 2022) and A Hero of Our Time (Penguin Random House, 2022), a bleak comedy about race and education.
Genevieve Amaral, Associate Dean of Sheridan’s School of Humanities and Creativity, believes the wide range of Ruthnum’s “thoughtful, deeply felt, and contemporary” work in popular and literary genres, TV, and film, will deeply benefit Sheridan’s CW&P program.
The Toronto native’s short story Cinema Rex, written under the name Nathan Ripley, in The Malahat Review was awarded the 2013 Writers' Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize.
Amaral especially highlighted Ruthnum’s “remarkably wide curiosity and passion for storytelling in so many different, modern forms.”
Ruthnum revealed he's "extremely excited to be joining Sheridan" and is "looking forward to connecting with students with practical advice on all the different elements of what makes a life in writing work.”
In Oakville, he will develop personal writing projects, visit and contribute to writing and publishing classes, lead public workshops, and mentor students in the community.
You can follow Naben on Twitter @NabenRuthnum.