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The Shaping of Water book cover

THE SHAPING OF WATER

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The Love and Wisdom Crimes Book Cover

THE LOVE & WISDOM CRIMES

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The Spiral-Bound Notebooks book cover

THE SPIRAL-BOUND NOTEBOOKS

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Dust and Rain book cover

DUST AND RAIN

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When I Was Bad book cover

WHEN I WAS BAD

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When We Were Wicked book cover

WHEN WE WERE WICKED

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The Tin Heart Gold Mine book cover

THE TIN HEART GOLD MINE

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Hello Children!

DUST
and
RAIN

Chipo and Chibwe Save the Green Valley

"Absolutely brilliant"

Do you care about climate change?
I wrote my new book Dust and Rain especially for you. Tell me what you think and I promise to reply.

This story is inspired by young people telling the world to act now to heal climate change. Chipo and Chibwe fear the drought on their parents' farm. To find a solution, they journey bravely across Zambia and down the Zambezi River. They face terrible dangers, but wonderful people and animals help them, and they return wiser and stronger to save the Green Valley.

I will do my best to answer your questions and I want to read your own stories about climate change. I may even publish some here!*

Yours for our Earth,
Ruth

      Dear Ruth,




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    "The book is very vivid and the characters are great and very well described. I liked it so much that I think everyone should read it."
    Anna Brandis aged 12

    STORYQUEST

     

    Where do stories take you?

    We are all on a quest, storyteller and readers together.

    Whom does a writer write about? Herself or you?

    Does an artist paint a self-portrait or a picture of you?

    A book is a doorway, a painting a window, into another world.

    Enter, explore, and discover.

    STORYCRAFT

     

    What is storycraft?

    The skill of making understandable stories is storycraft.

    I paint to explore ideas and feelings. I write to explore connections and conflict. But, to communicate, the storyteller must be understood. Then stories create community, and are shared and loved and challenged in community.

    My passion has led me to develop my crafts over many years, because these stories are not just for me.

    I want to hear from you.





    STORYLIGHT

     

    What is storylight?

    We all live adventurous lives. We have secrets to hide and reveal, missions and ambitions to fulfil.

    We each have a story to tell. Some of us have many.

    Each of us loves to hear stories: to be afraid, horrified, shocked, delighted, comforted, pleased and thrilled.

    Stories are lights that we share to guide us through the nights of our days.

    STORYPOWER

     

    What is storypower?

    Storypower is a story's 'fightback' capacity. A fightback is an act of resistance, or an affirmation of resilience.

    The world changes, opinions alter, history is rewritten. Youth's certainties prove false. Misinformed people made mistakes; we ourselves have erred.

    How can we find a way forward? Whom do we trust? Where is hope? Where love?

    Let's tell stories that fight back against cynicism and exploitation. Resist anything mean, petty, or unkind. Believe in equality, generosity and freedom.

    Hello, I'm Ruth Hartley

    I was born into a quiet world with books for companions, not all suitable for a child. My thoughts, imagination and dreams flourished as I read of heroes and warriors. Certain I would be both, I gradually discovered the stories of the silent, the unimportant, and the fearful, who are also brave. I decided to tell the stories of ordinary people whose lives flavour the earth with salt. Everyone has a story, as do I.

    Storyteller Ruth Hartley owns the atypical books imprint. In this logo a large brown lowercase

    I am a Storyteller

    To be a human, to be alive, is to learn and discover. The world is wonderful and shocking; trying to understand it and myself is tough and creative work. Writing and making art help me do this and so does reading. To participate in this writing-reading circle, I share my own stories. Yet I try to minimise my words, and I make art to share ideas and feelings that can’t always be expressed in words.

    Our digitised world is dense with words and images that provoke, anger and manipulate us. I aim to write common-sense stories that are thought-provoking, funny, and gripping. Sharing my stories in my own words and images is my "fightback", my way to affirm our common humanity. So I'm anti-verbiage and pro-significance and I make art and write atypical books for you. Read more about my storytelling journey.

    Yours,
    Ruth

    Ruth Hartley


    Storyteller Ruth Hartley smiles at the camera. She is wears a pixie haircut and a patterned top with a geometric design in shades of purple and white, with matching silver necklace and earrings.

    🤩 Ruth Hartley wins 🤩
    Charroux Short Fiction Prize
    2020 Runner up award
    Truth, Dare, Command

     

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