Writers Festival Radio Creators & Guests

Naben Ruthnum is a writer. He has published under both his own name and the pen name Nathan Ripley.Previously, Ruthnum was a National Post books columnist, and has written book reviews and cultural criticism for the Globe and Mail, Hazlitt, and the Walrus.Ruthnum's crime fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Joyland. His first book, "Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race," was published in 2017.He won the Journey Prize in 2013 for his short story "Cinema Rex", and has since published the books Curry: Reading, Eating and Race (2017), a non-fiction essay collection about immigrant cultural identity in food and literature, and two literary thriller novels, Find You in the Dark and Your Life is Mine. Ruthnum's current novel, A Hero of Our Time, was published in January, 2022 and a novella, Helpmeet, was published in May, 2022.Originally from Kelowna, British Columbia, Ruthnum is of Mauritian descent. He has a master's degree from McGill University, where he wrote his thesis on the role of Oscar Wilde in the development of the ghost story in British literature.Outside of his literary work, Ruthnum is also a former musician, most notable as the founding guitarist for Bend Sinister, a Vancouver-based progressive rock band.

Lauren Beukes is a novelist, short story writer, journalist and television scriptwriter.Before becoming a full-time writer, Beukes worked as a freelance journalist for ten years.Beukes has written for the comics "Survivors’ Club," "Fairest: The Hidden Kingdom," and "Trouble With Cats." She has published 8 books.