Ruth Carr (born 1953), also known as Ruth Hooley, is a Northern Irish writer. A poet, Carr has edited several anthologies of writing by women, including the first anthology of Northern Irish women's literature. She has worked to promote the publication of writing by women and members of other underrepresented groups. Carr served as co-editor of the poetry magazine ''

The Honest Ulsterman ''The Honest Ulsterman'' is a long-running Northern Ireland literary magazine that was established by James Simmons in 1968. It was then edited for twenty years by Frank Ormsby. It has returned as an online publication from 2014 onwards. Edito ...

'' for 15 years.

Early life and education

Ruth Carr was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

in 1953. She studied at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

Stranmillis University College Stranmillis University College is a university college of Queen's University Belfast. The institution is located on the Stranmillis Road in Belfast. It had students in . The school offers the BEd, PGCE and TESOL, as well as other courses. Hi ...

, and

Ulster University sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

Career

Carr's work is primarily as a poet and editor. Her poetry has been described as having "sensuous immediacy and moral wit." She has published three solo poetry collections. Her first, ''There is a House'', was published in 1999, followed by ''The Airing Cupboard'' in 2008. Her most recent collection, 2017's ''Feather and Bone'', draws on the lives of

Mary Ann McCracken Mary Ann McCracken (8 July 1770 – 26 July 1866) was a social activist and campaigner in Belfast, Ireland, whose extensive correspondence is cited as an important chronicle of her times. Born to a prominent liberal Presbyterian family, she comb ...

and

Dorothy Wordsworth Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth (25 December 1771 – 25 January 1855) was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had no a ...

. In 1985, Carr edited the seminal anthology ''The Female Line'', the first literary anthology of work by Northern Irish women writers. Initial funding for the book, which was published by the Northern Ireland Women's Rights Movement, came from the Equal Opportunities Commission, as well as local trade unions. Alongside established authors, several of the women whose work was included in the collection had never been published before. The anthology sold out within a month of its first printing, and it was revived in 2016 in a digital format. Carr also contributed to 2002's ''The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing'', editing the section on contemporary women's fiction. She became a founding member of the Word of Mouth women's poetry collective in 1991, and she co-edited its 1996 anthology ''Word of Mouth: Poems.'' In 2020, she co-edited the anthology ''Her Other Language: Northern Irish Women Writers Address Domestic Violence and Abuse'' with Natasha Cuddington. She served for 15 years as co-editor of the

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

''. In 2003, she oversaw production of its final print issue, which honoured the late poet and ''Honest Ulsterman'' founding editor James Simmons. In 2017, her work was included in the collection ''Female Lines'', a spiritual successor to her 1985 anthology, edited by Linda Anderson and Dawn Miranda Sherratt-Bado. In 2021, she was featured in the anthology ''Look! It’s A Woman Writer!: Irish Literary Feminisms 1970–2020''. Carr, who lives in Belfast, has also worked as an educator, specializing in adult literacy.

Personal life

Carr was previously married to record store owner

Terri Hooley Terence Wilfred "Terri" Hooley (born 23 December 1948) is a prominent figure in the Belfast punk scene and founder of the Good Vibrations record shop and label, responsible for bands such as The Undertones, Rudi, Protex and The Outcasts making ...

, with whom she had her elder daughter.

Selected works

* ''The Female Line'' (editor, 1985) * ''There Is a House'' (1999) * ''The Airing Cupboard'' (2008) * ''Feather and Bone'' (2017) * ''Her Other Language'' (co-editor, 2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Ruth 1953 births Writers from Belfast Women poets from Northern Ireland Women writers from Northern Ireland Living people