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Ruby McCann – Glasgow Writer

Ruby McCann is a Glasgow poet, writer, playwright, and creative writing tutor.

Sadly Ruby passed away on Monday 7 February, 2022 in the Marie Curie Hospice in Glasgow. She retained her wonderful spirit and interest in others until the very end.  Deepest condolences to Ruby’s family and her many, many friends.

Ruby has won numerous awards including the Mary Boyle McCrory Award for Excellence in Creative Writing (Washington, DC 2004). Her work has featured in magazines, anthologies and in film and Ruby has performed her work at numerous festivals including Aye Write.

Ruby, talking about writing lyrics on Songwriting Magic Course, Jim Byrne.

Apart from her own writing, Ruby has initiated and been involved in numerous projects encouraging and supporting other writers in their creativity and organising performance showcases.

In America she worked with young playwrights and ran numerous creative writing workshops. Back in Scotland she was the first writer in residence at Glenochil prison and worked with prisoners at other Scottish prisons including Friarton and H.M.P. Perth.

Ruby was chair of the Scottish Writers Centre from 2014 – 2017, successfully applying for funding and firmly establishing this facility in Glasgow.

She went on to found Cheeky Besom’s Glasgow Literary Lounge in Glasgow’s East End along with fellow poet Jim Ferguson and artist Louise Malone: ‘making and creating, for the love of the literary arts and culture’, the artistic collective went from strength to strength with its well attended, vibrant and imaginative events; showcasing the talents of newcomers alongside a diverse range of more established writers and poets including Christie Williamson, Samina Chaudry and Carla Woodburn.

Ruby’s energy, commitment and skill have seen her contributing to a wide range of artistic endeavours; she wrote and narrated a film script to celebrate Paisley Central Library (2018) and contributed to the Eilean Nam Bam project: an exhibition celebrating the extraordinary lives of ordinary women (London 2018 & 2019).

In 2020 Ruby expanded into publishing, founding Rymour Books   –an independent Scottish publisher, along with Ian Spring.  In 2021 [February 2021: Rymour Books was one of seven Scottish publishers shortlisted for The British Book Awards Small Press of the Year award!]

Ruby performing with Cheeky Besoms at Aye Write. Mitchell Library.

Ruby is currently working on her own poetry collection.

Learn more about Ruby’s writing and her work in the world of literature: Pat chats with Ruby McCann on the Podcast: Jim and Pat’s West End Chat.

‘Ruby McCann is someone who gets things done: as Chair of Scottish Writers Centre, she did a mammoth amount of work to get funding and literature out for a wide scope of Scottish Writers, she took a small pub in Glasgow’s East End, and with that tireless commitment, she managed and established The Cheeky Besoms project which brought writers and academics in from all over the UK. She is one feisty lassie who puts many before herself. I have been delighted to have her poetry in Seahorse Publications and hope to publish more.’ Dr.Linda Jackson.

‘Ruby has always been committed to creativity, mostly others’ but has a real dedication to her own craft; while giving much, probably too much, energy away.’ Jacqueline Smith, author, poet and previously Chair of Scottish Writers Centre and host at Poetry@TheIvory.

Ruby with Ten Writers Project – Ruby McCann, Pat Byrne, Janet Crawford and Samina Chaudry.

Ruby had joined the Ten Writers Telling Lies for their second project and was working on a short story. The song she had chosen as a catalyst for her story was The Yellow Clock.

Ruby McCann’s Poetry – Some Examples

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