With the thin veils of mist together with the wisps of clouds gliding through the sky over the treetops and cows playfully galloping, running and walloping, the morning view inspires her day. Living with nature is a blessing in her life.
Today’s piece is about veteran writer Ru Freeman. Inheriting her father’s creativity and mother’s love for teaching, Ru Freeman wields her pen like a sword. As you know Ru is veteran writer Malinda Senevirathne’s beloved sister.
At present, She lectures for the low-residency MFA program at Wilkes-Barre University in Pennsylvania, for Master Classes at Columbia University in New York and Disquiet Literary Conference in Lisbon and for Summer Literary Seminars in Tbilisi.
Winding the clock back to her childhood, she shared her childhood memories with us. “When we were young, we did not have TV. Therefore, we had enough time to observe things and write. It does not mean that I intentionally observe things. This is how I have trained my mind. For instance, when I open the window in the morning, I can see cows playing and running. So, I love to watch them,” she said.
Young rebellion
Ru has shown signs of a brave rebellion even from a tender age. On the one hand, she has raised her voice against the long-established system. ”I wrote a letter to the editor of the magazine ‘Focus’, asking if JR Jayawardena thought that he was a muppet on Sesame Street since he decided to give a speech during the ‘Sesame Street’ program. The article appeared in the magazine. The editor then was Nihal Ratnayake,” she said. It is evident that she always discusses people’s responsibilities and politics through her articles. Currently, she wields her pen for war-torn Palestine.
Her literary creations
No book escapes Ru’s fingertips because she is an avid reader. She reads novels, short stories, poems, biographies as much as possible. Not only a reader, she writes whatever ignites her thoughts in her mind. “I have a box and write my thoughts on pieces of paper and put them into that box. Such stories are useful for my writing”.
When she awaiting her Advanced Level examination results, she decided to work as a typist. At that time, typists were not treated well. Standing against social indifference, she wrote a short story titled ‘The Painting’ based on the incident. Surprisingly, ‘The Painting’ went on to win the ‘Yauwana Sammana’. Not only that, there are many novels, short stories and essays to her credit. For instance, ‘Sleeping Alone’, ‘Indivisible Global Leaders on Shared Security’, ‘On Sal Mal Lane’, ‘A Disobedient Girl’, ‘Bon Courage’ (essay).
When asked about the support from Malinda Senevirathne, she said that she sends her original creations to him before sending them to her agent. “Malinda supports me and guides me,” she said. Moreover, her creative and political work has appeared in many magazines, including the UK Guardian, The Boston Globe, and the New York Times.
The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference
The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference paves the way for a diverse community of writers at various stages. Freeman was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to attend the conference, where she began to flourish in the world of Literature.
Her message to budding writers
“Read a lot. If you read ten books a day, you will love at least two books. Then, you will understand your choice. That understanding enables you to understand your own writing style.”
