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Ruth

@ruthbushi.com
241 followers 122 following 193 posts

Freelance writer in Cumbria. Bridport Prize winner, 2025.

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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 24/09/2026
Anti-migrant "activist" is the kind of headline they teach you at the Ed Sheeran School of Journalism.
Image of a man slashing a dinghy with a knife. Headline reads "Anti-migrant activist arrested over video of dinghy slashing."
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 23/09/2026
Kicking myself to find my prescription meds are much cheaper OTC, and no one thought to mention it between prescribing it, dispensing it, or taking my money. What a sorry lesson to learn, lol.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 13/09/2026
Have done back in. Easily one of the most humbling things that can happen to a person. Also one of the most outrageously painful.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 09/09/2026
It is genuinely helpful to hear from HMRC at times, but once a day or once every two days just isn't it! I've had to unsubscribe from their emails. Lord knows how I'll remember to prep for making tax digital or fill in a tax return now.
static.klipy.com
Randy Marsh: You Are Harassing Me (South Park)
ALT: Randy Marsh: You Are Harassing Me (South Park)
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 06/09/2026
Wrote a thing about The Sixth Sense, and why it's not just the dead who are clueless. #FilmSky #Movies #Netflix #Horror www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/the-si...
thehaughtyculturist.com
The Sixth Sense (1999): Death and the Psychopomp
Why it’s not just the dead who are clueless in ’90s horror The Sixth Sense, the story of a psychologist and his spirit guide.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 14/08/2026
Thrills, spills, and dinosaurs - The End of Oak Street is in cinemas, and a welcome antidote to reality (and emergency alerts). 🔗 www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/the-en...
thehaughtyculturist.com
The End of Oak Street review: Jurassic larks
Sci-fi survival flick The End of Oak Street is a roller coaster of a movie – you never know what’s around the corner.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 13/08/2026
Oh WOW. Watched the Perseids by a lake - MILLIONS of stars and a whisper of the milky way overhead. And meteors, so many of them. Incredible 💖
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 12/08/2026
Regretting decision to stay up for the Perseids now. Have gone into denial about the amount of cloud cover and refuse to check the forecast now. Two hours to go until I leave the house. Yes, actually leaving the house!! Smartwatch has helpfully just beeped that it's "Time to Sleep." ☄️
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 12/08/2026
Behold the mighty eclipse!!! (Also how awesome to exist at a time when we understand what eclipses are and how to see them. Hurrah!)
Almost entirely black image with tiny silver sliver of crescent sun.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 12/08/2026
An update from the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Fallout from AI allegations continues and the opening of the 2027 prize is now delayed. Can't help but wonder if the main "winner" or beneficiary from all this has been those with AI tools or interests. #Writers #WritingCommunity
Screenshot of text. It reads: "This year, allegations were made that artificial intelligence (AI) was used to write the prize’s winning stories. We responded by conducting a month-long review of the creative process behind each story before finally deciding to uphold the decision made by the 2026 judging panel. While we stand by the outcome of the review process, we also acknowledge the need to evolve our approach and ensure all participants—including staff, entrants, readers and judges—are more prepared to meet the challenge posed by AI in future competitions.

In view of this, we are postponing the opening of the 2027 Commonwealth Short Story Prize until January 2027 to conduct a comprehensive review of the prize's processes, entry rules and submission guidelines."
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 01/08/2026
My god, this book - this book ... ! It's astonishing and incredible, and you must read it. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan.
Front over of Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 31/07/2026
What a strangely passive aggressive addendum to a diversity statement though, to be honest, that phrase has always irritated me because it involves no actual change or effort at all. But why include the disclaimer? Who is it meant to soothe?
Screenshot reads "UK-based writers from all backgrounds - underrepresented talent encouraged. Quality over box ticking."
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 29/07/2026
There should be a word for when you finish one book and are in a flow state for reading voraciously, but there's nothing you want to read.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 16/07/2026
Writers! A free Arvon 5-Day Writing Challenge starts Monday. Get a prompt & support materials by email every day, with the aim of creating a new piece of fiction or poetry by the end of it. #WritingCommunity HT / Sian Meades-William's Substack newsletter 💐 www.arvon.org/five-day-wri...
arvon.org
5-Day Writing Challenge
Sign up to join the free Arvon 5-Day Writing Challenge with Claire Fuller from Monday 20 July to Friday 24 July.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 07/07/2026
“He will get my vote again and again and again and again and again – I don’t care how many times people try and stop him.” ~ Clacton voters have their say on Farage resignation. www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/2626111...
clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk
Nigel Farage resigns and triggers by-election – but what do Clacton voters think?
Mr Farage made the announcement after the Sunday Times accused the Reform UK leader of accepting donations from a convicted fraudster.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 02/07/2026
Via @ scouserofscouse on TikTok: a letter to The Guardian web.archive.org/web/20250305...
No woman in a burqa (or a hijab or a burkini) has ever done me any harm. But I was sacked (without explanation) by a man in a suit. Men in suits missold me pensions and endowments, costing me thousands of pounds. A man in a suit led us on a disastrous and illegal war. Men in suits led the banks and crashed the world economy. Other men in suits then increased the misery to millions through austerity. If we are to start telling people what to wear, maybe we should ban suits.
Henry Stewart
London
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 30/06/2026
Well, there's rising above controversy, and then there's Jamir Nazir wining the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for The Serpent in the Grove. I don't think I could have survived that kind of pile-on. Congrats - and commiserations - to the author.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 19/05/2026
@indienovella.bsky.social not sure if you'll see this, but I've been getting your emails about the recent website incident, and wanted to thank you for the way you've handled it. It's a horrible situation, but your explanation & attempts to fix are much appreciated. Also: love your free course 💗
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Reposted by Ruth
Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Lib Dems must again march towards the sound of gunfire; Starmerism was born in Lambeth; Sadiq Khan on being monetised in the outrage economy; women weren't burnt as witches - they were for defying their husbands; Tutankhamun's Egyptian finders; The Omen at 50
liberalengland.blogspot.com
The Joy of Six 1517
"In 2026 our vote share in inner London boroughs was the worst since 1978. We aren’t running any inner London boroughs. We are only even the...
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 12/05/2026
I've been highly commended in The Bridge Awards Emerging Writer Award for my novel-in-progress (speculative horror, for the curious). It's a lovely thing; thank you Moniack Mhor & TBA. Writers, it's free to enter! Bookmark & submit later this year ✒️ www.moniackmhor.org.uk/writers/awar...
Writer's profile picture shows a South Asian woman with curly black hair. Logos at the top are for Moniack Mhor and The Bridge Awards. Heading reads Emerging Writer Award, Highly Commended: Ruth Bushi.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 07/05/2026
The monetisation of "stranger content" has been terrible for social wellbeing, but this should be called out as VAWG and the person doing it should be prosecuted as such and put on a register. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Man in smart glasses filmed me in London then told me to pay'
Alice says the video was posted on social media and viewed about 40,000 times.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 04/05/2026
Growing up in a strictly Christian family, the Omen worked its peculiar magic on me from a young age. For me, its demonic horror wasn't just real, but really imminent - just as the man behind the original idea had intended all along. www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/the-om... #FilmSky #Horror
thehaughtyculturist.com
The Omen at 50: How they made the devil real
50 years later, The Omen remains compelling and frightening. The secret of its success? An utterly preposterous story told in earnest.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 03/05/2026
Divorce, disaster movies, and dads: symbol and storytelling in Spielberg's War of the Worlds. www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/war-of...
thehaughtyculturist.com
War of the Worlds (2005): Anthem of the damned
Why is Spielberg’s War of the Worlds so downbeat? Decoding the movie’s highs, lows, and disaster genre DNA.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 02/05/2026
"I’ve seen no attempt by any of the above players to update, clarify or correct their statements. For a brief period, the “Epsom gang rape” served a political purpose. The mundane truth was altogether less useful."
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 01/05/2026
An appointment with ... The Wicker Man, remakes, and musical horror. www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/the-wi... #thewickerman #mayday #folkhorror
thehaughtyculturist.com
The Wicker Man: Religion, remakes, and the unholy pile-on
Unpacking sources of dread and the disappearance of God in 1973's cult horror The Wicker Man ... and its much maligned 2006 remake.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 30/04/2026
I should add that I can't even "do" the books, never mind "cook" them - the only books I'm acquainted with have pictures in them. Still, for this reason, I can't be an investigative reporter either. It's only a matter of time before I stumble onto a mob plot, I say from a spare room in a cul-de-sac.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 26/04/2026
#AlienDay 🚀😴👨‍🚀🐛🫃🩸🏃‍♂️🔫🏃‍♀️🐱👩‍🚀😴🚀 www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/alien-...
thehaughtyculturist.com
Alien (1979): The grand, the Gothic, and the giveaway ending
Unpacking the Gothic inheritance of sci-fi horror Alien, and how this narrative repeatedly reveals its twists in plain sight.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 26/04/2026
Is it my job to tell you about Michael Jackson? www.thehaughtyculturist.com/opinion-and-...
thehaughtyculturist.com
Is it my job to tell you about Michael Jackson?
My discomfort in reviewing the Michael Jackson biopic has helped me confront the issues in writing about art vs. the people who make it.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 09/04/2026
Michael Jackson: An American Tragedy is fascinating, not least for the almost spiritual adulation of fans, and the vastness of the singer's fame. And yet, for all the pockets of interest there's a lot of glossing, and things never quite grasped or fully answered. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kez...
youtube.com
Michael Jackson: An American Tragedy | Official Trailer - BBC
YouTube video by BBC
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 08/04/2026
On Scum, and the bleak brilliance of Alan Clarke's work. "It’s no surprise the top boy is called 'the Daddy' and has a missus. Bit by bit, albeit warped by violence, these young men reach for the family, love, & decency missing in their lives.' #FilmSky 📽️ www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/scum-1...
thehaughtyculturist.com
Scum review: Compellingly cruel prison drama still packs a punch
Almost 50 years later, prison drama Scum remains one of the best British films out there – and one of the most disturbing.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 07/04/2026
Isn't America threatening to annihilate an entire civilization ... terrorism? Why is no one speaking up? Why is no one doing anything actually meaningful?
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 29/03/2026
Had a brilliant idea for a group fitness class called Run Choir, which gets packs of people singing loud and rousing songs while running. Cooled when I realised that's basically the army.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 28/03/2026
The strategic beigeness of Andy Weir in that YouTube interview clip is why I don't care to learn about authors and actors beyond what they do on page or screen.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 20/03/2026
#LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched
Four film posters: Project Hail Mary, Pet Sematary, The Dinosaurs, and Double Jeopardy.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 20/03/2026
Dune poster - bright orange circle with a man and a woman in front. Film title reads VOTE. Subtitle reads FOR PEDRO.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 19/03/2026
Good news; it'll still only cost you £540,000 to travel by train from Leeds to London if you book six weeks in advance during a new moon and on a Friday.* *Train may be a replacement bus.
Screenshot of an ad shows a blue background and white text which reads Rail fares have been frozen across England until March 2027
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 11/03/2026
Well, this is delightful - Tolkien's own melody for Chip the Glasses brought to life with an octave mandolin. www.youtube.com/shorts/PXrNi... #Tolkien
youtube.com
Chip The Glasses and Crack The Plates #tolkien #thehobbit #lotr
YouTube video by Lady Moon
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 06/03/2026
I am the degenerate who doesn't do star ratings. Also, I've regressed to a teenage boy, apparently. #LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched
Movie posters: The Untouchables, Point Break, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Firm.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 04/03/2026
Really enjoying Edible Economics on BBC Sounds. Ha-Joon Chang's book tells the story of economics through memoir and meals. Fascinating to hear how food journeys - our now staple ingredients - are rooted in Africa, exploitation, and class. Worth a listen. 📚 #BookSky #AmReading
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 21/02/2026
Watched Farewell, My Lovely for the first time and it's so eerily like a movie made in the '70s. It has a realism that even noir rarely nails. boxd.it/d2KScf
boxd.it
A review of Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Holy cow - if there's a movie everyone needs to watch once in their lives, this is it. The plot is nonsensical, in that way that noir often is; what's astonishing is how the film plays it for real. Th...
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 20/02/2026
Just heard the first ice-cream van jingle of 2026, which means snow next week. It's 8 degrees, feels like 4, by the way!
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 14/02/2026
Having a "clear out," i.e., looking in boxes and drifting away, and found some signed books. One by Roger McGough - who was lovely! - and the other, which reads "Try to get further than this page. Good luck." Reader, I didn't, but I've prized it nonetheless :)
Title page of Selected Poems by Roger McGough, signed with the author's name.Black handwriting reads: Try and get further than this page. Best of luck.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 13/02/2026
#LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched #Filmsky
Four film posters: Deliverance, Nuts in May, Murder my Sweet (a.k.a Farewell My Lovely), and Crossfire.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 11/02/2026
Lovely news: my short story is runner up in the Northern Broadsides + @arvonfoundation.bsky.social Winter Tales 2026 writing competition. Congrats to the winning story, recorded by Julie Hesmondhalgh! Listen here: www.northern-broadsides.co.uk/winter-tales... #writers #writingcommunity #amwriting
northern-broadsides.co.uk
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 11/02/2026
Writers, have you read Sian Meades-Williams's piece on "The complicated business of writing prizes"? Like freelancing in general, writing competitions can be bit of a Wild West, with experiences varying wildly. Sian's piece is worth a read: substack.com/home/post/p-... #AmWriting #Writers
substack.com
The complicated business of writing prizes
Not all writing prizes and competitions are equal. Is it time the publishing industry did something about it?
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 10/02/2026
There are two types of people: those who return the trolley to the trolley park, and those who spit out chewing gum and leave it in the little shelf of the treadmill in a communal gym.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 07/02/2026
Tonight's success was @nigelslater.bsky.social's "A Potato Supper" hefted from the leaves of my twenty-year-old edition of Appetite - much falling apart and annotated now. I padded with onions and chilli, and it went down a storm. With pears & brie for afters. Honestly, felt like a king.
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Ruth @ruthbushi.com · 04/02/2026
This may be niche, but I love that I don't have to download, extract, and then run Open As on zipped spreadsheets and files anymore. I run `zless [filename]` in terminal and peek at the contents in one go. Handy!
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