Staff Spotlight: Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh

Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh, Artistic Director

Ruby-Rose is a writer, producer and community organiser from Melbourne’s inner-west. Her practice centres on storytelling, often through lenses of identity, connection, personal experiences and popular culture. She is the founding editor the zine ay, mi chicle, which focuses on Latinx experiences and perspectives in so-called Australia. She is also a co-founder of the Latinx art collective Yo Soy. Her work has been featured in the anthology #MeToo: Stories from the Australian Movement, Beat Magazine, Gusher Magazine, SBS Life, The Lifted Brow, VICE and more.

What led you to working here at EWF?

I started out doing events work as a volunteer in the music space, particularly in all ages music. I was also a writer but I didn’t realise that those two things existed together in a space lol. I came across EWF as an audience member first – I think the first thing I ever attended was a zine workshop at Thousand Pound Bend when that was a thing! I was a Creative Producer for EWF18 which was amazing. In 2019 I was hired as the Digital Producer for the festival (a new role which began in 2019 that I loved). After that I went on to the role of Associate Producer. I’m now the Artistic Director!

What do you do outside of EWF?

I have my own practice as a writer, so I spend a lot of time researching and writing essays and creative non-fiction works. I also co-founded and co-direct a collective called Yo Soy, which is for and by Latinx creatives based in Melbourne. Mostly I make memes, collages, zines, parties and community events. I’m also very into astrology, DIY/crafts, being a Scorpio, tarot, journaling, making playlists and giving gifts as a love language – especially things I’ve made and/or cooked.

What are you reading at the moment?

I just finished My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. I’m working my way through A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America by Óscar Martínez but I can only do it one chapter at a time and slowly. I have just started Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror and When I Die Slingshot My Ashes Onto the Surface of the Moon by Jennifer Nguyen. I need to add some fiction in there to break it up! I’m realising and accepting I can’t focus on one thing at a time all too often so having a few different things to read is great.

What are your hopes for the arts in 2020?

I have a huge interest in collectives and community arts so I’m excited to see what comes out of those spaces in the next year or so. I also hope to see more queer and gender diverse BIPOC in leadership roles (whatever those may be) and being recognized, paid and appreciated for their incredible and honestly, refreshing, work. Not (just) because representation but also because change.

The 2020 Emerging Writers’ Festival will run 16–23 June.