Ruby Brunton is a New Zealand-raised poet and performer who now lives in Brooklyn. She spends a lot of time thinking about how to create community and education alternatives. Find her on Twitter and Tumblr.
Follow RubyIn Search of Orphans
At 22, Ruby Brunton had been an orphan for one year, but was still looking for fellow orphans to help her make sense of her loss. She went looking online, and found something quite disturbing.
Looking for Kicks
Ruby Brunton traces her love for camp through teenage boredom, John Water’s cult musical Cry-Baby, and Comme Des Garçons’ designer Rei Kawakubo.
CupcakKe Flips the Script on Her Haters In “33rd”
Watch CupcakKe’s Music Video “33rd”
in which she flips the script on her haters.
New York City to Decriminalize Turnstile Jumping
Turnstile Jumping Will Be Decriminalized in Manhattan, as part of an effort to decrease arrests over low-level misdemeanors.
Making Prison BBQ Salmon with Prodigy of Mobb Deep
R.I.P. Prodigy! We remember him by this incredible video where he discusses the ins and outs of cooking and staying healthy while in prison.
When Is a Tweet a Novel?
When Is a Tweet a Novel? Ruby Brunton reviews Darcie Wilder’s new novel Literally Show Me a Healthy Person
What to Do with Stuff
Declutter your life, says Marie Kondo. But when your things feel haunted by the energy of loved ones, that’s easier said than done.
Under One Roof
How to live with abrasive roommates? Ruby asks "If 50,000 Kowloon residents could sort out their difficulties, why couldn’t we?"
Leila Adu
When the world refuses to make a space for your work, sometimes you just have to make your own.
Getting Your Hands Dirty
“My hands last felt paste sticking political posters to bollards a few years ago. I don’t remember the last time my hands touched clay.”
On Leaving the House
Showing up at the protest requires leaving the house. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.
When Blood Runs Cold
To counter the overwhelming despair, Ruby Brunton looks to The Jane Collective and other rebellious women of the past.
Putting Your Foot In
“Offending someone I care about feels like a burning hot hell fire. Read receipts are the hell fire’s fuel. Silence or a social media unfollow are the hell fire’s pokers.”
Out of Time
Temporality and capitalism compound to make it near impossible for most of us to get where we need to go.
Everything Must Go
Ruby Brunton chronicles the waves of obsession and depression that come with loving fashion in the time of late capitalism.
One Thousand Words for Skipping School
Have kids always skipped? Ruby Brunton reflects on memories and hindsight.
Taking to the Drink
Nothing to Booze Ruby Brunton looks at some lessons she’s learned as a social drinker with painful memories.
What Does ‘Thrift’ Even Mean?
“I like my money where I can see it: hanging in my closet.” — Carrie Bradshaw
The Good Life
Learning to work the system and finding joy in banding together to plot its downfall
Not Going the Distance
When a fling makes you feel more than a full blown affair.
Giving Up Isn’t The Worst Thing
The faulty logic of dreams fulfilled by hard work gets kicked to the curb, once and for all.
Sexual Interference
When life’s in disarray, can sex help us keep it together?
Public (un)Health
Ruby Brunton introduces her new column on the entrappings of self-care, hating work, and what she would rather be doing.
Emojis Will Get You Anywhere
Knowing your emojis can get you a date, a slice of pizza, and even shut down your haters.
Tommy Pico
From writing poems on the back of bookmarks on the Viejas Indian reservation of the Kumeyaay nation, to dropping out of medical school to pursue writing, Tommy has never done things the “usual way”. Ruby Brunton sat down with Tommy Pico to talk about growing up, performing poetry, and the power of quitting things.
Dropping Out Before I Got Recruited
I was raised to believe in the importance of an inquisitive mind and an openness to new ideas. My experience of education sometimes reflected this but more often did not. When I was asked to write PR proposals for solving BP’s oil spill crisis, I knew it was time to drop out.
An Alien in the Land of Sleep
There is no magic cure for insomnia. Nothing can guarantee sleep. But I know this: once I stopped worrying about my insomnia, it became more sporadic and less disruptive.
In Search of Orphans
At 22, Ruby Brunton had been an orphan for one year, but was still looking for fellow orphans to help her make sense of her loss. She went looking online, and found something quite disturbing.
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