About

I’m Ruth Dawkins, a writer from a tiny island in the north of Scotland. You might also know me as DorkyMum.

In 2013, I moved from the UK to Tasmania, where the cold winters, beautiful sunsets and generous measures of whisky make me feel very much at home. I currently live in Hobart with my husband Young and our teenage son.

As a copywriter I’m comfortable working across a range of topics, but my particular areas of interest and expertise include science and environment, travel and tourism, education, not-for-profits and the public sector. I also love working with sole traders and small businesses as I understand the unique challenges they face.

My clients over the last decade have included CSIRO, Brand Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania, Merri Creek Management Committee, St Virgil’s College, NRM South, Huon Valley Council, Tourism Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Antarctic Science Foundation, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, and many more.

As a feature writer I have been widely published in local, national and online press, for titles including The Washington Post, the Guardian and Observer, Time Out, RACT Journeys, SBS Life, Kidspot, The Lifted Brow, and The Crafty Pint. In 2011, I edited the Kids Section of Fest magazine, commissioning and writing reviews of children’s shows at the Edinburgh Festival. In 2022, I contributed three chapters to the Lonely Planet Experience Tasmania guidebook.

Prior to becoming a full time freelancer, I built up almost ten years of experience in communications and community engagement roles for a diverse range of organisations, including the Tasmanian Writers Centre, the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, Edinburgh University Students Association, Save the Children UK, the Scottish Green Party, Christian Aid, and the WWF/Ben and Jerry’s Climate Change College.

If your organisation is looking for help with copywriting, or if you are an editor who would like to commission me, please get in touch.

Photo credit: Karen Brown Photography