Rudy Ruiz is a writer, advocate, and social entrepreneur. In 2014, Ruiz authored Seven for the Revolution, a book that explores the "hard lives of Latinos and the fraught relations between their native and adoptive countries." The book won Best Popular Fiction–English and Best First Book in Fiction at the 2014 International Latino Book Awards. Ruiz is also a regular special contributor to CNN and co-founder of Interlex, an advertising and marketing agency whose work is focused on "public sector, non-profit, and socially conscientious marketing for multicultural audiences." Interlex is one of the 50 largest U.S. Hispanic advertising agencies, according to AdAge.
Early life
Rudy Ruiz was born in Brownsville, Texas, a bilingual and multicultural city along the border of Mexico. His parents, Rodolfo Ruiz and Lilia Zolezzi Ruiz, were Mexican immigrants. After graduating from St. Joseph Academy in 1986, Ruiz went on to Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in government and a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. While at Harvard, Ruiz participated in Raza, Harvard's Chicano students organization. He was also part of Harvard's Undergraduate Council.
Ruiz's first works were published in literary publications while he attended Harvard. His first book, ¡Adelante!, was published in 2003 by Random House. Ruiz also wrote an essay covering stereotypes and eating disorders called "Ghost of Gordolfo Gelatino," which was published in the book Going Hungry. In 2014, Ruiz authored Seven for the Revolution, a collection of short stories about the experiences of seven characters as they immigrate to the United States. The book was named as one of "The Top Ten Fiction Books by Latino Authors for 2014," and received four prizes at the 2014 International Latino Book Awards, along with another three awards at the Latino Books Into Movies Awards including first place in the Action & Adventure category. Ruiz's fiction writing has also appeared in literary journals such as the Pushcart Prize-winning Ninth Letter. In 2017, Ruiz was awarded the Gulf Coast Prize for fiction. During the Fall of 2018, the Notre Dame Review published Ruiz’s short story, “Vexing Gifts.” Reviewed as “vivid” and “palpable,” the magical realism satire is highly critical of President Trump’s border and immigration policies. In December 2018 it was announced that Blackstone Publishing signed a multi-book contract with Ruiz. His first novel, titled The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez, explores “not just the physical border between two countries, but borders between life and death … and past and present.” The novel is scheduled for release in 2020. In 2019, New Texas, a Journal of Literature and Culture, published two of Ruiz’s short stories, “Ports of Entry” and “The Limes.” The stories are both installments in a border bildungsroman Ruiz is writing.
Advocacy
As an advocate, Ruiz has regularly contributed to CNN on issues such as comprehensive immigration reform, and tighter regulation and taxes on sugary drinks and unhealthy foods. He sits on the Board of Directors of Center for Science in the Public Interest, a leading non-profit nutrition advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.. He is also the founding editor of RedBrownandBlue.com, a multicultural political commentary website.
