Ruth Maus

Ruth Maus, a native of Topeka, Kansas, has lived in Mexico City, western Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

She represented Smith College at the Glasscock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications.

Her first poetry book Valentine was a finalist in the 2019 Meadowlark Birdy Poetry Prize. Her second poetry book Puzzled was a High Plains Book Award finalist in 2023.

Her first novel Lunacy and Acts of God was over 30 years in the making. Winner of the 2026 J. Donald and Bertha Coffin Memorial Award for Fiction, it was published in 2025 to many enthusiastic reviews, including one by the mayor of Topeka.