author
Ruth Collie
1889–1936
Best remembered for warm, concise verse that reached newspaper readers on both sides of the Atlantic, this English-born writer built a remarkably varied career as a poet, editor, and columnist. She also wrote under the pen names Wilhelmina Stitch and Sheila Rand.
3 Audiobooks
About the author
Born Ruth Jacobs in Cambridge in November 1888, she later moved to Winnipeg, where her writing career took shape. Sources describe her as the daughter of humorist W. W. Jacobs, and note that she worked as a reviewer, editor, poet, and short-story writer before becoming widely known under her married name, Ruth Collie.
Her best-known work was light, reflective verse published in newspapers, especially under the name Wilhelmina Stitch. After marrying Dr. Frank Collie in 1923 and returning to England, she gained a wide readership through syndicated pieces including the much-loved Fragrant Minute and Memory Gems, alongside books of poems and prose.
She died in London on March 6, 1936. Though not always widely remembered today, her career shows how skillfully she wrote for everyday readers, blending brevity, encouragement, and wit in a voice that felt close at hand.