In this episode of Turning Points, Patricia Killeen speaks with husband-and-wife team Jonathan Ruppin and Emma Claire Sweeney, who run the Ruppin Agency Writers’ Studio. Their retreats in Paris (https://www.ruppinagency.com/paris/) and North Wales, along with their mentoring programmes, have become sought-after experiences for writers. Their upcoming Paris retreat (18–23 May), hosted by the Véranda Association Culturelle, will take place in a stunning house in the 15th arrondissement, often featured in architectural publications.

Emma Claire Sweeney is an award-winning author and senior lecturer at the Open University. Her novel Owl Song at Dawn was named Nudge Book of the Year (literary category), and her co-authored biography A Secret Sisterhood received praise from Margaret Atwood for its contributions to literary history. Emma’s work has appeared in The Paris Review, TIME, and The Washington Post, and she has won the Society of Authors, Arts Council England, and the Royal Literary Fund awards.

Jonathan Ruppin is an editor and former literary agent with over 30 years of industry experience. He led the Ruppin Agency from 2016 to 2024, where every novel sold was award-nominated, with wins including the Portico Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. He has collaborated with English PEN, the Booker Prize Foundation, and New Books in German, and served as a judge for the Costa Novel Award, Guardian First Book Award, and the RNA Awards.

Check out Emma and Jonathan’s site: ruppinagency.com or contact Emma and Jonathan by email at studio@ruppinagency.com to book a retreat or for literary mentoring.