Rūta Mežavilka

Rūta Mežavilka, born in 1971, is a Latvian artist, writer, playwright and poet. She studied at the Jānis Rozentāls Art School (1982-89), and graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia, Graphics Department in 1995. She has worked as an art teacher, animator in the Dauka and Rija film studios, artist for the Literatūras Avīze literary magazine, layout designer for Dienas Žurnāli Publishing. She has participated in group exhibitions, and organized solo exhibitions since 1992. Mežavilka worked also as an editor for Luna magazine. She is a member of the Latvian Playwrights' Guild since 1999, and the Latvian Writers' Union since 2003. Mežavilka has worked in various creative fields, including animation, painting, writing and editing, has published stories and poetry in various outlets, illustrated her own books and published three collections of poems. She has worked in journalism and written articles about literature and art. Mežavilka is also the author of several plays, and a novel Dzimuši Latvijai/ Born for Latvia (2011).