Alice Ruiz

Ruiz was born in Curitiba, in 1946. She began writing tales when she was 6 years old and began writing her first verses at age 16. During a long time she had only been published in magazines and newspapers. She published her first book at age 34. She compose songs since she was 26 and released in 2005 her first CD, Paralelas, with Alziraz Espíndola, featuring known Brazilian musicians such as Zélia Duncan and Arnaldo Antunes.[1][2] In total, Alice has 21 published works, such as books, poems, translations, songs and children's stories.

In 1993, Ruiz has honored by the Japanese Brazilian community with the name of haikuist.[3]

Ruiz was married to the also poet Paulo Leminski, living with him from 1968 to 1988.[1] They had three children: Miguel Ângelo Leminski (1969–1979) – who died at the age of 10, victim of lymphoma -, Aurea Leminski (1971) and Estrela Ruiz Leminski (1981). It was Leminski who incentivized Alice to write haiku.

In the late 1970s, in the publishing house Grafipar, located in Curitiba, the couple scripted erotic comic books, drawn by artists such as Claudio Seto, Júlio Shimamoto, Flávio Colin and Itamar Gonçalves.[4]

In 1989, she was awarded with the Prêmio Jabuti prize for her poetry book Vice-Verso.[1][5] In 2009 she was once again awarded with the prize, this time for her poetry book Dois em um.[6]