Wooden Spoons    A Novel




             
             






Author Profile

           In 1978, while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Dennis Ruane began keeping a journal with the intention of writing a novel. Two years later he turned a long-time hobby, woodcarving, into a part-time business when he began carving and selling wooden spoons. In 1982, Dennis abandoned his science career to follow the life of a craftsman and moved back to Pennsylvania that spring.

          For many years he carved wooden spoons for a living as he accumulated woodcarving tools and taught himself how to use them. Dennis' woodcarving repitoire expanded over the years to include a wide array of hardwood sculptures. The time demands that come with such an occupation, made it difficult for him to pursue his dream of writing a novel but Dennis continued to write in his journal. The journal was always at hand, a stenographer notebook lying somewhere in his workshop. He did in fact make a number of attempts to write a novel based on his own experiences. The story was to be woven around the idea of a person walking away from their profession and charting a completely different course for their life. These early attempts only ended in frustration and eventually the conviction that he should give up writing.

           Dennis Ruane and his wife, Jean Alvarez moved to Waynesville, North Carolina in 1999. They purchased a bulding on Main Street and opened Hardwood Gallery. The building also served as their home and Dennis' studio. Hardwood Gallery was open for eight years. During the latter part of this era, Dennis fulfilled a long time desire to write a novel. In the summer of 2006 he self-published his first novel, Wooden Spoons.

          Although the story draws heavily from Dennis' experiences he insists that his novel is not autobiographic. It is a work of fiction woven around a subject that the author is very familiar with. Dennis says that Wooden Spoons is a commentary on life and death and ultimately a statement about art.

          Hardwood Gallery was closed at the end of 2007. Shortly after, Dennis purchased a house and a small building located near Marshall, North Carolina. He converted the building into a workshop and gallery. Walnut Creek Gallery opened on May 12, 2009. Dennis named the property Studio 3 and divides his time there between woodcarving, writing, and gardening.

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