ALUMNI STORIES
Drop City Books( DCB) has become a firm fan favourite among locals from all walks of life. Opened by Keele alumna Ruth Wallbank- Hughes in 2023, DCB is a bright, friendly, radical bookshop nestled in Hanley’ s Cultural Quarter near Stoke-on-Trent city centre.
20 | FOREVER Keele
ALUMNI STORIES
Keele alumna Ruth Wallbank- Hughes on opening Drop City Books and building community one chapter at a time
Drop City Books( DCB) has become a firm fan favourite among locals from all walks of life. Opened by Keele alumna Ruth Wallbank- Hughes in 2023, DCB is a bright, friendly, radical bookshop nestled in Hanley’ s Cultural Quarter near Stoke-on-Trent city centre.
Ruth describes bookselling as“ the best job in the world”, and despite tackling head-on many of the stresses that small business can bring, notes that the rewarding highs of inspiring the next generation of local readers, and interviewing authors who encourage us to think differently about the world, far outweigh the lows.
Ruth’ s mission is clear: to“ reclaim our attention spans, protect human creativity, and cultivate‘ courage, empathy, and kindness’ through books”. Beginning her Counselling and Psychotherapy MSc at Keele in 2019 she acknowledges,“ it might seem like where I’ ve ended up is not even related to the thing I studied for, but it absolutely is.”
Opening a bookshop had been a quiet pipedream for Ruth, who began studying her Master’ s degree just months before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Writing her dissertation about the impact of reading on her own empathy and understanding, Ruth wanted to share the magic of books to bring people together, broaden our perspectives, and shape how we feel about each other and the world around us. Despite juggling her coursework, the challenges presented by the pandemic, and recovering from a serious illness, something told Ruth it was time to make her dream a reality.“ Training to be a therapist at Keele”, she explains,“ gave me the confidence, self-understanding and courage to take a huge leap into the unknown”.