Ramona Depares

Ramona Depares (born July 24, 1975) is a Maltese author, journalist and theatre critic.^[1][2] She previously worked at the Times of Malta, and is now a freelance journalist and creative writer.

Ramona Depares
Ramona Depares
Born	(1975-07-24) July 24, 1975 (age 50) Valletta, Malta
Occupation	Journalist, author, editor
Education	University of Malta
Subject	Biography, journalism, essays
Years active	1999 - present
Website
ramonadepares.com

Career

She obtained a degree in law from the University of Malta in 1999.^[3][4]

Depares began working as a freelancer for the Times of Malta in the 1990s.^[4][5] After graduating from university, she joined the paper as a legal reporter. She took on the role of executive editor of the in-house magazine E&D in 2007. In 2011, she joined the paper's editorial staff in a full-time capacity, and in 2019, she became Head of News.^[4] She also served as "assistant editor with The Sunday Times of Malta and editor of the monthly Sunday Circle magazine".^[4]

Depares left the Times in 2019 to launch her website, which specialises in culture related features and reviews.^[5] She is a theatre critic^[6][7][8] and runs an SEO content-writing project^[9] while working on new creative writing projects.^[10]

She is the editor of Encore Arts & Culture Magazine^[11] and of Horeca Malta, a magazine dedicated to the hotels, restaurants and catering industry.^[12][5]

Writing

Her short story collection Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija was published in 2019. The stories focus on the grassroots community of Valletta from the 1970s to the 1990s,^[13] based on the author's recollections and the memories of her friends and family.^[14] The book is illustrated by artist Moira Zahra.^[15] It was partially financed by the National Book Council.^[14] The book is part of the Malta Book Council's foreign rights catalogue^[16] and was lauded by veteran author Trevor Żahra for "keeping Valletta alive".^[14]

She published a second short story collection, The Patient in Hospital Zero, in 2021. The collection is "concerned with human nature, particularly its darker undertones". The main protagonist of the work are women, a conscious choice made by Depares because women are rarely presented as antiheroes.^[17]

Depares has also written an authorized biography of Katya Saunders, one of Malta's first openly transgender women.^[18] The book, entitled Katya: Easy on the Tonic, was described as an "important documentation of the life of a woman who is viewed as a role model for an entire generation".^[19]

Personal life

Depares was born and raised in Valletta.^[14]

Depares underwent a hysterectomy at age 45, and has spoken on the need for increased education on recovery from hysterectomies and other similar procedures.^[5] She has chosen not to have children.^[5]

Awards

• 2014 Opinion Article Award, conferred by the Institute of Maltese Journalists^[4][20]
• 2015 Cultural Journalism Award, conferred by the Institute of Maltese Journalists^[4][21]
• 2023 Best International Contribution Premju Għall-Arti 2023,^[22] as part of the group project Urban Fabric ^[23]

Publications

• Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija. Merlin Publishers. 2019. ISBN 978-99909-1841-0.
• The Patient in Hospital Zero. Merlin Publishers. 2021. ISBN 978-99909-1932-5.
• Katya: Easy on the Tonic. MGRM. ISBN 978-9918-0-0380-8.