Ravi Thornton

Thornton's family is of British and Asian origins. She grew up in the Greater Manchester region of Northern England with her mother and two brothers.

Thornton lives with her long-term partner in Manchester. She has one child, who is non-binary transmasculine. In 2008 Thornton lost her mother to cancer and younger brother to suicide, events that would go on to significantly impact her work.

Thornton began writing full-time in the late 1990s, publishing a number of short stories over several years including works in Issues 18 and 19 of British urban underground illustration, graffiti, and writing magazine The Illustrated Ape: The Lion & The Mistress illustrated by Yuko Kondo and The Man With His Heart In His C**k illustrated by Julie Verhoeven respectively.[2][3][4]

In 2010 Thornton wrote her first graphic short story Raven Squad, illustrated by Perry Van Zandt.[5][6] This was followed in 2012 by her second graphic short story, Day Release illustrated by Leonardo M. Giron. Based on a poem Thornton had written with her brother during his time living with schizophrenia, Day Release was nominated for the Observer/Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize 2012.[7]

In 2010, Thornton co-founded interactive storytelling company Persian Cat Press Ltd.[8] The company was shortlisted for the Manchester How Do Awards, that recognise 'the very best digital agencies' in the North.[9] Persian Cat Press published the CatNav discovery app as well as children's interactive story The Gift[10][11][12] and paved the way for Thornton's later, more technical exploration of social responsibility in narrative.[13]

In 2012 Thornton released a full-length graphic novel The Tale of Brin & Bent and Minno Marylebone with publishers Jonathon Cape Random House illustrated by Andy Hixon. The graphic novel was inspired by a real-life assault on Thornton. Reviewers of the book warned about its violent and disturbing content, but praised the quality of the writing and its emotional depth.[14] It went on to win the Annual Broken Frontier Award for Best Debut Book of 2012[15] and a nomination for the 2012 Bram Stoker Award for horror writing.[16]

In 2012 Thornton collaborated with composer/pianist and DJ Othon to develop a soundtrack to the graphic novel, subsequently performed live in London and Bristol.[17] Cellist Laura Moody featured. The same year Thornton also worked with James Wilton Dance to develop an interactive ballet app of the graphic novel for iPad.[18] Though the project was choreographed, the app did not go on to completion.

The Tale of Brin & Bent and Minno Marylebone is taught at University of Nottingham as part of its BA English Literature, in relation to William Blake,[19] on themes of loneliness, isolation and surrealism.[20] The text has also been utilised in University of Salford as part of its BA Music, to explore jazz as interpretation of abuse and trauma.[21] Scholar David Annwn Jones describes the graphic novel as part of ‘a new interest in the darker resonance of fairytales’ in his Chapter Horror Comics written for the Routledge Companion to Comics 2016.[22]

Four years after the deaths of her mother and brother, 2012 saw Thornton move from pure storytelling to focus more on the responsibility of narrative, reflecting of her growing interest in more technical, cross-platform narrative design, as well as narrative's role in present and future society.

In 2012 Thornton began The HOAX Project, which would go on to be the world's first proven study of social-recovery impact of multi-faceted narrative.[23]

In 2013 Thornton won the inaugural London Hub Barry Reckord bursary,[24] with her linear stage play proposal Treading Air.

In 2014 Thornton formalised applied narrative company Ziggy's Wish Ltd, to further explore the social responsibility of narrative application. The name ‘Ziggy’s Wish’ came from Thornton's ex-racing rescue greyhound Ziggy, after his death.[25]

In 2017 Thornton was invited to contribute to the Manchester Museum and Royal Exchange Theatre project Come Closer Memories of Partition to mark the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India. Thornton wrote the interactive script iDent to explore how identities can be projected onto populations for manipulative gain. The piece was directed by Amy Hailwood, performed across Manchester and required audience participation.[26][27] The project went on to win The University of Manchester's Making a Difference Awards for Social Responsibility, for an Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.[28]

In 2012 Thornton set up Ziggy's Wish to manage and develop the then nascent HOAX Project[29] and other projects that used applied narrative to support engagement with complex social issues. The company formalised in 2014.

The HOAX Project began in 2011, whilst Thornton was working with the poetry of her younger brother who lived with schizophrenia and took his own life in 2008.[30]

Inspired by a poem titled HOAX, Thornton wrote the dark stage musical HOAX My Lonely Heart. Developed in collaboration with director Benji Reid and Royal Exchange Theatre,[31] also composer Minute Taker[32] and producer Pippa Frith[33]. It was performed in 2014 in Royal Exchange Theatre,[34] received four-star reviews[35] and toured across the north of England in 2017.

Using more poems to explore other aspects of her brother's life and death, Thornton wrote graphic novel HOAX Psychosis Blues to pair with the musical,[36] curating the contributions of ten illustrators: Bryan Talbot, Rian Hughes, Mark Stafford, Hannah Berry, Julian Hanshaw, Leonardo M. Giron, Karrie Fransman, Rhiana Jade, Ian Jones, Rozi Hathaway.[37] The first edition was published by Ziggy's Wish in 2014, and received significant acclaim including Comics in Education Graphic Novel of the Year 2014 (winner),[38] Medicine Unboxed Creative Prize 2014 (shortlisted),[39] British Comic Awards Best Book 2014 (longlisted), and Comica Top Ten British Graphic Novels 2014 (official selection).[40] A second edition was released in 2017 to coincide with The HOAX Project tour.

In 2015 Thornton partnered Ziggy's Wish with Psychosis Research Unit of NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust, in order to test the social impact of the HOAX cross-media artworks around mental health stigma.[41][42] For this Thornton wrote a third HOAX component to be toured in 2017: the app HOAX Our Right to Hope with embedded clinical study.[43] Due to the storytelling, data capture was significantly higher than through more traditional research methods. Data analysis showed the project significantly reduced mental-health stigma, increased mental-health disclosure and increased help-seeking for individuals who experience psychosis.[44][45]

HOAX is taught at University of Nottingham as part of its BA English Literature, in relation to Alan Moore,[46] and Dystopian and Gothic Fiction.[47] The project is often cited in humanities studies.[48][49][50]

In 2015 Thornton partnered Ziggy's Wish with Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester to deliver Trials of the Mind, featuring Sasha’s Trial, a stage script with integrated workshop and film to improve public understanding of clinical research on dementia and mental illness, and encourage people to take part in health studies. It was shortlisted for the Clinical Research Impact Health Service Journal Award 2015.[51]

In 2019 Thornton partnered Ziggy's Wish with the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society.

• Ravi Thornton website

• Ziggy's Wish website