Rafael Torrubia grew up split between Spain and Scotland as the child of a Scottish mother and a Spanish father. Their writing kicked into high gear when they joined and developed the Words on Canvas writing group at the National Gallery of Scotland, before being further encouraged at the Moniack Mhor and Arvon writing centres. They studied at the University of St. Andrews, first exploring the linkages between plantation folksongs and the protest songs of the civil rights movement, and later examining the cultural inheritances of the Black Power movement in America. They taught at the University for several years, and have also worked in wine, whisky, and at the National Museum of Scotland. They currently work part-time with the University of St. Andrews supporting postgraduate students, and also with the writing charity Open Book, delivering creative writing workshops to participants across Scotland. They have won a number of awards for their writing and poetry, including Unpublished/Published Writer of the Year from the National Gallery of Scotland, the Deirdre Roberts Poetry Prize, and a shortlisting for the Bridport Prize.