Stacy Russo is a writer, artist, librarian, poet, and oral historian committed to creating books and art for a more peaceful world (Source: stacy-russo.com). She is currently a librarian and associate professor at Santa Ana College. Before this, from 2007 to 2011, she served as an Instructional Librarian and Chair of Public Services for the Leatherby Libraries! The Leatherby Libraries has curated a bibliography and display of books by Stacy Russo from our catalog that highlights her passion for sharing stories.

One of the books highlighted in this bibliography is a children’s book, Wild Librarian Bakery and Bookstore. It follows Stella Peabody, a librarian who opens a conjoined vegan bakery/bookstore that brings together a diverse community. This book is a heartwarming tale about following one’s dreams and bringing together a community, demonstrating Russo’s passion for connecting with readers through stories.

Russo’s fondness for bringing communities together is a theme that travels throughout her books. We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s & 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene provides an oral history of the Southern California punk rock scene by capturing the stories of women who participated. It examines what drew them to the punk rock scene and how that influenced the rest of their lives, demonstrating the power that oral histories have to connect people.

On Tuesday, April 9th, the Department of English and the Leatherby Libraries presented the 2024 Pub(lishing) Crawl event. Stacy Russo presented on Storytelling for Social Justice: Oral History & Other Story-Gathering Projects inspired by her book A Better World Starts Here: Activists and Their Work. Russo spoke about her passion for oral histories and how curating them allows unique stories to be shared. Prior to speaking at this event, Russo stopped by the Leatherby Libraries to see our display celebrating her written works!

Stacy Russo (center) pictured posing with the reference desk display celebrating her writings in the Leatherby Libraries’ catalog.

If you are interested in checking out any of the books from this display, you can view the complete bibliography for the display here.

This display was curated by Leatherby Libraries student employees Isabella Piechota ’25, Arianna Tillman ’25, and Kalea Brown ’26.