Marisa Russello is a mental health writer who believes it's our connections that keep us alive.
I dictated my first book to my mom at age five when I had a crush on my best friend, Alex. I titled the story "I Love You, Alex" and featured a protagonist named Maria: an excellent disguise for my own name, Marisa.
From the earliest time I picked up a pencil, I enjoyed scribbling on blank paper, whether drawing the next Picasso or imagining I was writing words. I've loved writing ever since, and my big dream became to publish a NYT Bestseller. (How hard could it be?)
Today, I'm still passionate about connecting with people through stories, both mine and theirs. Social justice is also at the heart of what I do. This site focuses on my writing—fiction and nonfiction—and peer support. To read my work, be sure to visit my delightful Publications page.
Unfortunately, I believed people when they said writing was a hobby, not a “real job” like influencer, instead of believing in myself. I let others make decisions for me, and I lost sight of my goals. Because of this, I took a long break from creative writing during college and my time working as a NYC public school teacher.
After experiencing a major turning point in life and reflecting, I realized what’s most important to me, aside from winning every game of Hungry Hungry Hippos: Unicorn Edition. Now I’m finally prioritizing my writing by working on a memoir. Words influence people in powerful ways, and I’d like to make an impact on others with mine.
Latest Posts
Adopt This Suicide Prevention Approach
My first time in a psychiatric hospital was traumatic. In a room with white walls and chairs bolted to the floor, fluorescent lights buzzed. Staff gripped my arms tightly. “Stop resisting!” they shouted, but I was sobbing and shaking so hard I barely heard. As they pinned my body to the ground, the nurse jabbed…
Mopco Improv Theatre Celebrates 30 Years of Laughter with Local Roots
Schenectady’s popular improv theater marks its 30th anniversary with more community-building comedy. In the early ’80s, Michael Burns was “doing the whole young New York actor thing.” The comedy scene there was cutthroat and crowded by aspiring “Saturday Night Live” players, he said, and he had grown weary of the constant competition. Then came a…
Clinicians Lobby for a New Way to Assess Suicide Risk
Clinicians often rely on patients to disclose thoughts of self-harm, but some are lobbying for a new diagnosis to better assess the risk. In his nearly 40-year career as a psychiatrist, Dr. Igor Galynker has lost three patients to suicide while they were under his care. None of them had told him that they intended…
Of Mice and Mental Health
Dissecting the tangled web of mental health with a supportive group of cartoon mice.