Episode Details

She’s an activist, artist, librarian, professor, and more. The multi-hyphenate Stacy Russo joins us on the podcast for a deep dive into Love Activism. Created by Stacy in 2013, Love Activism is a daily, holistic, and radical activism rooted in kindness. In our conversation, Stacy outlines the eight elements of this activist approach and describes how they can empower us every day.  She explains why she firmly believes creativity is an element of Love Activism and how people can practice creativity by making their own or supporting others’ art. For those not drawn to traditional art forms, Stacy also shares how to find your own creative outlet. Empathy, another element of Love Activism, is also up for discussion. Stacy details how empathy can sometimes act as a barrier and prevent people from seeing, understanding, and fighting for the rights animals should have in this world. Plus, we discuss the author’s own journey toward animal rights activism, beginning with her introduction to the punk scene of the 1980s.

Stacy Russo, librarian and Associate Professor at Santa Ana College, is committed to creating books and art for a more peaceful world. She is the author of several nonfiction books, the editor of two essay collections, a published poet, a collage artist, a DIY oral historian, and the author/illustrator of children’s picture books. Stacy’s books have been featured on National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting System, Sirius XM Radio, KCET Artbound, LA Weekly, and various other media channels. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in transformative studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Stacy is a longtime vegan.

“I definitely feel that service is a very powerful form of love — there are so many different ways that we can serve each other and serve animals.” – Stacy Russo

Highlights for Episode 640: 

• Stacy describes why service is an element of Love Activism and provides examples of how acts of service can be construed as long term activism, including her role in caring for her elderly dog Walter
• How the principles of Love Activism can also be understood as self-care and empowerment for individuals 
• Techniques that activists can use to truly take care of themselves while still keeping their focus on their activism
• How Stacy’s relationship with feminism and her immersion in the punk rock scene of the 1980s led to her discovery of the animal equality movement
• Why Stacy’s unashamed veganism and animal equality message were almost a barrier to getting her books published
• Everyday magic and how it elevates our common daily experiences and rituals to a profound or spiritual level and why we often find everyday magic in our interactions with the animals we know 
• The A Better World Starts Here book project and how it aims to further the work of vegan activists committed to eradicating  injustice and oppression
• Why Stacy was inspired to write Stella Peabody’s Wild Librarian Bakery and Bookstore 
• What Stacy feels it means to be a vegan artist in terms of content, materials, and message

Resources:

• Better