“Whether you’re searching for an intriguing new book, want to bring the transformative power of literature into your organization, or are looking for a book club facilitator to spark meaningful conversation among friends, I’m here to help you turn the page.”
“Whether you’re searching for an intriguing new book, want to bring the transformative power of literature into your organization, or are looking for a book club facilitator to spark meaningful conversation among friends, I’m here to help you turn the page.”
OUT NOW
SON OF NOTHINGNESS
“A passionate...story about a sense of place,
purpose, and revised objectives that keep
readers thoroughly immersed...”
– Midwest Review of Books
OUT SOON
SON OF NOTHINGNESS
“A passionate...story about a sense of place, purpose, and revised objectives that keep readers thoroughly immersed...”
– Midwest Review of Books
About
I am the quintessential late bloomer. At 28 I returned to school and incrementally earned a BA, MA and ultimately a PhD in literature from the University of California, San Diego. Teaching for years in various colleges and universities, I developed courses that combined my interdisciplinary interests: from “Poetry and the Workplace” to the “Truth of Historical Fiction” to “Literature and the Law,” a topic on which I also write and speak extensively. Becoming a novelist was, however, less deliberate—one might say accidental—as the story of O’Brien’s Desk found me. But, now, four books and fifteen years later, I write with intention, shining a light on the shadowy places where history and fiction meet.
I am also a seasoned public speaker and credentialed mediator. When I was five years old, I had to be physically dragged off stage after delivering the closing remarks at a dance recital, so not surprising that I like to talk. But what I really like is connecting. Indeed, I am passionate about connecting with people, especially helping them find deeper meaning and common ground. Combined with my teaching, writing and mediation experience, this guiding principle makes me particularly equipped for facilitating book clubs, whether in a corporate or home setting.
I live in Solana Beach, California with my three, wildly disparate dogs and only one, slightly wild husband. Before the pandemic, I rarely ventured into the yard. But now I find myself gardening, lounging, even mowing the lawn! I guess I will always be a late bloomer.
Books & Reviews
Son of Nothingness
“A passionate...story about a sense of place, purpose, and revised objectives that keep readers thoroughly immersed...”
– Midwest Review of Books
O’BRIEN’S DESK
“An intriguing and thorough researched story that gives us insight into the moral dilemmas of early 20th century America.”
– Anne Perry, best-selling author of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and William Monk mysteries
THE NATURAL SELECTION
“A story about one of the most fascinating trials of history and told with a sympathy a remarkable eye and ear for the time. The research is superb.”
– Anne Perry, international bestselling author
RULE OF CAPTURE
“A biting commentary on the uneasy truce between Latino Los Angeles and the city’s entrenched political, cultural and economic elites… Alternating between taut, suspenseful storytelling and lush descriptions, Russell eases her readers into a welcome literary escape with well-paced intrigue, surprising subterfuge, and gripping secondary story lines…”
– Los Angeles Review of Books
Talks & Facilitations
Reading a book is solitary, but sharing the experience afterward can be revelatory. Hearing how others respond to the same material may surprise, delight and even frustrate, but it almost always enhances one’s understanding and appreciation of the story. Especially when discussed over a glass of wine! Thus, the popularity of book clubs.
A book club facilitator can guide participants to even greater reading enjoyment and depth. Listening to all points of view, synthesizing and asking questions based on literary knowledge can help fill in the gaps, peel back the layers, open unseen doors.
I am particularly suited to such work. I have developed and taught numerous literature courses, some of which, such as “Literature and the Law” and “The Truth of Historical Fiction,” statewide. As a novelist, I know about the formation of character, how to plot, the use of metaphor and structure. As a credentialed mediator, I am trained to listen, to hear everyone’s voice, to harmonize disparate ideas.
Today more than ever, our isolation calls out for community, for a shared (even though, for now, virtual) experience to regularly look forward to. Book clubs, whether with friends or colleagues, at home or in your workplace, can provide succor and help get us to better times ahead.
“Dr. Russell’s presentation to our lawyers was the fascinating highlight of our firm’s internal training series…a powerful reminder of the influence of literature on the law and why so many of us became lawyers in the first place.”
“Ona’s ability to engage the class made for good conversation and interaction among the class. They still continue to talk about it months after her visit.”
“Ona’s was the best program so far!”
Interested in scheduling a talk or book club facilitation?
Other Writings
Novels are my true love, but it never hurts to have a little something on the side. I have been published in scholarly journals, newspapers, literary anthologies, legal and mediation magazines and more. I particularly like writing essays about family members who deserve recognition. Here is a link to “Without His Fingers,” an essay about my uncle that just appeared in Philadelphia Stories magazine. And here’s another, “The (O)ther Kahn,” about my grandfather, brother to noted architect, Louis I. Kahn.
Below is a list of some of my other works. The essay published in Those Who Can…Teach!, a collection about influential teachers, is one of my favorites. It came out way back in 1999, marking the moment of my conversion to literature.
ESSAYS AND BOOK REVIEWS
“Things We Lost in the Fire,” Americas Quarterly, From Issue “Young Entrepreneurs,” 2017
“Boyle Heights Dreaming,” Brooklyn and Boyle Magazine, April 2016
“Without His Fingers,” Philadelphia Stories, Spring, 2015
“The (O)ther Kahn,” Philadelphia Stories, Spring 2008
“His Name is Steven,” Del Mar Times, January 9, 2004
“Resurrecting the Pannikin,” Del Mar Times/Solana Beach Sun, 1996
“The Re-Opening of the Pannikin was an Event To Celebrate,” Carmel Valley News 1996
“From Rocks to Rhyme,” Those Who Can, Teach, ed. Mary Mohler and Lorraine Glennon, Fall 1999
ACADEMIC
“What’s in a Name Anyway?: The Calamity of Calamity Jane,” American Studies 35:2 (Fall, 1994) 21-38.
“Consciousness-Raising,” The Oxford Companion to Women’s Writing in the United States, New York
MEDIATION
“Mediating by the Book,” Dispute Resolution Journal, May-October 2010
LITERATURE AND THE LAW
To view articles on Literature and the Law, please contact Orange County Lawyer.
“The Story of a Trial,” Orange County Lawyer, February 2008
“An Imitation of Life,” A Review of Baby Crimes, by Randall Hicks, Orange County Lawyer, December, 2007
“Framing the Law,” Orange County Lawyer, October 2007
“The Literary Nature of Environmental Law,” Orange County Lawyer, July 2007
“Crossing Borders,” Orange County Lawyer, April 2007
“Authorizing Intent,” Orange County Lawyer, Orange County Lawyer, February 2007
“Arguing by the Book,” Orange County Lawyer, forthcoming January 2007
“The Literary Case for Legal Ambiguity,” Orange County Lawyer, August 2006
“Novel Justice,” Orange County Lawyer, May 2006
Contact
For press inquiries and bookings: info@onarussell.com
To connect with Ona: ona@onarussell.com