Hi, my name is Marissa (Rissy).
A few quick facts about me: I’m currently a copywriter, a scare actor every October, and a passionate crafter (Check out my handmade creations on my Etsy, “rissyplushies”: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rissyplushies).
Beyond that, I have one black cat named Sootie, I like rock & metal music, Halloween is my favorite holiday, black & purple are my favorite colors.
I started this website during my senior year of college to use in my application to graduate school. Thankfully, it worked and in 2020, I self-published my thesis and received my MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) and Publishing Arts.
I also have a BA in English, a geology minor, a leadership program certificate, a completion certificate from the Denver Publishing Institute, and a CRLA certification to tutor writing.
I’ve always had a deep love for reading and writing. My forte is copy, academic, and creative writing (short fiction), but I’ve also explored tech writing, blogging, memoir, and poetry. (Check out my E-portfolio for other examples of my writing: https://sites.google.com/site/httpsmarissaeportfoliocom/hello)
This website in particular is focused on creative writing and hand-drawn illustrations (they’re not very good, fair warning.) Another fair warning – most of these stories were written while I was still attending undergrad and graduate school.
I have a few published works:
- “Unstable,” University of Baltimore MFA Program Thesis / Self-Published · May 2020
My graduate thesis is a collection of 7 short fiction stories that I self-published through my school. I collaborated on it with Kat Dain, who provided the artwork at the beginning of each story. From remembering a forgotten memory with Blythe, a grieving woman who wakes up in an unfamiliar room alone from a drugged sleep, to judging everyone around you while you sit, shackled, in a courtroom chair with Penn – you’re taken on a journey of self-struggle, fortitude, and growth. These people show that struggles and setbacks do not define us as people. Where we all differ in life experiences, coping mechanisms, and mental illness, we find similarity in spirit. We never stop fighting to find healing and stability from within ourselves, despite our situations. - “Lightbulb” Peculiars Magazine · Sep 2019 (This magazine no longer exists, but I’m still counting it as a published work.)
One of the short stories I wrote for a class was published in Peculiars Magazine’s online journal. It’s a magazine that focuses on expressing mental illness through art. This is a 2-page, 583-word piece called “Lightbulb.” My class and I meditated on an object (mine was a lightbulb), which a student composer from the Peabody Institute then shortened and put to experimental music (which appeared at the Music & Words Volume II concert at the University of Baltimore). There are no main characters, but I personified thoughts and made them into characters. It’s very avant-garde. - “My Escape” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 2016
This story is fiction, but it’s pretty close to memoir in that it draws from a real experience in my life. It’s a story about a healing turning point in a suffering person’s life. - “Now You Know” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 2016
This story is about a girl who’s run away from home and has found refuge in her cousin’s home. She refuses to tell the cousin why she’s run away, but she needs to change her appearance so she can’t be found. When the police show up at the front door, the main character is rushed up into the attic to hide, and that’s when the cousin finds out about the real reason the main character ran away. - “The Lesser of Two Evils” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 2016
This was a story about a girl who was the bystander in a bullying scheme. Her mom is trying to teach her a lesson. - “Anna, You Need a New Couch” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 2015
This was set in a therapist’s office with two main characters trying to analyze their relationship and how unhealthy it is. - “Distraction: A Girl’s Best Friend” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 2015
This was a story that I wrote for an undergraduate creative writing course, and it’s from the perspective of a dog, basically serving as an emotional support animal for a little girl who’s parents are constantly fighting in the kitchen beneath her. - “Pieces” Marietta College’s Literary Magazine: Pulse · Apr 1, 2014
This was technically my first published story, and it was the very first time I’d experienced working in publishing work. It’s a short story that helped me work through issues in my past.
As you can see, my fiction stories often delve into dysfunctional families, complex friendships, fractured relationships, horror, and mental illness.
However, I also have some blog-like travel entries, some nonfiction, and some poetry (I dabble, but it’s not my favorite).
You can find the menu at the top of the page to start reading!
Looking to contact me? Here are a few ways in which we can get in touch! 🙂
Facebook: Marissa Leigh
Bluesky: @rissystories.bsky.social
Email: riss.merriman@yahoo.com
Instagram: rissystoriesandplushies
Nice post thaanks for sharing
Nice write-up. Please check out my blog as well.
Hey there! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead…
Have you ever considered publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based on the…
rissy stories 
This sounds like an interesting family dynamic.