My name is Diana Ruzova and I am writer based in Los Angeles. I have an MFA in literature and creative nonfiction from the Bennington Writing Seminars and a BA in communication studies with an emphasis in mass media from UCLA. Recently, I was a Kenyon Review Summer 2024 Writers Workshop Fellow. I have over ten years of experience in project management, marketing, writing, and editing. Some of my current and former clients include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project, LA Metro, and Headspace. My interviews, essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Hyperallergic, Los Angeles Review of Books, Flaunt, LAist, Oprah Daily, New York Magazine’s The Cut and other publications.
︎ Contact
︎Writing
︎Projects
︎ Freelance Writer
I’m a freelance journalist and essayist. I have eclectic interests and write about a range of topics, including art, culture, food, lifestyle, and the immigrant experience. Some things I’ve written about include: Los Angeles, the impermanence of renting, farmers markets, Russian-speaking banquet halls, immigrant nostalgia, useless bodies, relationships, friendship breakups, friendship coaches, shame, cockroaches, a dinner cruise, post-Soviet writers, what it means to be a good immigrant daughter, cheeky paintings of modern fairytales, women artists reimagining the landscape, and a queer cruising paradise. My essays have been featured in the LAist newsletter, the New York Times newsletter, and Memoir Monday. I was a guest on LAist 89.3 Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Air Talk with Larry Mantle reporting on my story, LA Runs on Fusion Cuisine. In summer 2024, I was Dinty W. Moore’s teaching assistant and a fellow at the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Check out more of my writing here.
︎ Copywriter + Editor
︎ K Line Grand Opening
︎ Campaign Manager
I led the marketing campaign for the grand opening of seven new K Line stations in South Los Angeles. The campaign consisted of paid, owned, and earned media and amounted to thousands of new Metro riders opening weekend. My tag line “Connect to Creativity” was featured in the New York Times. I also worked closely with Mobolaji at DreamSeeker Media on an artful promotional video.
︎ Metro Micro
︎ Campaign Manager
I managed the marketing and communications for LA County’s rideshare service, Metro Micro. Although it was challenging to launch a service and build ridership during the pandemic, I was able to work remotely with my team and lead the development of the service name, vehicle design, how to and promo videos, and an organic and paid marketing campaign and digital strategy. Metro Micro was featured on Adam Conover’s TikTok, amounting to over 250k organic likes and a write up in Next City, where I was quoted. Micro is the largest public sector microtransit pilot of it’s kind, currently available in eight LA County zones.