German artist Joseph Beuys once said, “Every human being is an artist, a freedom being, called to participate in transforming and reshaping the conditions, thinking and structures that shape and inform our lives.”
For five editions, RISE, Phoenix College's Literary and Arts magazine, has given students and members of the local community a platform to do exactly that - share their writing and artwork with others through a student-led publication.
With the fifth-edition launch party approaching, Phoenix College professor Cody Wilson and some of RISE’s past editors provided a chance to look back at the publication’s origins and the impact it has had on the students who helped shape it.
From The Owl to RISE
RISE was inspired partly by Phoenix College’s own creative history.
When current Reading and English faculty member Cody Wilson began teaching at Phoenix College in 2018, an advisor who had kept an old copy told him about The Owl, a former literary publication.
That discovery inspired Wilson to create a new literary and arts magazine at Phoenix College because he understood firsthand what it could mean for a student to have their work featured in a publication.
As an undergraduate at ASU West, he had his work published in ASU’s literary magazine Canyon Voices. Attending the magazine launch event and meeting other writers helped Wilson shape his future path.
“If it weren’t for that [experience], I don’t know that I would have majored in what I did. I don’t know if I would be teaching creative writing today,” Wilson recalled.
That experience is part of what he hopes RISE can offer others.
“I really want to give that back to students,” Wilson said, “just as a means of being able to celebrate and honor their voices.”
RISE also creates a platform for students who may not consider themselves writers or artists.
“I think that we have a really awesome and diverse student body, and a lot of hidden talent,” Wilson added. Submissions to RISE don't always come from creative writing or art majors, allowing RISE to showcase creativity around campus that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Inside the Editorial Room
RISE is produced through a Phoenix College student project course, allowing students to work as editors and help decide what appears in the publication.
For one of this year’s student editors, Lee, it was her first experience working on any type of writing publication. “This is like my first introduction to any kind of editing or creative writing,” Lee said. The experience also changed how she viewed her time at a community college.
“There’s this sort of expectation with community colleges that’s like, you go to class, you go home, and that’s it,” Lee said. “But through RISE, that’s completely not the case.”
Former student editor Eleanor Moore found a similar sense of belonging. “As a PC student who never really went anywhere except class and the library, being an editor of RISE was as close as I got to being in a club,” Moore said.
“It was something so special to me to have the privilege to read the submissions, look through the art submitted, and have a voice in what we would showcase.”
For Moore, the experience became one of the most meaningful parts of her time at Phoenix College.
“Being an editor of RISE was undoubtedly one of the best and most fulfilling things I have done at PC.”
The Payoff
For Wilson, the launch party is where months of editing and collaboration finally pay off.
“The launch party is one of my favorite parts about this,” Wilson said.
Because much of the editorial work happens virtually, the celebration gives everyone involved in RISE, from editors to contributors, families and supporters, a rare opportunity to gather in the same space at the same time and appreciate everyone's work. The event is also the first time many get to physically hold the magazine containing their work.
“It’s such an honor to be able to see how celebrated individuals are,” Wilson said. “Maybe somebody had never been published before, and they’re bringing their family and getting to see their work displayed.”
But the impact does not always end with the launch party. For some, it was just the beginning. Former RISE editors and contributors have gone on to work with other publications and have their artwork featured in galleries around Phoenix.
“It’s really cool to just see how this can be a bridge of connection for people,” Wilson said.
Those opportunities help turn RISE from a semester-long class into a professional experience students can carry with them beyond Phoenix College.
What Comes Next
For Lee, RISE’s future comes down to something simple. “I think as long as RISE makes even one student feel heard or less alone,” she said, “I think that’s hitting the goal.”
Moore described RISE as a “safe space” for her and said she hopes others feel the same connection through the publication.
As RISE continues to grow, sustaining the publication also means recruiting future student editors and finding the resources needed to support future editions and launch events. Despite those challenges, Wilson’s goal for RISE remains focused on the students and creatives who give the magazine its core identity.
“I just want to keep making beautiful things,” Wilson said, “and getting students to recognize and know that they’re important and what they have to share matters.”
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Celebrate the fifth edition of RISE at its launch party on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Students, staff, and community members are welcome to attend the celebration, meet the creatives and editors behind the publication, and pick up a copy of the latest edition.