Revitalizing University of Nevada, Reno’s Legacy Publication Brushfire, an Executive Editor’s Experience
By Phoebe Coogle
At the start of my first year at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), I went into a student worker interview knowing only that the position ‘literary editor’ seemed like something my English major self would enjoy. I can’t say I aced any part of the application process—that’s pretty hard to do when your future boss asks you if you’ve heard of The Brushfire and you, without pausing, firmly respond, “No. Should I have?”—but I walked out with a job. Thus started my beloved, near three-year entanglement with the messy world of student publishing.
Brushfire Literary and Arts Journal covers.
Brushfire Literature and Arts Journal (sometimes also referred to as The Brushfire or just Brushfire) is one of UNR’s four student media organizations, alongside Wolfpack Radio, Insight Magazine, and The Nevada Sagebrush. Established in 1950 and now celebrating its 76th edition, Brushfire prints bi-annually, featuring artwork and writing from UNR students, local Reno artists, and creatives everywhere.
As the latest in a long line of executive Brushfire editors, I inherited the journal in a finicky situation. During COVID-19, the previous staff saw our budget slashed, and—since campus, our primary distribution location became a ghost town—our contributors and readership dwindled. My team and I faced what seemed like a two-front challenge: rebuilding Brushfire’s campus presence and ensuring a skeptical student government didn’t put a period on Brushfire’s 70-year history.
Quickly, I discovered the challenges facing Brushfire stemmed from the same source—no one knew what the publication was or what it did. Brushfire was insular, unknown outside the College of Liberal Arts, and, even among humanities students, there was the perception that this journal was a void of submitted literary works. If you were lucky, sometimes the void published your work and gave you a copy.
Over the past year and a half, my five (now six) student team has worked to change this. We have tabled at university fairs as well as collaborated with the Lilley Museum and Undergraduate Research. We have made fostering connections between various student and Reno art communities with eager readers and viewers paramount.
Poets and audience members onstage at Brushfire's poetry night on September 5, 2023.
Most excitingly, Brushfire has come to host its own events. Working alongside Journalism School Senators and the former club WolfSpeaks, I reestablished Poetry Nights. Brushfire’s monthly open mics are often standing room only at Reno’s Laughing Planet Cafe, providing an all-ages community space for sharing poetry! And our recent 75th Edition Gallery Showcase invited over 30 artists to exhibit their work in a Brushfire-curated museum space.
One wall of Brushfire's 75th Edition Showcase as hung in McNamara Gallery at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Looking towards my graduation, it has been my absolute pleasure to work as Brushfire’s executive editor. This experience highlights what I and an engaged student body can create, accomplish, and maintain—from the small scale, such as having a STEM major write and perform a piece during one of our poetry nights, to the large, like drafting legislation for increased student media funding alongside other publication leaders.
For 73 years, Brushfire has contributed to the diverse voice and landscape of UNR. With a little love and support from students, Reno locals, and all art lovers of Nevada, the fire will continue blazing for years to come. I couldn’t be more excited.
Phoebe Coogle is a graduating senior at the University of Nevada, Reno. In December 2023, she will receive her BA in English. When not ranting about niche literature topics, she enjoys cooking, creative writing, and, of course, being generally nerdy.
All photos courtesy of Phoebe Coogle.