‘RSD Lives’ Literary Journal Earns National Superior Rating

The “RSD Lives” literary magazine has been a labor of love for co-editors-in-chief Emily Chien and Anvi Talyan since they joined the publication early in their time at Marquette High.

Under their leadership, RSD Lives has expanded its reach, working with language arts and art teachers around the Rockwood School District to solicit submissions from all four high schools. The journal has innovated within its own pages, starting as a collection of shortform poetry and prose, then evolving into a seamless blend of art and creative writing.

Last year, for the third edition, the staff evaluated more than 230 submissions from creators around Rockwood. The result earned national recognition: a Superior rating in the 2024 National Council of Teachers of English Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program.

“RSD Lives is a community,” said Chien, a senior. “It’s a place where people can share their creative works and their stories. Winning this award is a testament to all the creativity that we’ve poured into this, all the work that we’ve put in. It’s a testament to our community, the artistic design and creativity that we spread and share and how we can uplift each other.”

RSD Lives is one of less than 275 literary journals from around the nation – from high schools and colleges/universities – to earn a Superior rating or higher in this year’s program. The team from Marquette is one of only six from the state of Missouri, including one of only four from a high school journal.

For the core members of the journal’s editorial team – seniors Chien, Talyan, associate editor Henry Chen, designer and business manager Eli Ferguson and marketing director Jacob Yn – and their advisor, language arts teacher Lauren Williams, it’s a validation of how far the publication has traveled since its founding four years ago.

“Our motto is that it’s a platform for the untold,” Talyan said. “We want writers and artists in Rockwood to all have a voice and a place for their work. I take a lot of pride in the growth we’ve had every single year. This year, it will be even better, and I’m really excited to see what that’s going to look like.”

The journal has a staff of about a dozen students and meets regularly during AcLab. Staff members also find time to meet up outside of school to get more work done.

They evaluate all of the submissions for that year’s issue and select the ones that fit the best. Last year’s award-winning edition featured 31 pieces of art and writing. A sculpture by Lafayette High junior Luke Hinton earned the “Editors Choice Award” and was featured on the cover, as well as leading off a three-page spread of his work inside.

“I never really knew there was so much literary merit in our school and district,” Chen said. “Working from the inside and seeing all the submissions, it opened up a whole new world for me. It was really cool to see how talented and artistic everybody was.”

Now, the staff is hard at work building off of its success as it builds Issue IV.

The seniors say it’s a bittersweet feeling to leave behind RSD Lives when they graduate. They’re proud of how far it’s come, and they can’t wait to see what’s coming next.

"Please submit your art and writing,” Talyan said. “You don’t have to do exactly what somebody else does. Everyone’s art is their own. Everyone’s story is their own. We want to see everything.”

For more information about RSD Lives, visit the journal’s Instagram page.