Pittsburg State University is getting ready to open a new creative studio that will allow students to produce books, magazines, and digital media all in one place.
The Pitt State Press Creative Studio will be located on the fourth floor of Grubbs Hall and is designed to support student-led publishing, storytelling and media projects across campus.
“My background is in creative writing and literary publishing, and a lot of that work depends on collaboration between writers, artists, designers and editors,” Chase Dearinger, faculty coordinator for Pitt State Press, said. “I wanted to bring that kind of environment to Pitt State, where students are creating work for real audiences, not just turning in assignments for a grade.”
Dearinger said the idea for the studio did not happen overnight. It grew over time through partnerships and student projects, including work on Cow Creek Review, the university’s undergraduate literary magazine.
“It’s been more of a slow build than a single idea,” Dearinger said. “These creative opportunities were already happening. We’re just now bringing them together into a shared studio space.”
The studio will allow students to complete the full publishing process, from planning and design to printing and distribution. Existing publications such as Cow Creek Review and Emerald City, Pitt State’s national fiction magazine, will now be produced entirely in-house.
“The studio will provide all the equipment needed to complete the entire publication process,” Dearinger said. “But we’ll also be developing new student-run projects in print, audio, video and digital media.”
Dearinger said the studio will focus on projects that reach audiences beyond campus and will be connected to ENGL 306, a project-based course that allows students to create and direct their own storytelling projects.
The Pitt State Press Creative Studio will also include printing and binding equipment.
“Students will be able to move from idea to finished product in one space,” Dearinger said. “Some audio and video resources already exist in other departments, but Pitt State Press is meant to connect those efforts rather than duplicate them.”
The studio will also serve as a creative commons, with student work on display and a partnership with Axe Library’s Special Collections to highlight Pitt State’s history in industrial arts and regional print culture.
Pitt State Press will be open to students from all majors.
“Students from any major can get involved, whether they’re interested in writing, design, marketing, audio production or project management,” Dearinger said.
Dearinger said ENGL 306 will act as the capstone course for a new interdisciplinary Creative Media Certificate that includes courses in art, communication, graphic communications, English and business.
One of the main goals of the studio is to help students develop real-world skills.
“Students will gain internship-level experience working with professional equipment and collaborative workflows,” Dearinger said. “They’ll be working under real deadlines for real audiences.”
Dearinger said students pursuing creative careers will graduate with professional experience, while students in technical fields will gain communication and teamwork skills.
The studio will be student-led, with faculty serving as mentors.
“Students will drive projects from start to finish,” Dearinger said. “A lot of the learning will happen by making things, working together and solving real problems.”
Momentum for Pitt State Press is already building ahead of the studio’s official opening. The first issue of a new fiction magazine, StoryBottle, is scheduled to be released next month.
Dearinger said Pitt State Press Managing Director Lorna Rae Pierce will present research on letterpress and digital design at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol.
“Students are already helping design and plan the studio space,” Dearinger said. “By fall 2026, we’ll be getting ready for a larger wave of student-run projects launching in spring 2027.”
Dearinger said he is especially excited about the partnership with Special Collections.
“It will allow us to connect the region’s print history with the next generation of student creative work,” Dearinger said.