High-achieving students often spend their college careers focused on excelling in the classroom. At the Judy Genshaft Honors College, students are also encouraged to explore the creative side of their education — whether through interdisciplinary coursework, artistic events, or outside opportunities to share their work with the broader University of South Florida community.
One opportunity is Thread Magazine, a student-run literary and arts publication that gives USF students a platform to share poetry, fiction, visual art, music, and photography. Thread Magazine’s eclectic collections of student work are released bi-annually and accompanied by large release events featuring live readings, displayed artwork, and refreshments. Thread Magazine also releases themed micro-editions in addition to their major volumes.
Rachel Kandl is interviewed on The Honor Roll Podcast in the Judy Genshaft Honors College podcast studio.
The editorial team is made up of an interdisciplinary group of students interested in writing and the arts. They review submissions, offer feedback to the selected contributors, and organize the pieces thematically in a polished final product before distributing it widely to the greater student body.
With around 200 submissions for each volume, the editing process can feel like a treasure hunt for the pieces that stand out. For 2025-26 co-editor-in-chief Rachel Kandl, the search often comes down to finding a particularly memorable line or turning point.
“Something I always look for is a really strong tagline in a way,” she said. “As you move through the piece, if there's that really good turning point or that one line that really captures all the emotions that the piece needs to capture, I'm always willing to bat for it when we come to the voting process.”
Honors alum and Thread Magazine former co-editor-in-chief Coen McGarrah believes Honors students are uniquely positioned to contribute unique work to the publication.
“We try to work with Honors students as much as we can,” they said. “We understand that because Honors students have this interdisciplinary aspect to their education, they have a really interesting mindset for how they approach creativity.”
Coen McGarrah is interviewed on The Honor Roll Podcast in the Judy Genshaft Honors College podcast studio.
McGarrah invites Honors students to submit work they may create in Honors courses or events to the magazine.
“A lot of times for classes, Honors students have specific creative projects that they may not get to use anywhere else,” they said. “Being able to take those pieces and send them somewhere where you can get published is a great opportunity for Honors students, and for us.”
Judy Genshaft Honors College Endowed Dean Charles Adams encourages partnerships with external student groups like Thread Magazine as they provide outlets for students to share their creativity with a larger community.
“Some of the most meaningful learning happens when students have the opportunity to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and express it differently,” Adams said. “Thread Magazine provides that kind of outlet.”