Chris Riseley is a well-regarded writing instructor at Linn-Benton. Having a background as a novelist, TV producer, and scriptwriter, this wide range of experience explains his expertise in
not only entry-level writing courses but also more niche subjects such as Shakespeare, science fiction and script writing.
After designing and scaling-up Linn-Benton's Accelerated Learning Program to improve completion rates in composition, Riseley developed the Peer Empowerment Project, a series of student conversations aimed at increasing overall college completion. In addition to the Peer Empowerment Project, he advises the Poetry Club, directing involvement in community events for the incumbent poet laureate and hosting club meetings.
Riseley's commitment to student success, evident in his classroom environment and the lasting impact he has on students, is enhanced by incorporating self-empowerment and creativity exercises from his clubs.
Is it true that you played the movie “Idiocracy” in your classroom?
It is absolutely true. I play the whole movie every year in my class. I can't think of a movie that is more relevant to our time than “Idiocracy."
I mean, it does have to do with how much effort we put into our own ability to think; that's what the whole movie is about, and how corporations want us to be as uncritical as possible. Imagine if we didn't seek out intellectually stimulating media of any kind.
What motivated you to pursue teaching?
I started my career at E! Entertainment Television in Los Angeles, working on the “E! True Hollywood Stories” as a producer and a writer for that series. It was on a biographical documentary show. Working for E! Entertainment Television, we, my wife also worked there at the time, just discovered that they wanted us to tell lower and lower stories, kind of like “Idiocracy.”
I already felt a little bit iffy about participating in it, because it was always a bad story, and, then, Princess Diana was killed in an accident that involved paparazzi. And to be honest, I was only one step away from the paparazzi. Paparazzi gave us the material that allowed us to do this, so we were part of what fueled paparazzi. And my wife and I had kind of a reckoning like, “Oh, we're not with the good guys.” Well, who are the good guys? Educators? So when we left LA, I went back and finished my master's degree and started teaching because I would rather be on the side of the good guys. That's what got me.
How long have you been teaching? Have you made any changes along the way?
Oh, everything. So I started teaching at the college level in 2002. So it's been 23 years. Have I made any changes along the way? Nobody knows how to teach when they start teaching. You learn how to teach every time you get better. So yeah, it's continually improving and continually finding your voice as a teacher. I first taught the way that the professors who taught me taught, and that was useful, but I could do better, and I did.
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Is there any other career path you considered pursuing as a good guy, other than teaching?
I have written five novels, one that is published and four that are unpublished. I publish in journals every so often. And you know, it's surely more than a hobby, but it's not paying the bills.
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What do you publish in journals?
A wild short story that I just published. “This Planet is Not Safe.” I published this within the last year or two in a journal called Alternate Route. It's an experimental piece of fiction. It's different views of what fiction should look like.
I published something in Kairos; they recently published an essay of mine called “Nine and a Half Centimeters.” That is the birth story of my son. It's about the relationship between parents and their doula.
How would you explain the letters covering your office door?
So these are handwritten letters to people we wish we could write to. Dear Ex-girlfriend, Dear Mom, etc. They were a place for people to connect. As I sit here in the hall and I read each of these letters, I come to realize that the pain, love, and respect is shared by all. So it's a community-building experience.
It's very interesting how these are strangers who are connecting and they'll never meet one another. It's real, not like a digital forum filled with millions of people. It's an actual artifact from a living human being. They get swapped out all the time. The old ones, I keep them. Maybe they'll end up in a book someday.
Which students have left the strongest impression on you?
All of my students have left very strong impressions on me. Students in my script writing class, because we get so deep into their creative work, I can't forget them. Because we have so much fun, imagine a class where it's pretty much half laughter, because it's so fun to watch people designing scripts and for us to share the work. When I think about these incredible moments, they mostly come from students that were in that script writing class.
What made you start the Peer Empowerment Project?
I was asked to redesign our developmental writing sequence so that we could help underperforming writers.
I was asked to get all the staff involved, and I found out I learned that I had a natural ability to pick the teachers that were going to be the best at bringing out the best of these developmental writers.
That's how I came upon the Peer Empowerment Project. It had to be kind of foolproof, and it had to be run by the students. That's the way the Peer Empowerment Project is. It used to be that the Peer Empowerment Project was part of the accelerated learning program. We no longer have that, but we kept the Peer Empowerment Project part because everybody needs a little bit of empowerment.
A few of the topics currently in the peer empowerment project’s agenda include: Open mindedness, self sabotage, toxic loyalty, and seeking support.
How do you think a club like The Peer Empowerment Project would have benefited you as a student or young adult?
As an undergrad, I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely. I, like most people, went to a big school, but I felt like I lacked community. And what the peer empowerment project would have done for me is give me that community, a place where I could go and share who I really was with people who would validate that and help me.
What would you say to students who are hesitant about entering the Peer Empowerment Project or just checking it out?
Just try it. One time. You know, we're not getting married, I mean it, just come and sit. If it's your cup of tea, if you enjoy it, then come back. If you're afraid of us, bring a friend. You'll see it's really cool. I never know who's gonna show up. Last time, we had nine people, and I have no idea how many we'll have today.
Are there any other projects you’re working on?
I work on the Peer Empowerment Project and I'm the advisor of the Poetry Club. We are looking for our 2025-26 poet laureate, which is a stipend position.
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How would you describe the position of the poet laureate as related to the Poetry Club to people who may be interested?
Our poet laureate is the leader of the Poetry Club, designing the activities that the Poetry Club will engage in over the year, and those activities are sometimes reading a poem at staff in-service at the beginning of the year in fall, if we are commemorating a new building, sometimes the poet laureate will commemorate the building by writing a poem and reading it at the ribbon-cutting.
We have created books of poetry in collaboration with the Willamette Photo Arts Guild. The poet laureate has a lot of leeway to be able to create something like that. My job is to facilitate what they want to do.
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If any readers are interested, come to Poetry Club at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Forum 220 (Equity Center), held right after the Peer Empowerment Project club meeting at 1:30 in the same room.
Contact Riseley at chris.riseley@linnbenton.edu or (541)-917-4573 if you have any questions.
The applications are going to be coming out in the beginning of spring, and they will be due toward the middle of spring. All of the decision making will be made before the end of spring.
Did you have a mentor that significantly impacted your life?
The first thing that comes to mind is Robin Havenick, who was the previous advisor for the Poetry Club. She was a really great mentor.
I had a teacher by the name of Gerry Rosen. Gerry said the best thing about one of my very early short stories. He said,
“Chris, I've been carrying this story around to give it back to you! I read it at the beginning of winter break, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's fantastic!”
It was that encouragement. I hope I've been able to do that for others, too. I think I have.
How do you hope that your impact on students changes their lives?
I hope they achieve their dreams. I hope they achieve their goals. I hope that they're kind.
Dr. Chris Riseley is an outstanding instructor dedicated to student success in the many courses he teaches and the clubs he facilitates. During the Spring term, The Peer Empowerment Program meets at 1:30 PM on Tuesdays in Forum 200, and the poetry club meets at 2:30 in the same room. If you’re interested in the Poet Laureate Position, contact Chris Riseley at chris.riseley@linnbenton.edu or (541)-917-4573.
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