Leading you through the creative journey
Rise Literary was founded to help authors find the best path to publishing, leading them through the creative journey, and connecting them into the deep magic that is our creative liberation. Together, we will find your path to becoming a published author and to sharing the truths the world needs you to tell.
This is just the beginning. We are working to open our first in-person location, Rise Books + Retreats in Ojai, CA in the coming years, which will be a mixed use storytelling space, including book store, publishing house, writing and wellness community space and retreat center. So much more to come…
Radically Inspired
Storytelling for Everyone
At Rise Literary, we believe—
That our world will never evolve with tepid change; we need radical ideas, truths, hopes, and determination to create the change we wish to see.
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Every story has the potential to inspire. We are here to help more writers become published authors.
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Rise Writers is creating a community of storytellers united in magic, building online and in-person opportunities for more of us to find each other.
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We are here to lift up the unheard voices, offering platforms to people ignored or oppressed by traditional media, business, and culture.
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The
Women
Behind
Rise
Literary
Kristen
McGuiness
CEO + Publisher
Kristen is a best-selling author, editor, and long-standing publishing professional. After spending the first decade of her career working in editorial for Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins, as well as in film development at Warner Brothers, Kristen wrote the bestselling memoir, 51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life, which was featured on the "Today Show" and in USA Today. Since then, she has co-authored dozens of books and her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Shondaland, Marie Claire, amongst others. In addition, she has worked at numerous booksellers, including Shakespeare & Co. in New York. She lives in Ojai, CA with her husband, two children, and a dog named Lucy.
Jamie Lou
Editorial Director
Jamie Lou (she/her) is an award-winning essayist, content/copywriter, blogger, ghostwriter, book and film editor, and award-winning filmmaker/screenwriter and playwright. She is the recipient of the Kornbluth Memorial Writing Award for her essay on a Sylvia Plath poem. In 2021, her dramatic feature screenplay, Lady Lazarus, placed in the top 10% at the prestigious Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and the top 18% at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. As an author, her children’s books have reached children across the globe. Jamie believes stories have the power to brighten the world, shine light on injustice, and spark connections between human beings from all walks of life.
Lauren PORTé Schwarzfeld
Chief Marketing Officer
Lauren is the Chief Marketing Officer for Rise Literary, a hybrid publisher and book coaching company. She has spent the past 25 years working in sales, fundraising, and marketing through various industries, realizing that the most powerful part of a storied work history is the wide variety of human connection. In 2025 Lauren was the co-producer of TEDxOjai, featuring 12 speakers through the daylong event in Ojai, CA. She is endlessly curious, a lover of books, travel, and new adventures. Lauren lives in Mt. Kisco, NY.
Raya
Whittington
Publishing Manager
Raya is a publishing manager with an unwavering love for literature and the written word. Outside of her professional pursuits, Raya enjoys exploring new bookstores, penning her own stories, and working as a lyricist for indie musicians. She believes in the power of literature to foster community, provoke thought, and provide much-needed escapism. She aspires to continue contributing to the literary world for years to come.