The Bellwether Review had its conception in 1996, originally dubbed The Rock Creek Review, staffed by PCC Rock Creek faculty members. The Rock Creek Review was renamed The Bellwether Review in 2011, with the inception of the Advanced Creative Writing, Editing & Publishing course. The Bellwether Review was chosen to symbolize the artistic drive of writers and artists, by drawing on the significance of a “bellwether” being the leader in a flock of sheep, who wears a bell  to signal the best direction for the entire herd. Today, the term “bellwether” more commonly refers to any person who takes initiative and sets trends, as those whose work is published in The Bellwether Review do in leading the way for artistic expression.