What is Catharsis?
Catharsis is a literary magazine at The University of Iowa operating out of the Magid Center for Writing. As an undergraduate publication, it is both fully staffed by and fully contributed to by undergraduate students. Catharsis was founded in 2023 to shine a spotlight on an often overlooked genre of literature: nonfiction. Having a magazine dedicated to nonfiction encourages students to share their experiences and bolsters interest in engaging with the genre as readers and writers.
Catharsis publishes one volume every semester, and copies can be found primarily in the Magid Center in 24 Phillips Hall. (They’re free. In fact, all the undergraduate lit mags there are free. I feel like a lot of people don’t know that). Keep an eye out for our open submissions window early each semester as well as our launch parties at the end. Our instagram, @uiowacatharsis which is linked up on the website menu, is a great place to find updates about the magazine and information about the events we do throughout the year.
Confessions
In addition to the magazine, we encourage people to share bits of themselves through confessions: short, anonymously submitted statements which can range from heartbreaking to humorous. Confessions can be submitted at any time here online, and we often bring a physical confessions box to our events. About once a week, our confessions designer will choose an anonymous note to incorporate into an artistic graphic which will be posted to our instagram page.
Our Mission
Catharsis aims to provide undergraduate students with experience and support in publishing a literary magazine. Our focus is to construct a publication for artists, anonymous or named, to voice their truth. We define “truth” as an author’s perception, exploration, and interaction with the world around them. We are committed to reading work openly, honestly, and fairly. Our publication strives to increase the accessibility of written work that explores the multidimensional human experience. We are interested in writing that engages the reader in new and exciting ways and is purposeful in its conveyance of an author’s lived experiences, observations, and feelings. Catharsis seeks to reimagine the limits of the nonfiction genre to be inclusive of diverse voices, forms, and subjects.