About
Our Mission
Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine is an online magazine dedicated to using writing as catharsis, breaking the barrier around mental health and providing an open platform for middle school to college age writers to express themselves. Our project started off with three goals: 1) to foster and destigmatize conversations about mental health, 2) to encourage finding mindfulness through writing, and 3) to create an open platform for young people to publish writing without the barriers of submission fees and long response times, as a sort of young writers' stepping stone to larger publications. With the pandemic, political & economic turmoil, police brutality, and other large-scale issues arising, mental health conditions are becoming especially prevalent, and we hope to use writing as a tool to heal and make sense of the complicated situation we've found ourselves in.
We are firm believers in the power of vulnerability. We believe that some of the most powerful writing in the world was created for catharsis—to deal with emotions, to make sense of life, to put trauma into words. Writing often helps us to understand our own identities and experiences; it is both an escape and a vehicle to delve into our own struggles and our own healing. Studies have shown that mindfulness and writing about stress help to reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone whose buildup can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. We wish to encourage mindfulness and mental health discussion so that we can reduce the present stigma and create a pathway to healing, as this issue is something so important and present yet historically has been considered almost taboo.
For more on the genesis and inspiration behind this publication, see our interview with NewPages!
We are firm believers in the power of vulnerability. We believe that some of the most powerful writing in the world was created for catharsis—to deal with emotions, to make sense of life, to put trauma into words. Writing often helps us to understand our own identities and experiences; it is both an escape and a vehicle to delve into our own struggles and our own healing. Studies have shown that mindfulness and writing about stress help to reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone whose buildup can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. We wish to encourage mindfulness and mental health discussion so that we can reduce the present stigma and create a pathway to healing, as this issue is something so important and present yet historically has been considered almost taboo.
For more on the genesis and inspiration behind this publication, see our interview with NewPages!
Meet the Founder
An incoming freshman at Stanford University, Anna Kiesewetter is the founder & editor-in-chief of Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine. She was an American Voices Award nominee for the 2020 Scholastic Writing Awards, and her work is published or forthcoming in Polyphony Lit, Prometheus Dreaming, Rising Phoenix Review, Blue Marble Review, and elsewhere. She also works as an Executive Editor for Polyphony Lit. For her, creating this magazine was its own form of catharsis. Since middle school, she’s been using writing to deal with her own anxiety and insecurity. Whether creating new worlds to escape into, or delving further into the bowels of her emotions, Anna has found truth and solace in words. She sincerely hopes that this platform can provide the same for others; reading the poignant works that come in each day has certainly shown her that she—and everyone who struggles—is not alone.
Meet the Managing Editors
Eliza Mahon (she/they) is a queer writer and editor from Edmonton, Canada. Her work has appeared in Island Shores, an anthology by the Poetry Institute of Canada, as well as Issue One of Blue Things Zine. She hopes to encourage young authors to write and read as much as possible. When they aren't editing, they are either representing Canada in rhythmic gymnastics or playing with their two dogs, London and Dempsey.
Caroline Shi is a 17-year-old from New York who enjoys reading and writing in her free time. As an editor, they are excited to explore new genres and foster a welcoming community for other writers. In her free time, she has a penchant for creating Spotify playlists and downloading various epubs that she swears she will read.
Meet the Executive Editors
Avalon Felice Lee is an Asian-American sixteen-year-old junior at Notre Dame San Jose High School in California. She has been writing prose since the age of eleven, thanks to her author-mentor-mother. When not writing, she’s probably practicing cello, assaulting the ears of nearby victims. When she grows up, she wants to be an author. And a millionaire.
Natalie Hampton is a sophomore at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. Her work has previously been published in Truant Lit, Scarlet Leaf Review, and the anthology Little Inked Birds. She has also been recognized at the National level of the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. When she isn't writing, she likes to volunteer, work in activism, and play soccer.
Amanda Kay is a current junior at Santa Clara High School in California. She has been nationally recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Through editing, she hopes to learn more about the art others puts out and what makes each person special.
Anoushka Kumar is a 15-year-old writer and student from India whose work has been published in Crossed Paths Magazine, Honeyfire Lit, and Prose. She is also an editor for the Interstellar Literary Review, and has written for her school's magazine. When not writing she can be found playing music at odd hours of the day, crying over poetry and debating the queerness of complex female characters.
The 2am writer that lives in the mind of sixteen-year-old Yun-Fei Wang has been taking over her sanity for a few years now, tearing her lifeline down, yet building up an escapism in the same breath. Find her in the evanescence of black-inked words, or at @rainofelsewhere on Instagram.
Kinnereth Din is currently a full-time high school student and emerging poet, writer, and artist from North Texas. Her aspirations began the first time she: heard the story of the baby chick and the watermelon, attempted to describe the intensity of fire engine red, and penned what she thought was a haiku about snow. Named after King David’s harp (the Hebrew word Kinnor), she was probably always destined for the poet's life. When she isn’t fulfilling dream and destiny though, you can find her occupied with daydreaming, drinking tea, or making box mix brownies.
Meet the General Editors
Oz Leshem is a queer, nonbinary poet from Taos, New Mexico. They are the 2021 Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate and a national medalist in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Oz’s work has been published in Teen Ink, Ice Lolly Review, Clear Skies Zine, and Dreams of Montezuma, among others. Oz was selected as a 2020 Miller Scholar for excellence in Creative Writing and is the recipient of the New Mexico State New York Life Award.
Chinonye Omeirondi is a high school junior from Southern California who often prefers the flexible world of fiction rather than harsh reality. She has a love-hate relationship with writing, but she keeps practicing her craft for the sake of a childhood dream. In her free time, she listens to music and stresses about how humans are destined for destruction. Chinonye has prose forthcoming in The Heritage Review and is a co-editor-in-chief of the newly created Elysian Review. She also hates onions.
Lani Kasperovic is a passionate young adult author, editor and advocate based in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently undertaking a double degree at RMIT University in professional and creative writing and editing. Lani was first published at the age of 13 in an anthology of youth writing and continued a connection with the editors to see two further works printed by the same publication. She has contributed to online publications via Write the World and Instagram, managing social writing accounts whilst offering her editorial skills to high school students both local and international. When she isn’t editing, Lani is constantly searching for projects and actions to take to advocate for the care of humans, believing in kindness and working towards changing the world.
Dhwanee Goyal (she/they) is a fifteen-year-old student from Maharashtra, India. She edits for multiple magazines and works as a content strategist for I-CREATE YOUTH magazine. For them, writing is a way of investigating what weight each experience holds, and the way memories seem to bloom or die over time. She hopes that one day we as a society will be more open to talking about mental health and its struggles. Pretty buildings make her heart beat fast, and she likes puns, double-sided blankets, sentences that trail off and…
Gracie Nordgren is 18 years old and lives just outside Denver, Colorado. Currently, she is a senior in high school, but this May she will graduate with an Associate's Degree in English as well as her high school diploma. After that, she will move on to the University of Colorado Boulder to complete a Bachelor's in English. Gracie has always been passionate about literary art, as she has seen firsthand the impact it can have. Last year she was published in the March edition of an online journal, The South Broadway Ghost Society. Ever since she has been looking to get involved further in the literary world, in order to both impact through art and be impacted.
Sam Sobel is an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, New Brunswick whose work has been featured in a couple of places there (including The Anthologist and Writers House Review). Most recently, he had a poem published over at Wild Greens Magazine in their February edition. Sam loves all aspects of language ranging from literature to sociolinguistics, and he hopes to pursue an MFA in poetry. His favorite word at the moment is lacuna, which means "a hiatus, gap, or missing portion."
Jennie Jeon is a senior from Washington. She has always been a passionate writer, and her favorite genres are creative nonfiction and original oratory. Jennie has received recognition for her work in KAIAC Forensics competitions and has taken several creative writing courses through the Center for Talented Youth program. As an editor, Jennie hopes to cultivate her creativity and inspire others to seek writing as a safe haven.
Emma Keas is a 14-year-old poet from California with an infatuation with art and words. More often than not, her poems are accidental spills following a tripped-over thought. She also spends too much time watching her heart’s reflection ripple in those puddles and not enough time collecting them.
Rhea Bogarapu is a high school senior who was born in Houston, Texas, but now calls Hyderabad, India her home. An avid bibliophile, Rhea spends most of her time hunched over gushy YA novels, if and when she’s not snacking. She’s extremely passionate about raising mental health awareness in her own community and is ecstatic to be a part of Cathartic!
Julia Vu is a high school junior and aspiring poet from Bay Area, California. She founded Operation Dopamine, an international mental health advocacy organization with ambassadors from different 9 countries. She is actively conducting individual research on Nivolumab and Ipilimumab combination immunotherapy in metastatic melanoma as an IB Diploma student. A survivor of depression and eating disorders, she documents her cycles with decline, relapse, and recovery through her poetry. Her works have been published in "Songs of Peace: World's Biggest Anthology of Contemporary Poetry 2020", "A Celebration of Poets 2020", and various literary magazines. Julia hopes to empower others and embrace the beauty of her own mental illness by sharing the letters she never intended to send.
Tanvi Nagar is a high school senior at Delhi Public School, Gurgaon. She has been writing for the past nine years and has contributed to national newspapers like The Times of India and Hindustan Times; magazines like the Ice Lolly Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Weight Journal and Secret Attic and anthologies by Delhi Poetry Slam, Authors Press and Half Baked Beans. She is the former Editor of her school and the present Head Girl of her school’s student council. She has authored four books titled, ‘A Treasure Trove of Poetic Wonderland’ ‘A Bountiful of Rhythmic Stories’ ‘Metamorphosis’ and ‘My Book of Short Stories and Poems’ and two research papers which were published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research. She has also won the Eye Level Literary Award 2018 by Daekyo South Korea, The Create Change Challenge by The University of Queensland, Australia and the Millenial Essay Writing Contest by UNESCO. Her website is tanvinagar.com.
Christina Pan is a sixteen-year-old writer from New York City. Her work is published or forthcoming in Eunoia Review, Ekphrastic Review, Ember, and elsewhere. She also edits for Polyphony Lit. Her favorite narrative form at the moment is the six word story, after Atwood: “Starlet sex scandal. Giant squid involved.”
Syna Majumder is a high-school student who loves to write about mocktails, road trips, and horrible people. Her work has been published in the Daily Drunk and Paper Crane and is forthcoming in the Bitchin' Kitsch and Pareidolia, among others. You can find them @fuzz_pedals on Instagram.
Erin Lee is a 17-year-old Asian-American from North Carolina who writes mini essays analyzing characters for fun. They have been reading and writing since they could form coherent, independent thought, and they haven't really stopped since then. Their works can be found on various sites, including (but not limited to) the Among the Branches zine and this magazine.
Matt Hsu is a high school junior from San Francisco, California. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and eating dark chocolate. He writes about things like romance and Christmas trees, but he makes it spooky because it's more fun that way. Currently he's working on a mystery novel about a lonely assassin.
Saanvi Sundaram is known for many things, music, babbling, even her introverted personality, but on top of it all, she is a writer. A fourteen year old living in India, she loves writing poetry and short stories that allow her to bring her ideas to life. She is the editor-in-chief for her school newspaper, runs a small blog, works as a part of the stargazette magazine, and has been previously published in magazines such as The Elysian Muse and Potted Purple. If she isn't writing, she's either practicing her music, searching for volunteer opportunities, or obsessing over the fact that boba tea isn't available where she lives. You can find her at https://linktr.ee/SunV
Avril Black is a seventeen-year-old writer from Canada who adores poetry and flash fiction. She is passionate about editing and encouraging other young writers. After graduating high school, she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field and travel the world! You can find her poetry in the latest issue of Aster Lit.
Vivian Zhou is a seventeen-year-old junior from Shanghai, China. She currently attends a boarding school in Hudson, Ohio. She has been editing people’s work for more than a year, and she has gained and learned a lot from this process. She is really interested in psychology, social justice, and mental health, and she is dedicated to helping those near and far. She is a swimmer, dancer, music lover, and explorer (and a HUGE foodie). She also enjoys reading non-fiction and current events! You can reach out to her on Instagram: vivian_zhouu
