Stapled, taped, and pinned to English classroom walls, Catharsis folders beckon to student writers all over Monte Vista. The manila folders are periodically full and empty with papers, advertising the fine arts of the student body.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Catharsis from your teachers or from the daily bulletin, but what exactly is it?

Run by junior Lauren Lambertson, Catharsis is Monte Vista’s own student-run literary magazine, focusing on the talent of exceptional artists of Monte Vista. Each year, the club publishes a magazine of submitted works by students all around campus.

“Its main function is to showcase Monte Vista students’ artwork, photos, and writing,” English teacher Barbara Buckley said. “[It] gives kids a chance to be published.”

Catharsis began in 2003 when Buckley began teaching at Monte Vista.

“There was a literary magazine before I came to Monte Vista and it stopped,” Buckley said. “I had several students interested in revitalizing the literary magazine and we [have] had one every year since.”

Not only do they recognize prose and poetry, but they also feature student-created song lyrics, art, and photography. The staff is currently accepting submissions for its next publication, coming out in mid-May.

“We don’t look for anything specific because every piece is unique,” Lambertson said.

The club has six editors that go over submitted pieces: junior Lauren Lambertson, Editor-in-Chief; junior Gina Matteo, co-Art/Photo Editor; sophomore Julia Del Matto, co-Art/Photo Editor; junior Marianna Del Matto, Managing Editor; junior Isabella Ordaz, Short Story Editor; and sophomore Sienna McDonald, Poetry Editor. Catharsis’ weekly meetings are in Mrs. Buckley’s room, room 229, to review submissions received.

“It’s not a club that meets to do any other activities but to work on the literary magazine and their own writing or artwork if they want,” Buckley said.

Each submitted work is reviewed by three editors, who then score it on a scale from 1-5. If a piece is scored 3 or above by all three editors, it is considered for the final publishing.

“It is been my lifelong dream to be published,” senior Rachel Feinberg said. “Catharsis may not be mainstream, but it definitely is something. I’ll get published in whatever I can.”

Entering submissions in the literary magazine is a great opportunity to feature your pieces in a professionally published work. Every year, Catharsis receives dozens of pieces of student literature and chooses a select few to publish in the 135-page magazine.

“My favorite part is getting to see all the artwork and literature and getting able to experience through what I see and read,” Lambertson said. “I like seeing the students’ creativity.”

In addition to publishing a magazine, this year Catharsis held a writing contest for students to gain schoolwide recognition and giftcards. Each piece was judged differently depending on its category: prose, photography, artwork, or poetry.

“We want the biggest variety of people [in the magazine],” Buckley said.

While the contest’s submission date (Jan. 31st) has ended, the publication submission deadline is April 21st and the magazine will be available in mid-May for $10 a pop. Previous editions are also available for the same price.

So get writing, writers, and submit your works to [email protected]!