English
About
The Catalyst
An undergraduate journal from UW-La Crosse publishing art, prose, photography, and more from the UWL community
Evelyn Van Ess, Spring 2025 alumna
Wherever I Go
Acrylic and magnetic paint on canvas
The Catalyst is an undergraduate publication showcasing creative works from the UW-La Crosse community. It publishes original creative writing and artwork, primarily by students but also by faculty and staff, and occasionally by visiting writers and artists.
History
The Catalyst began in September 1979 as the newsletter of UWL's Honors Program. In March 1980, the newsletter took on the name The Catalyst. Its first editor was Rick Harsch, who has gone on to publish seven novels and found a literary press in Slovenia. In his introduction to the first titled volume, Harsch writes, "The Catalyst is dedicated to providing an outlet for creativity, criticism and news from within the Honors Program, as well as to communicating ideas from anyone else who wishes to contribute. We take no political or any other stand as a group, rather we wish to expose people to any and all ideas. If all the political essays until now have been radical, it is only because nothing else has been submitted. I am looking forward to many more contributions of all types in the future, including drawings, poems and news.”
Through the rest of the 1980s, The Catalyst added more creative works alongside political and academic essays, publishing a new issue every couple months. By the 1990s, The Catalyst began to feature cover artwork, changing from issue to issue, and began publishing two volumes each year.
As publication continued, The Catalyst began focusing more on creative works than political and academic essays. From 2004 - 2017, each issue of The Catalyst was given a theme, intended to spark creativity but not limit contributions to the magazine.
The Honors Program ended in 2009 when funding was dropped. To keep The Catalyst alive, the UWL English Club took up the publication. Since the club lacked funding, The Catalyst continued as an online-only publication, with the exception of 2013 and 2014 issues, which were printed under a special grant. In 2025, the magazine was moved from its original Wordpress home to the UWL web, where current and past issues are now housed. Original hard copies of The Catalyst are gathered in Special Collections at Murphy Library, and all previous volumes can be viewed online.
In 2023, a faculty advisor from the Art Department was added to the regular Catalyst working team. As of today, the online magazine is truly a collaboration between students and faculty of both the Art and English Departments.
Questions about The Catalyst can be directed to either its Art or English faculty advisors.