Catamaran

08/16/2024

Fascinating discussion on literature with acclaimed translators Suzanne Jill Levine and Zack Rogow at our Gabriella Cafe salon last night!

08/07/2024

We are thrilled to announce the winner of the 2024 Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets. Congratulations to Jeanne Wagner and all the poets whose excellent work is celebrated here! Many thanks to all the poets who entered their work this year. The pool of manuscripts was the largest we have ever received. That number alone is testimony to the incredible vitality of the poetry community on the West Coast of the US.
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/catamaran-poetry-prize-2024

08/06/2024

It was a wonderful evening of poetry at our First Friday Lit Chat with Dion O’Reilly to celebrate her new poetry collection Sadness of the Apex Predator!

08/03/2024

Join us Thursday, Aug 8th, 5pm PDT, to celebrate Catamaran's Summer 2024 edition, our 45th issue! This virtual event will feature live readings from poets and writers published in the new edition of the magazine. We are very excited to share with you the continued excellence of our contributors. Register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/issue45launch

07/18/2024

We are excited to offer a virtual short fiction workshop with Josip Novakovich Sunday, August 11th, 12-3pm Pacific Time. Novakovich will cover several elements of short-story making: generating ideas, turning them into narratives, character, and plotting. Details here:
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

07/18/2024

Recharge your creative practice with author and creativity facilitator Joan Rose Staffen! In this virtualwriting workshop, offered Saturday, August 10th, 12-3pm Pacific time, we will evaluate writing practices, set goals, write together, and share your creations with your new writing friends. Details here:
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

07/14/2024

workshops next weekend! There's still time to register for a virtual generative workshop with Dorianne Laux on Saturday 7/20, and a virtual book-length workshop with Karen Joy Fowler on Sunday 7/21. Details here:
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

07/12/2024

Whether you're focusing on , short or long , or just want to energize your writing process, check out the stellar line up of workshops we have coming up!
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

07/10/2024

We're thrilled to announce our 45th edition, the Summer 2024 issue of Catamaran. This edition contains an interview with last year's poetry prize winner, a story in translation, twelve poets, seven fiction authors, seven nonfiction authors, and nine visual artists. Whether it be a tropical island or a bookstore near the Monterey Wharf, we hope this edition inspires and takes you on a wondrous journey wherever you may find us this summer.

https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/summer-2024

07/02/2024

New date! We are thrilled to offer a virtual fiction workshop with celebrated author Karen Joy Fowler on Sunday, July 21st (12-3pm PDT). This workshop is open to writers who have a book-length fiction project in progress.
Find details and registration here:
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

07/01/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1193508652071409&id=100042368568205

Check this out! Two past May Sarton NH Poetry Prize winners Deb Gorlin, Heather Treseler and a judge of the contest, Brad Crenshaw, all coming to read at The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough on Saturday July 6th at 11 am! They are such fun people and fantastic poets! Please join us!

06/20/2024

Check out our upcoming virtual generative poetry workshops with Dorianne Laux on 7/20 and Joseph Millar on 7/27. Wherever you are this summer, we hope you can join us!
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/register-for-courses-1

06/19/2024

We at Catamaran were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, the innovative and entrepreneurial scientist whose “Blue Mind” concept, which touted the mental health benefits of spending time in and around water, became a global phenomenon. Nichols died June 10 at the age of 56.

Catamaran’s relationship with Nichols extends back more than a decade to the publication of his essay “Outré Banks of the Mind” in the fall 2013 issue. It is one of the earliest published iterations of his “Blue Mind” philosophy, which was further elaborated in his 2014 book, Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do.

In the original Catamaran essay, Nichols wrote, “By the ocean, along a river, or even from the bottom of an inundated quarry, we get a better view of the whole world, and of ourselves, and as a result we feel small but connected. Because we are small in the face of it and we are connected. From a million miles away, the Earth is but a blue marble. From a billion miles, we are just a pale blue dot; a speck in the collective consciousness of the universe. It’s far easier to appreciate the little blue marble we live on from the water’s edge. Its waves of light and sound can make us feel both small and alone and yet exquisitely connected to the universe and everything in it. Like every little thing we do matters more than we could ever imagine.”

In Blue Mind, Nichols theorized that there was a link between neuroscience and oceanography as a way to understand and validate the deep-seated human attraction to water. Nichols spread the gospel of the “Blue Mind Movement” in more than 30 countries. He was known for his catchphrase “I wish you water” and for giving away blue marbles as a symbol of gratitude and connection.

A tenth anniversary edition of the book will be published on December 3, 2024, and will include a new 3,000-word afterword, “The Blue Mind Movement,” 160 additional endnotes, and a new reading list of Blue Mind-inspired books.

J. Nichols was our keynote speaker for the 2019 Catamaran Writing Conference, where he also taught a nonfiction workshop. He gave everyone a blue marble.

05/31/2024

Two more weeks to enter our poetry prize!

The Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets is open to entries from poets living in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, & Hawaii.

05/24/2024

In case you missed it or just want to hear these wonderful authors and poets again, check out the video recording from our Spring Issue Launch Party hosted by the Mechanics Institute Library. We recommend it!

Catamaran Literary Reader, founded in 2012, is located in the Tannery Art Center in Santa Cruz. This beautiful, high quality, full-color quarterly magazine f...

05/20/2024

Thank you to the Mechanics Institute Library in San Francisco for hosting a wonderful launch event for our spring edition! The authors and poets gave inspiring, moving, funny, and cherished readings at the event to a standing room crowd.

05/19/2024

Less than one month left to enter our contest!

The Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets is open to entries from poets living in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, & Hawaii.

05/12/2024

Join us Thursday May 16th for live readings from contributors of the Spring 2024 issue of Catamaran at the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. Featured writers include Andrew Fague, Charles Hood, Amethyst Loscocco, Lou Mathews, Claire Oshetsky, Alison Turner, and Todd Turnidge.
Reception is at 6:00 pm, with readings beginning at 6:30 pm until 7:30 pm, followed by a tour of the Mechanics' Institute. Complimentary wine from Santa Cruz wineries will be served. Details and tickets here:
https://www.milibrary.org/events/catamaran-spring-launch-party-may-16-2024

05/07/2024

Thank you to everyone who came to our Lit Chat with poet Brad Crenshaw on First Friday. We all were "Chased by Lunacies and Wonders"!

05/05/2024

Has spring delivered your issue of Catamaran, yet? The Spring issue is full of stunning artwork, stirring stories, brilliant nonfiction, and lush poetry. Grab your copy and dig in.
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/spring-2024

05/04/2024

Join us at the Spring Art Market in studio #118 on May 11th, open from 10-5

05/01/2024

"If I'd had a shovel in my hand I might have gotten myself in trouble..." Check out the featured online fiction story from our Spring issue: “Gracie” by Bette Lynch Husted, delves into observing nature and forming a bond with an inquisitive dog.
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/spring-2024

04/26/2024

Join us Friday, May 3rd, to celebrate Santa Cruz-based poet Brad Crenshaw’s new poetry collection "Chased by Lunacies and Wonders," winner of the 2023 Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets. This event is part of the First Friday Art Walk at the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz. 6-7:30PM
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/events-2024

04/25/2024

Calling all West Coast ! Submit your collection of 60-100 poems to the 7th annual Catamaran Poetry Prize. $1,000 prize & publication awarded. Deadline is June 15th.

04/17/2024

In our 44th edition of Catamaran, we’re celebrating spring with a variety of new, experimental voices in writing and poetry, along with the new work of previous contributors to the magazine.

https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/subscribe-donate/spring2024

03/30/2024

The Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets is open to entries from poets living in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, & Hawaii.

03/01/2024

Catamaran's Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets (now in its 7th year) is now open for submissions until June 15th. Go here for more information and to submit your manuscript:
https://catamaranliteraryreader.com/catamaran-poetry-prize-2024

02/20/2024

Scenes from our winter 2024 issue launch event featuring public readings from poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction contributors. Thank you to The Radius Gallery for hosting!