Catamaran literary arts magazine celebrates its third year
Three years ago Bay Area arts entrepreneur Catherine Segurson unveiled her new literary arts magazine Catamaran from its Tannery headquarters. The quarterly—the name inspired by the adventurous sailing vessel—is packed with poetry, fiction, and nonfiction celebrating the robust spirit of West Coast consciousness. What distinguishes Catamaran from other literary journals is its narrative blend of words and images. “Looking for the narrative in visual art is ingrained in me from my work in film editing,” Segurson says. “We curate the words and art around each other.
The blonde statuesque Segurson mined her own Bay Area roots in crafting her project. “My vision was to establish a brand, or a voice—much like the way the New Yorker always feels like New York. I wanted Catamaran to feel like it comes from the West Coast.”
To that end, the magazine explores the natural world, the environment and people inspired by nature. “We look for important figures, as well as newcomers,” she notes. “Another broad theme has been the artistic spirit itself—making art—and we explore the life of the artist in each issue.” For example, poet/publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti was showcased in a recent Catamaran. Segurson’s editorial team also emphasizes the West as a destination for pioneers and explorers. Free spirits. “We curate around these broad themes and then look for visual work that evokes the poetry or stories we use. I try to match the narrative in the image so that the entire issue flows from beginning to end, from cover to cover.”
Catamaran vibrantly displays its founder’s vision of “providing portals into new art forms. They might begin by reading a poet they already know,” she explains, “but then the image on the facing page might catch their eye. And they come away with a new experience. It’s not just an arts magazine—I wanted to create a sense of flow in the reader’s experience.”
“I always loved Santa Cruz,” says Segurson, who earned her B.A. at UC Davis, where she studied painting with Wayne Thiebaud, whose work was on Catamaran’s first cover. While working on her M.F.A. at Cal Arts in Creative Writing, Segurson began experimenting with what was to become her magazine style.
“Writing was my focus, but we combined genres and collaborated with visual artists. That’s where the seed was planted for a magazine that would offer both visual and literary experiences,” she says.
As well as publishing and painting, Segurson is a successful writer whose work appears in the current Chicago Quarterly Review. Steeped in visual and literary art currents—including a stint at Francis Ford Coppola’s All-Story magazine—Segurson moved to Santa Cruz and began exploring various local art collectives, while creating films for Getty Images. All of her connections in the various literary and visual worlds came into play when she toured the new Tannery studios in 2011.
“So many different genres in one place could be inspiring I thought. So I suggested a literary magazine.” Next came a team of collaborators, nonprofit status and the formation of a board. A philosophy took shape. Some of Catamaran’s artists would be juried and some were solicited through connections and references. “We have pretty high standards,” Segurson admits. Wendell Berry and Ursula LeGuin have shown up in Catamaran’s pages.
Printing and distributing over 3,000 issues every quarter is a labor of love for the single mother of three. “I love it so much that we added a Writer’s Conference last summer.” Big smile. Catamaran’s new residential retreat for writers combines workshops, talks, and excursions each August. “Our unique twist is immersing participants in our spectacular coastal region—we wanted to tap into those ingredients that inspire us,” she says.
Segurson attributes her success to “talent plus a lot of will power. Being able to connect with people has been key. I couldn’t do it alone,” she adds, admitting that she and managing editor/writer Elizabeth McKenzie are in touch every single day. “Everybody contributes.”
CALIFORNIA DREAMER Catherine Segurson wanted to create a magazine that captured the art, environmental issues, and mentality of the West Coast. PHOTO: ARUN NEVADER
