Since its founding in 2020, the Catcher Zine club has served as an outlet for students to showcase their passion for art and literature. Senior Audrey Limb, the club’s new editor-in-chief, hopes to support and encourage inclusivity and diversity through her leadership. 

 “We’ve started to see more people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as just different kinds of people who maybe wouldn’t have felt like they belonged or fit into [our older] issues submit their artwork and literature in our [latest] issue,” Limb said, “which I think is really cool, because hopefully, if we can just make more people around the community feel included and heard, then that’s the ultimate goal of our club.” 

Limb first joined the club at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered the team’s ability to collaborate. Now that the Catcher team is working in-person, Limb hopes to improve communication and familiarize members with procedures, such as brainstorming sessions for issues and feedback on each other’s work. 

“We had to kind of switch a lot of our design process online and do everything virtually,” Limb said. “So I think this year, we really want to focus on collaborating together in real time.” 

Since its impetus, Catcher Zine has provided students an opportunity to shed light on subjects they cared about through a chosen artistic medium. The club is built around flexibility to lower any barriers to entry and emphasize the creative freedom of its submitters.

“In my time, I’ve already seen [the magazine] reach a bigger audience across the school,” Limb said. “So after I leave as a senior, I hope that it continues to do that.” 

Catcher Zine’s issues typically center around a key theme, such as ‘identity,’ ‘Mother Nature’  and ‘transitions. The club tries to choose themes that are broad enough to provoke interpretation and variety in submitted pieces, but narrow enough for a clear direction. The theme of the fall 2022 issue has not been finalized, though Limb has a few potential ideas. 

“The theme is something we’ve decided as a club,” Limb said. “I don’t single-handedly make that decision, even though I’m the president, but I’ve had a few ideas centering around community and or spirit.” 

The direction of the Catcher Zine is intentionally ambiguous and remains so for the foreseen future. Limb is hopeful for the club’s future path, given the amazing work submitted by talented students in the past.

“I think what’s so great about Catcher Zine is that it has the potential to outgrow its roots, so I really am just excited to see where it evolves on its own,” Limb said.