Natalie Riley [she/her]
Editor-in-Chief
Natalie is a fourth-year English major and Professional Writing minor. In a serendipitous search for something creative, Natalie found The Catalyst, joining as a student in the winter of her second-year, and has been involved since. Serving as the Literature Editor for the 2024-25 year, she now is the Editor in Chief for her final year at UCSB. Natalie enjoys anything crafty, active, and new. Curious by nature, she loves to travel and experience moments different from her everyday life. With this enthusiasm, she hopes that The Catalyst will bring an atmosphere of openness, perspectives, and experiences that inspire and create something uniquely beautiful and personal to each and every person who reads, writes, and creates for The Catalyst.
Claire Trask [she/her]
Editor-in-Chief
Claire is a fourth-year English major, and co-Editor-in-Chief for her last quarter at UCSB. Claire dreams every night, and sometimes dreams come true, The Catalyst is one of them. Claire joined The Catalyst as a sophomore, and was Literature Editor her junior year. When Claire isn’t vehemently scribbling in the same notebook she’s had since freshman year, she enjoys sweating it out on a yoga mat, a walk, or on a bike. Everything she does is done with passion, and that same passion will fuel her final quarter at UCSB and with The Catalyst. Claire is stoked to join Natalie and the other editors, writers, creators, and readers in continuing the effortlessly cool and mystic vibes of The Catalyst.
Jack Buschow
Managing Editor
Jack is a fourth year English major who discovered the joys of The Catalyst last spring after transferring to UCSB. This year she will serve as the managing editor for the magazine. She loves to read speculative and historical fiction, or anything quiet and dark with a bit of rain. When she’s not reading and writing for her English degree, she can be found birdwatching, wild swimming, playing puzzle platformer games, listening to electronic music, or practicing archery. She likes to read and write about megastructures, wildlife, blue hour, and sometimes a little bit of body horror as a treat. She loves and looks forward to the fun, strange, imaginative, and enduring work that The Catalyst team creates.
Miles Trachtenberg [he/him]
Design Editor
Miles is a fourth-year English and Art History major. He grew up reading fantasy novels, whiling away the hours lost in distant and magical worlds. He writes both poetry and prose, and loves to experiment with various mediums in art. Outside of the literary arts, he loves to take sunset walks, play soccer and watch movies! Miles is excited to continue his journey with The Catalyst as the Art and Design Editor, and hopes to foster a fun, creative and welcoming environment where everyone is free to express their creative selves!
Emily O’Brien [she/her]
Literature Editor
Emily is a third year English major and this year’s Literature Editor. Reading was her first love, and writing came soon after. She finds inspiration to write while hiking, when developing her film photos, when swimming at the beach, etc. This inspiration likes to elude her when she actually sits down at her computer to write. In the future she hopes to become an English Professor, maybe taking a brief pit-stop in the book publishing industry. Emily is an avid collector of jewellery—rings, necklaces, bracelets— and she is also a firm believer in taking all her jewellery off before she starts writing. She thinks it’s essential to the creative process. Emily is so excited to be a part of The Catalyst and see everyone’s beautiful creations this upcoming year!
Kai Singh [they/she]
Assistant Editor
Kai is a third year English, Philosophy and History triple major who is thrilled to be on this years’ The Catalyst board. Kai spends much of their time at their job as a librarian, but you can also catch her making fun of old philosophers, cooking (physically and mentally), planning her next tattoos and cuddling her cat. Kai loves vampires first and frolicking second, so feel free to ask her about her current favorite bloodsucking media. She can’t wait to see how this year’s The Catalyst goes, and looks forward to meeting you all!
Emma Chastain [she/her]
Assistant Editor
Emma is a fourth-year Communication and English student. The English major fought tooth and nail for a spot in her degree, but her passion for writing and literary creativity wasn’t something she could nourish with a simple minor. The Catalyst provided her with the perfect outlet. Art and writing go hand and hand for Emma, and her ideas usually take on multiple iterations within her ink drawings, oil pastel pieces, poems, and short stories; in other words, a full page is a good page. No route to creativity is too strange or strenuous, and she loves collaborating and experimenting. Last Spring, she dabbled in sculpture art and will make a styrofoam head in your likeness if you ask nicely. As an assistant editor on the team this year, Emma can’t wait to be a part of the behind-the-scenes magic that brings The Catalyst to life!
Amanda Rossiter [she/her]
Assistant Editor
Amanda is an incoming senior and an English major. She can’t be more excited to be joining The Catalyst editing team! Having transferred to UCSB her junior year, she knew she wanted to be involved with the literary magazine. She has a passion for writing that was sparked by her love of reading. She loves beautifully written novels that have prose sprinkled throughout. She even named her two kittens, Sorcha and Finbar, after characters from one of her favorite novels. She also loves sports and played a plethora of them growing up, her strongest suit being volleyball but the more obscure ones include bowling and jump rope. Most recently she has picked up swimming! She also enjoys sports events and loves going to baseball and hockey games. She is looking forward to working with other students and seeing all the amazing work that is to come!
Shaun Nowicki [they/he]
Graduate Research Assistant
Shaun is a sixth year PhD candidate in English working on early modern literature and embodiment. He will serve as the graduate research assistant for The Catalyst this year. They enjoy reading contemporary poetry and nature writing, and exploring for antique books. When he isn’t writing his dissertation, he can be found writing poetry and drafting elaborate scenarios for tabletop role playing games. Inspired by a mix of experimental writing and poetic conventions, Shaun is excited to work with the brilliant students who make The Catalyst what it is.
Brian Donnelly [he/him]
Faculty Advisor
Prof. Brian Donnelly has been the faculty advisor for The Catalyst since 2015, which will mean 35 issues come Spring 2025! Brian was born and raised in New Zealand, where he graduated with a BA in English Literature, before traveling to Britain and completing his PhD at the University of York. He moved to UCSB in 2007 and joined the English Department. His research interests are in word and image studies, science fiction and Victorian literature. Having been a baby when black-and-white photography was just what happened, rather than a fancy filter, he thinks he knows a thing or two about art and design. While he is always pushing his Catalyst editorial teams and their students to work harder, to be better, and to achieve more, he secretly believes they are among the most brilliant and dedicated students he has ever worked with, and he considers it a huge privilege to be part of The Catalyst project.