JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
jennyeblock@icloud.com
Create the change you want to see … through creating. That’s what Radical Catalyst is all about.
“Radical Catalyst is a queer feminist art and literary journal publishing marginalized creatives who are addressing political themes in their works,” explained co-founder Olivia Berry.
Megan Kryk, Olivia’s partner and the other Radical Catalyst co-founder, said the project “took shape piece-by-piece leading up to and following the 2024 election. Once the official results came out, there was such a sense of powerlessness in the communities we were in, and we decided we needed to do something to bring power back.”
Megan added that both she and Olivia “anticipated there would be attacks on creative freedoms, and we wanted to build a platform that would elevate queer marginalized creatives. Art has always been a tool for resistance, so we wanted to encourage that.”
Dallas Voice caught up with Olivia and Megan to learn more about the powerful voice for change.
Dallas Voice: What made you confident there was an audience for you? Megan Kryk: Within the literary field, I’ve slowly noticed that there has been more significant push to publish pieces that are palatable (read: profitable) to the largest audience possible. Because of that, there’s this odd dichotomy of publishers wanting unique, creative works, but also being hesitant in publishing anything that could disrupt the status quo.
I think there’s a duty (for those of us who are able) to provide a safe space for the more radical, raw works to shine. Radical Catalyst making a well-crafted issue provides a bit of solidarity between the justice-seekers and the authors and artists who are memorializing the fear, resistance and hope that so many carry with them now.
What is it about both of you that made you so well-suited for this endeavor? Olivia Berry: Megan and I really blended our talents to create this journal. As a political organizer and nonprofit professional, I keep our operations running, while Megan, as an editor and writer, is able to lead the creative aspects of each issue.
What do you hope people will gain from reading it? Olivia: Each issue’s theme is carefully chosen and the pieces delicately arranged to bring readers to a particular point.
I hope people read our journal and explore the realities of what’s happening to our communities and that it inspires them to take action.
What is the most challenging aspect of running it? Olivia: The most challenging aspect of running the journal is funding it. We prefer to spend our time finding and publishing powerful creative works rather than fundraising. It got to the point where it was a running joke that our budget was my wallet.
Our entire team, including Megan and I, are volunteers, and we’ve put hundreds of hours into each issue, because we care about the creatives who are trusting us to publish their stories.
In what way do you believe it could spark or support the change we so desperately need? Megan: I think art and literature are really the cornerstones of change in the world. Art lets us see what cannot be said; writing puts into words what cannot be seen.
I think highlighting these voices and stories places the foundation that is needed for real change by creating understanding and empathy in a way that is felt so much deeper when driven by an emotional response to art. Even more than that, though, I think that the works that we publish have the chance to be eye-opening to those who may be waiting on the fence.
What’s it like founding and creating something with your partner? Megan: It’s both lovely and incredibly stressful. I think most people try to keep work and life separate, but when both of us are doing something so demanding together, it can be really hard to take a step back.
On one hand, the excitement about things that we are doing is doubled and can really bring up the mood, but when things get stressful, it’s felt twofold across the household. Still, all of it is so worth it to be able to look at the amazing work we’re doing and just feel the immense pride of this project’s success as a result of us doing it together.
Olivia: It can be complicated sometimes. We’ll disagree about which pieces we like the most or fight over who gets to use the desk for meetings we both have to be on. But it’s also really wonderful to be in this thing together. Working alongside someone you love to do something meaningful is incredibly fulfilling.
What do you wish people knew/understood about Radical Catalyst? Megan: That we want to be the jumping-off point, not the finish line. The pieces we publish are meant to start conversations, to make readers reflect on how they can make a change themselves. We’re trying to get the ball rolling; it’s up to the readers to keep pushing it together with us to get it up and over the hill and create real change.
Olivia: The journal is more than something to read; it’s a collection of people. There’s a real person behind every work sharing a piece of themselves with us. They trust us with their hopes, their fears, their experiences both good and bad, and it’s an immense honor to carry these stories to our readers