About Totem

Totem, Caltech's literary and visual arts magazine, is an annual publication that consists of poems, essays, short stories, photography, drawings, and other artwork submitted by the Caltech community. Students on staff volunteer their time to collect and showcase these pieces.

Totem is distributed at no charge to the entire campus during May/June to grow appreciation and enthusiasm of art and literature in the community.

In addition, we host contests and regular writing group sessions to support artistic, creative endeavors. Students who are interested in literary or art events happening on or off campus are encouraged to share their interests with us.

It is our mission to foster the artistic expressions of our community members and spread awareness of the multitude of talents at Caltech.

The Caltech Totem is funded by the following organizations. (Please note that clicking the link will open up a new window)

The Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology (ASCIT)
Division of Humanities and Social Sciences
Student Affairs

Thank you to all artists, authors, and sponsors that make Totem possible!