Touchstones literary journal looking for submissions, staff members

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Cover design by Jared Magill

Cover design by Jared Magill

Touchstones, UVU’s student-run literary journal, is now accepting submissions for its Fall 2010 volume. The journal, which is published at the end of both fall and winter semesters, features the fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama and art of UVU students. While each issue is supervised by a creative writing faculty member, the journal is designed, edited and produced entirely by students.

Under the supervision of English department professor Dr. Laura Hamblin, the first issue was published in the fall of 1997. The journal itself has expanded to the point where the spring 2010 issue received nearly 300 submissions.

Matt Sievers, the editor-in-chief for the Fall 2010 volume, said, “We’re a literary fiction journal, rather than speculative fiction, and take submissions for fiction, as well as creative non-fiction. As far as artwork, we take various kinds, such as oilwork, computer graphics, pen and pencil, etc.”
UVU also publishes a speculative fiction journal, Warp and Weave, and its contents lean more toward fantasy, science fiction and related genres.

It is also possible to participate in Touchstones without submitting original work. The journal is looking for additional staff members.

“Besides staff for tech editor, art editor, prose and poetry editors, we also appreciate readers.  While readers can still submit, they can’t be credited in the current issue, and regular staff members are not allowed to submit, so that’s something to consider,” said Sievers.

Readers help go through the submissions and assist editors with deciding which pieces and works will be published in the journal. Called Reading Night, the event takes place on campus and is a great way to both participate in the production of the journal, as well as read original student-written work.

Applications for both submissions to the journal and editorial positions are available in the English department office, room LA 114. Back issues of both Touchstones and Warp and Weave are also available for purchase, as are official Touchstones t-shirts.