A great way for students to get involved on campus is to write and work for department journals. Not only is this a way to get to know other students with similar interests, but also a way to get rewarded for hard work. Students already doing work for classes can submit it work (or portions) to the right journal and get their efforts recognized.
Notable on-campus journals are Touchstones and Warp and Weave from the English department, The Undergraduate Journal from the Behavioral Sciences and Crescat Scientia from History. The Undergraduate Journal and Crescat Scientia accept mostly academic papers, focusing on interesting topics within the subject in an informative and exciting light. Touchstones and Warp and Weave focus more on the creative side, not only with writing, but also with student artwork.
Warp and Weave centers on speculative fiction, poetry and artwork, such as the fantasy and science fiction genres. The journal started as a simple collection of short stories in a science fiction class and has only grown since then. Touchstones has a more traditional focus. Fall 2010 Editor-in-Chief Matt Sievers explained that Touchstones is “a literary fiction journal, rather than speculative fiction, as well as creative non-fiction. As far as artwork, we take various kinds such as oil work, computer graphics, pen and pencil, etc.”
Most journals are student-run and are always looking for editors, readers and designers in addition to submissions. The best way to find out about a journal is simply to ask. Professors are always willing to help students improve their work, and student publications are a great way to do that.
Contact the sponsoring department of the respective journal for more information about publication dates, submission deadlines and possible staff positions.
Get In Touch…
Touchstones, Warp and Weave
English
801.863.8577 LA-114
Undergraduate Journal
Behavioral Sciences
801.863.6211 LA-012
Crescat Scientia
History
801.863.8487 LA-030
