Touchstones looking for submissions

Do you want to have your creative works recognized and published? Touchstones, a university journal of literature and art, is looking for student submissions.

“Eleven years after the original Touchstones, we are excited to produce the first Touchstones literary journal as Utah Valley University,” said Loran Cook, editor-in-chief of Touchstones. “We have an amazing team of talented and enthusiastic readers, editors and writers who wants to bring to UVU a polished journal of amazing student work, and we need student submissions to do that.”

Two issues are printed each school year, one in the fall and one in the spring. A selection committee made of students read the submissions to select the best for the publication. Approximately 50 pieces are published.

Submissions can range from poetry, prose and drama to art and photography. Contributors whose work is chosen for publication will receive a free copy of the Fall 2008 issue and could have a chance to read their piece at the “My Word” release party in December.

“We are really pushing to have this be a university-wide publication, and while we do indeed want new fresh voices, we still want to hear from all those who have submitted before,” said Cook.

Cook advises students not to be disgruntled if their previous submissions were not accepted and not to let the fear of having others look at their work hold them back.

“You’ll never know what people think of your work until you have others read it. The first two semesters I knew about Touchstones, I didn’t submit because I was afraid of how people might perceive me or my work,” said Cook. “I realized that if I wanted to be published I would need to bite the bullet and submit my work. When I wasn’t accepted, I tried again and again and really worked at making my submissions better.”

Prose submissions should be no more than 3,000 words, and the norm for submitting poetry is no more than five poems. Additional recommendations appear on the submission form, which is available at http://research.uvsc.edu/touchstones and in LA 114.

The submission deadline is Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. at LA 114. For more information, e-mail [email protected].