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Fall 1997
volume 1, issue 1
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Editors Note
| Welcome to the premiere issue of Touchstones, Utah Valley State College's new literary magazine. Touchstones will be published twice yearly—in the Fall and Spring Semesters.
The word "touchstone" was coined by the English poet and critic, Matthew Arnold, in his essay "The Study of Poetry" (1880). Arnold refers to a touchstone as a quotation from a recognized poetic masterpiece employed as a standard of instant comparison for judging the value of other works. Literally, a touchstone is a hard stone of the kind once used for testing the quality of gold or silver.
We are pleased and excited to present now, our own touchstones—this fine selection of creative writing which is currently being produced by the students, staff and faculty of our college. A large number of poems and prose fiction and nonfiction was submitted for publication—and the more wonderful the writing we receive, the more difficult is the selection process, but it's a nice problem to have, and a great reflection on our literary community.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and institutions for their support (both financial and moral) in the production of Touchstones: the English/Literature Department—Dr. Charles Vogel, Chair; the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences—J.D. Davidson, Dean; and the Honors Program—JaNae Brown Haas, Director. Thanks also to our readers: Lee Mortensen, Laurie Wood, and Dawn Chase. As always, thanks to all the great writers and loyal subscribers, present and future!
— Dr. Laura Hamblin | | |
