About Touchstone

Like its namesake, Touchstone Literary Magazine aims to select the "gold" in literary work by new voices. We are dedicated to supporting emerging writers & artists beyond accepting their work. Writers who are yet to publish a full book or collection and self-published, marginalized, or underrepresented voices are cordially welcome to find a home for their work here. We pride ourselves for having an editorial board that is kind, constructive, & encouraging in their communication process with submitters. We expect editors to reply supportively for works we reject & provide feedback for accepted pieces before publication. Although we aim to be selective in choosing works, Touchstone strives to be a platform—not a barrier—for artists. Touchstone is Kansas State University's student-edited literary arts magazine. Aside from our regular online publications, our annual issue is published each Spring by the Department of English at Kansas State University.

In 1975, Touchstone was established to serve as a standard of excellence, presenting the best creative writing from our undergraduates. In 1998, submissions were opened to graduate students in creative writing programs nationwide. The magazine expanded to online publication in 2011.

Today, Touchstone is proudly open for all submitters—student or not, nationally and internationally. In 2020, we transitioned to a bold and fully digital platform. Our annual spring issues, in addition to all other work we publish throughout the year, will be made FREE and available digitally, creating an open platform that shares and celebrates our favorite works with all of our readers, old and new.