Touchstone: Viterbo’s student literary and visual arts magazine

Touchstone is Viterbo’s annual magazine that features works of literature and visual arts by students. First beginning in the 1950s, Touchstone’s staff is currently working on producing its 87th volume. 

Touchstone is a student-run magazine that is overseen by faculty advisors. Dr. Vincent James, the publication’s advisor, says that “Students play vital and necessary roles at every stage of the production of the magazine. From marketing, to organization, to scheduling, to planning the launch party events selecting and jurying both the visual and the literary submissions.”  

In addition to being a writer of fiction, James is an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing. He began teaching at Viterbo and serving as Touchstone’s Literary Advisor in the Spring of 2022. Prior to coming to Viterbo, James served as Associate Editor of The Denver Quarterly while attending graduate school at the University of Denver. James works alongside Kira Peters, Touchstone’s Art Advisor. 

“Touchstone is definitely a place where there’s a lot of opportunity even at the volunteer level,” stated James. Each year, Touchstone hires students to work as editors and designers. “Any student who wants to be involved is definitely welcomed and will definitely find an opportunity for them in some way,” says James. “It’s a small, fun, collaborative kind of engagement and something that’s growing too.” 

Each spring, Touchstone accepts submissions of literary and visual works from students. After students have submitted their work, Touchstone staff selects pieces and begins working on the magazine. “I have no process in initially selecting the pieces for publication. That is done by the student editor,” stated James.  

When the magazine is complete, Touchstone hosts a launch party that coincides with the All-Students Art Show hosted by Viterbo’s Art Department. The launch party celebrates the release of Touchstone and the work created by students. This year’s launch party takes place April 26. 

In addition to building a digital presence, James and Peters are currently working on “rediscovering the history and the legacy of the magazine,” James says. “We’re working on establishing our historical archive. We want to have a physical copy of every issue of Touchstone that we can find that hopefully we’ll store in [Viterbo’s] library.”  

James and Peters also hope to create more student opportunities as they work together as advisors. “As we continue to develop and build out our digital presence, which we’re doing currently with building a new website,” James says, “there will be ongoing opportunities and we’ll see where it goes.” 

“Ultimately,” James continues, “the thing that I think both Peters and I are excited about is twofold: welcoming and celebrating the excellent work of our student body, and also giving students exciting professional development opportunities that will benefit their career and field.” 

 James shared that Touchstone has opportunities that benefit students across different majors. “There’s just a lot that students can sort of lean into and contribute towards that will hopefully benefit their careers in the future,” stated James. 

Information about Touchstone can be found on their website, touchstonee.wixsite.com, and on their Instagram, @touchstoneviterboarts. Students and staff can also find more information about Touchstone in the coming weeks across campus and in VU Today.  

For additional information or questions about Touchstone, students and staff can contact Vincent James at vjames@viterbo.edu or Kira Peters at klpeters@viterbo.edu.