Touchstones is the Utah Valley University undergraduate journal of poetry, prose, and art.

Touchstones is published twice a year during the Fall and Spring semesters. UVU students may submit work under the following categories: poetry, prose, and visual art. Contributors must be current students at Utah Valley University; alumni may also submit up to one semester after graduation. Publication is a great addition to any professional résumé or portfolio.

After the editing process is complete, each piece chosen for publication in Touchstones is judged by a professional in the field. Winners will receive comments on their pieces—a perfect addition to a portfolio—as well as cash prizes. Judges from past years have included Ae Hee Lee and Lisa Hiton for poetry, Rachel Hanson, Wendy Toliver, and Ryan Ridge for prose, and Lovetta Reyes-Cairo and Christopher Thronock for visual art.

As with the other publications sponsored by the Department of English and Literature, the Touchstones staff is comprised entirely of current UVU student volunteers and interns. The other publications include Essais and Warp & Weave.

The first issue of Touchstones was published in the fall of 1997 under the direction of Dr. Laura Hamblin. Since then, the scope and breadth of the journal have dramatically increased. 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 to test gold or silver quality.