Kansas State University

Dear Reader,

There are many things I could say about the contents of this year’s edition of Touchstone. From tales of weird and unfamiliar places to precise renderings of the familiar, this year’s edition provides a range of feeling threaded by exquisite awareness and observation of the world we inhabit. Grief, love, God, nature, and UFOs are all accounted for in these pages, and the individual works often blur the lines of difference and defy expectations.

Of course, if these pieces do their job (and they do—trust me on this), you’ll come to your own unique emotional responses, and you certainly don’t need me telling you what to feel. So, in lieu of further analysis, I’ll simply express gratitude:

This magazine would never have seen the light of day if it weren’t for the hard work of many. Specifically, I would like to thank Kira, Shelby, Minadora, Christopher, and Anna, who each took charge of their respective editing teams in order to read, select, and edit the work that ultimately appeared in this year’s issue. In addition, I would also like to thank the members of each team (who are listed individually on the next page)—your effort and sacrifice of time does not go unnoticed.

Of course, curating material and preparing it for publication isn’t all that goes into publishing a literary magazine. There’s a ton of behind-the-scenes work that actually happens behind the behind-the-scenes work, so thank you to Elizabeth and Joe for your dedication and contribution to a smooth submissions cycle.

Thanks are also due to the Kansas State English Department, specifically faculty advisor Dr. Kimball Smith, department head Dr. Karin Westman, and Creative Writing Track head Dr. Katherine Karlin.

Enjoy!

Dylan Pyles

Editor-in-Chief