CLA: Ivory Tower

You know how with reality television on every show of every season there is at least one big confession that some cast member makes, and it's generally something that any normal person wouldn't admit on national television? Well, sorry, my confession is not as juicy, but I have one nonetheless. At the beginning of this school year I did not count myself among the ranks of non-fiction fans. As the semester has progressed though I have found myself more and more intrigued by the unwieldy beast. To be brief, I have developed an addiction to non-fiction--it could almost be a song name.

I am not quite sure how the addiction started, but I definitely feel that it has something to do with being a part of the Ivory Tower staff and really making an effort to connect myself with all that Ivory Tower is, part of that being non-fiction.

I have always been skeptical of non-fiction; I thought it was a dull collection of dust pressed into a page with no character or feeling, but that was a naïve assumption. It takes a lot of character and feeling for a writer or reader to delve into non-fiction. Though I have discovered it is a creature that's definition cannot be concretely decided upon, there is an overwhelming amount of honesty to be gained in reading non-fiction. Reading more non-fiction this year, like On Death and Dying by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, has taught me a lot about myself, others, and society that I do not feel I could have learned as fully from fiction, poetry, or visual art.

Reading more non-fiction has also motivated me to pick up my pen and write more. Write about me, my thoughts, the people I know. It sounds narcissistic, I know, but lets be honest, we are very egocentric beings, we should embrace it and use it to connect with others. I am not the only person at the University of Minnesota whose parents are divorced, my friend is not the only person on the brink of graduation wondering what's next?, my mom is not the only middle-aged woman going through a midlife crisis, that kid in my poli sci class is not the only person pushing their opinions, you are not the only person wondering how that sesame seed bun got in the middle of the road.

My newly developed addiction has made me enthused for the workshop Thursday with Julie Schumacher (the free pizza helps too!). I plan on using the workshop to brainstorm some ideas for non-fiction pieces of my own, and also to connect with other peers interested in non-fiction. I hope to see you there. Write, workshop, submit, share. I promise you'll be all the better for it.

Erin Flannery
Managing Editor

Posted by kuehn100 at 7:21 PM | Permalink

Dear Friends,

So for all you procrastinators staring blankly at the computer screen, this is your verbal kick in the arse. What do I mean, starting off with an accusatory statement like that? I mean, what did you do wrong?

Nothing. You've sat back, watched the deadline for submissions approach steadily, and you have not at all felt panicked or nudged into submitting your madly brilliant work. You have watched the Facebook invite for our super-awesome Fiction Workshop expire without attending, which is unforgivable when said event had TONS of free pizza. And candy. Come on, you must be a dedicated procrastinator if you pass up free eats.

Well, this is your alarm clock, ringing incessantly, and I will not let you put me on snooze, my friend. NOW is the time to email that itching-to-be read poem or short story to us, press "print" to see that insightful nonfiction essay emerge from the depths of your printer, get off your stale chair and move your literary-fiending limbs over to our nonfiction workshop this Thursday. Even if you're not what you think of as a "nonfiction" writer, come, indulge us, make friends and schmooze. Any writing is good exercise, and especially the kind of writing you let sit, gathering dust, in your writing toolbox. All you nonfiction writers out there, you have even LESS of an excuse, so show your numbers - we want to see your genius!!

Stop accumulating dust - become active in your literary community - whether that mean religiously following our Facebook group (join it, y'all, if only because it looks cool on your profile), coming to our events to share your work and get feedback from us, to submitting as much as early as possible, giving us tips on upcoming literary events in the Twin Cities community, or just talking about us to your friends - show support, be active in your community. We're not asking for money, we're just asking for permission to showcase your talent. We exist solely for the purpose of getting YOUR work out there. So please, submit, email us with suggestions, come to our events, let us represent you.

Plus, how many times can I reiterate the free 'za?? For real. Let's do this. No day but today, right?

Thanks for moving your arse,
Melissa, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Posted by wrayx027 at 3:43 PM | Permalink

Dear Custodians of Art and Literature,

If you made it to Dislocate's book and poetry reading Wednesday, you are well aware that Professor Michael Dennis Brown is retiring. When he took the podium that night and declaimed his poems, they came like a sweeping wind, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. His upcoming collection is dedicated to his students, so thank him while he's here. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.

We are hosting a Non-Fiction writing workshop November 19th at 5:30 in Nolte, and we would love to see you there! Bring your work, improve your writing, and keep the blood of literature pumping through campus. There will be pizza! Also, remember that the submission deadline is drawing near, so don't put off writing, drawing, or whatever you do that we love. You may get your professional start at the Ivory Tower. Yes, you could be the next Garrison Keillor!

Hope to see you soon!

Agnes Rzepecki
Web-Editor

Posted by kuehn100 at 11:44 PM | Permalink

Hello All,

The Fiction Workshop behind us and pockets full of submissions must mean the end is near for this semester. But don't fret, at the Ivory Tower we are always sure to wear cargo pants (we look good!) making certain we've got room for your impressive submissions.
Missed the fiction workshop? No fear! We're excited to announce our Non-Fiction Workshop on November 19th. Join us for free food and drinks alongside amazing guidance and inspiration in Nolte 140 at 5:30 pm. It's gunna be a great time! Bring your non-fiction works to discuss with our non-fiction editors and your questions for our staff. Once you've perfected your non-fiction piece submit it to the Ivory Tower!
The staff has been working hard (for you!) on our Teaser - set to hit campus on December 1st. Look forward to procrastinating and not paying attention in class with our little 8 page mini-journal. We've included the best from Ivory Tower past issues, dating back to the 1960s. Not to mention the comedic attempts of the ever-so-talented Ivory Tower staff. We have had so much fun putting it together and I honestly can't wait to have it printed! Sooner then I know it the actual journal will be printed!

With that I say goodbye for now Blog-World. Till our paths cross again!

Rachelle Kuehne
Co-Editor In Chief

Posted by kuehn100 at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Hello Beautiful People Out There...

I am an Ivory Tower staffer, working hard as the Special Content Editor for our Magazine, and having a great time.

I would like to begin by thanking everybody in attendance of our first workshop event led by M.J. Fitzgerald. It was a complete success, and we are eagerly planning our next event, coming up on November 19th! Secondly, the deadline for submissions (Dec. 1st) is fast approaching. With this in mind, I would like to share with you some words of inspiration.

I'll begin by revealing a small secret. As an English major and lover of literature, I don't write often enough. Procrastination may be a bad habit for some, but for me, it's almost a way of life. It takes me half an hour to motivate myself to think about motivating myself to write something. It's bad. But, like other chronic-postponers, I have my moments of brilliance, and can surprise even the most jaded of critics... myself! At any given moment, a deeply hidden supply of infinite and innate work ethic bursts forth and I'll work up a miracle. I say 'at any given moment', but it's usually at around 3 a.m. during one of my bi-monthly bouts of insomnia. Stress and sleep deprivation make a surprisingly potent cocktail of creativity. But unplanned situations like these have driven me to write some of the most creative pieces I ever have written in my life. I believe everything needs to be electrically charged with the 'spirit of the moment' and embellished with a certain feeling of spontaneity; mind and body be damned if little emotional and physical sacrifice produces a personal masterpiece!

What it comes down to is, I work best under pressure. When it feels like something is on the line, it's like the big game. It almost turns into a competition, a sport. All great writers can think back and remember those marathon sessions. It's being honed in on the task with not a single break in concentration. It's the feeling of your fingers gracefully moving from key to key, performing a style of ballet all their own. Then the unmitigated rage of writer's block and the shattering of plastic when you've finally had enough of that damn keyboard. It's channeling that stream of consciousness from its initial raw, visceral state to a beautiful and refined piece of art. It's smelling the scent of paper when it just came out of the printer or just admiring the lines and lines of text, precariously hanging unsaved in the white oblivion of a Word document. That process, my friends, is the ultimate catharsis. Beat yourselves up a bit and write. Write with passion, write with intimacy, write from the heart and write with the mind. And share. Share with us your sacrifice. Submit. Be Immortal.

Get to it.

Eugene Lewis
Special Content Editor

Posted by kuehn100 at 7:40 PM | Permalink

Hello friends!

Don't miss our graduate counterpart Dislocate, the international literary journal created by U of M grad students, tomorrow night at 7:00 pm in Lind 150! The reading will feature our esteemed poetry professor, Michael Dennis Browne, who is sadly retiring at the end of this year! Come hear him read, say your tearful goodbyes, and score some free cake (and wine, for all you "of age" folks!). MFAs reading are: lovely poet Colleen McCarthy, awesome non-fiction writer Josh Morsell, and fiction goddess Swati Avasthi!

Our Ivory Tower staff will be there, so find us and chat us up for inspirational insight, flyers, submission tips, or free hugs.

See you there!

Posted by wrayx027 at 2:24 PM | Permalink

Hello Ivory-Followers!

The big night is upon us, and we couldn't be more ready or excited for our fiction workshop tonight. I feel the ghoulish energy which seems to possess fiction-writers in the air, or maybe that's just the result of the upcoming holiday... Either way it's quite exciting.

Just to re-cap the Fiction workshop is tonight in Lind Hall Room 207A starting at 6 pm. The incredibly talented MJ Fitzgerald will be our guiding light throughout the experience alongside the gifted Ivory Tower fiction editors.

In spirit of Halloween and all the treat-ing that comes with it, how about treating the Ivory Tower to your lovely prose, poetry and special content submissions? But please, no tricks. The deadline, to recall, is December 1st - and although that may seem light-years away its actually only a month! If that window closing on your opportunity to submit to the Ivory Tower isn't spooky enough for you on this all Hollows Eve I don't know what is!

See you all tonight (I'll be the one dressed as a Daisy)!

Rachelle Kuehne
Co-Editor-In-Chief

Posted by kuehn100 at 1:42 PM | Permalink

Our first event is drawing nigh! For all you non-literary types out there, that means that it's drawing near, or fast approaching. Or coming up--really, you can put it how you like it. I just want to be clear on this: You need to be in Lind 207A at 6:00 pm on Thursday October 29th. No ifs, ands, or buts about it--but, I mean, don't feel pressured or anything.

Except that you should feel pressured. This short fiction workshop is for your own good! Bring something old, bring something new--bring anything you'd like a little feedback on. We're here to help! The workshop will headline the marvelous M.J. Fitzgerald. There will be all kinds of delightful decorations, delectable treats, and delicious, uh, treats. Come one, come all! It's Halloween themed, so do your best to try and scare us. Be spooky. Be immortal. Get published. I can't stress that last part enough.

Robert Kipp
Head Fiction Editor

Posted by rzepe003 at 9:48 AM | Permalink

Hello University!

I went to see Frank Warren speak about his amazing creation, "Post Secret", at Coffman on Friday during Gophers After Dark. It was less like a book reading and more like a religious experience! We discussed the freedom of letting secrets go, and the amazing amount of power that art has on each person. Warren spoke for an extended period of time about suicide prevention, which I thought was worth mentioning since suicide rates among college students are much higher than they are in other groups. Through Post Secret Warren helped salvage 1.800.SUICIDE, which is a free suicide-prevention hotline that has been saving lives ever since.

There are tons of events like this one every day on campus. If you're interested in going to readings check out http://www.bookstores.umn.edu/genref/authors.html and always keep an eye on us-The Ivory Tower!

Now, of course, I have to add a reminder to SUBMIT! I can't even describe how excited I am to read your nonfiction works. Think of all the great nonfiction writers that changed our world: Thomas Paine, Sylvia Plath, David Sedaris! Your creative writings are sitting on your hard drive (or in your thumb drive--back your stuff up!) screaming to be submitted--don't let their cries go unanswered! Have a great day, and I am looking forward to working with you!

Gena
Head Non-fiction Editor

Posted by rzepe003 at 9:46 AM | Permalink

Hello friends!

So if you, like myself, have been listening to Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" since you were turning in the womb, or love reading his tales of Lake Wobegon, or just want to see how far an Ivory Tower alum can go, rest easy - he has come!

Tomorrow night at 7 pm in Coffman's U of M Bookstore, Keillor will be reading from his latest creation, Pilgrims: A Lake Wobegon Romance. The event is free and open to the public, and bring your copy of the book, as Keillor will be signing away!

See you there!
Melissa Wray
Co-editor-in-chief

Posted by wrayx027 at 5:05 PM | Permalink

CONTACT: Alexandra Weaver
Publicity & Outreach Editor
ivory@umn.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2009 - Minneapolis, MN -- The Ivory Tower 2009-2010 staff has set the ball in motion and is now accepting online and print submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music and art from undergraduates at the University of Minnesota. Be sure to submit before the December 1st, 2009 deadline and check our website, ivorytower.umn.edu, for more information.

The staff has been entrusted with continuing the legacy of the Ivory Tower for next year's staff and submitters. We are looking forward to keeping up the favorite activities from last year, as well as starting our own traditions for years to come.

Look forward to multiple writing workshops this year, complete with free food of course! Join us for our first fiction workshop on Thursday, October 29th at 6:00 pm in Lind207A. In honor of Halloween, this workshop will include bone-chilling tales and trick-or-treats! In other event news, a coffee shop event is also in the works for this winter! This year, we are especially focused on creating community partnerships, both with the local thriving U of M community, and with the larger Twin Cities literary world.

For those of you who would like to get more involved in the larger Twin Cities literary and arts community, be sure to stay tuned to the Ivory Tower blog or Facebook page. We will be sharing our favorite local literary nooks and crannies as well as upcoming community events! Whether you want to find a great new book or a quirky first date spot in Uptown, we've got it all!

Throughout the next couple weeks you will see us around campus handing out fliers and visiting classrooms to ignite enthusiasm for the magazine. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email us at ivory@umn.edu.

We are excited to receive submissions and get the 2009-2010 issue underway!

Posted by wrayx027 at 5:00 PM | Permalink

Hey all,

Submissions are starting to come in, and we couldn't be happier. It's great to see the creative work that our fellow undergrads create. It shows that we don't have just one of the best engineering programs in the country, but we have a large level of creative talent that does not get the recognition it deserves. Become a part of our magazine where we showcase you and your creativity. There's still plenty of time to get your stuff to us. We'd love to see it.

Also, we're still working on setting up the October 29 event . The place and time will be announced soon, but we do know that a guest writer will help run the workshop, and bring their expertise to the table. Mark your calendar, tell your friends, and be ready to have a good time. We'll keep you updated, so check back for more information.

Thanks for reading!

Samantha Degen
Lead Poetry Editor

Posted by rzepe003 at 7:56 PM | Permalink

Hello Brilliant Undergrads,

Can you feel that creative buzz? That tingling feeling of enlightenment? Yes, yes - submissions are beginning to pour in and I couldn't be more excited or impressed by the work we have received. We really are a bright campus! Remember we will pretty much take anything! Web designs, interviews, drawings, comics, graphic novels - ANYTHING! So don't turn away daunted assuming the only thing we want to read is poetry and prose.

The staff and I have been scouring The Ivory Archives (as I have so chosen to title them) and I'm blown away by the amazing pieces and art we have published in the past. I beam with pride to know I am a part of such an amazing Journal with such a strong following and history. I even recognized a few names - The Ivory Tower has definitely been a platform for some talented artists out there. Plus, we get the bragging rights of "We published them first." which in itself is pretty sweet.

Speaking of platforms, we recently found out about 6 pieces from the 2008-2009 edition of The Ivory Tower are being considered for inclusion in a National Undergraduate Literary Anthology - aka the best of the best from undergraduate literary journals across the country. How thrilling! Congrats to the lucky students being considered and a word for possible 2009-2010 submitters - Look how far you and The Ivory Tower could go!

Best,

Rachelle Kuehne
Co-Editor In Chief

-Take Pride In Your Voice

Posted by kuehn100 at 1:11 PM | Permalink

All you creative kids out there, clear your evening to come to tonight's Dislocate's reading by David Treuer. It's at 7 pm in Lind Hall 150, and everyone's invited! Plus, free food, y'all! U of M MFAs WIlson Peden, Patrick Hueller, and Meryl Depasquale will also be reading.

See you there!

Posted by wrayx027 at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Dearest Mysterious Internet Onlookers,

So I'm sure you think we're all literary bookworms here at the Ivory Tower. You imagine us some dozen elderly Greek men in togas, lolling around a white skyscraper enclosed in books stacked to the ceiling. You see us examining manuscripts, twirling our beards and pondering deep thoughts through our thick, foggy glasses; but my dear friends, if this is your vision of the 2009-2010 Ivory Tower staff, you couldn't be more wrong. Mainly because most of us don't have beards. Yet.

Yes, the nine months of good old Minnesota winter are nearly upon us and beards are already coming out of the woodwork. But the Ivory Tower is not about beards, and why I ramble on about them is one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries.

Now that I've got you in suspense, back to my original topic: art! While there are various genre submission contests, the Cover Art Contest is the only one whose winner will grace the freakin' cover of the Ivory Tower. You'd be famous! So act now, dear readers - submit your favorite endeavor in creativity. Oh, and if you win, we'll give you $100, because we just love you that much. Submit!

For the road, and in defense against calling us just another stuffy lit journal:
We envision you writers alone in your room, hunched over a desk with a flickering candle. Your hands, clad in fingerless gloves, grip a quill and pour your deranged soul onto curling parchment while a cold breeze blows your discarded pages around the floor. At least, that's how I feel when I write a story.

With way more love than one should ever have for complete strangers, soon to become contributors, a bientôt!

Anna Nething
Design & Layout Editor

Posted by kuehn100 at 9:22 PM | Permalink