CLA: Ivory Tower

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

Hello friends!

Well, we've started our classroom visits this week, and are thrilled to see that there are other people as ecstatic about this year's Ivory Tower as we are! If we haven't been to your class yet, hold your horses, we'll get there! Or email us your class information and time and we can make sure to put it on our classroom list.

In other exciting news, we've nailed down the date for our first writing workshop! We are unsure of the details yet, but the date has been set as Oct 29th. Set your calendars folks because it will be a night not to miss. Also, there are rumors of free Halloween candy for those who show!

Also: DO NOT miss the Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival this Saturday from 10-5 at MCTC! It's a lot of fun, a great way to network, and to just see what's happening in our thriving local literary community! The Ivory Tower staff will be there, handing out fliers, chatting up the locals, and looking for fans, so stop us and say hi! Also the staff of Dislocate, the U of M graduate literary journal will have a table o' fun stuff there, too, so be sure to check it out.

Thanks for reading!

-Melissa Wray, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Posted by wrayx027 at 7:23 PM | Permalink

Time has officially snuck up on us. I feel as though our work at the Ivory Tower just started, mainly because we're still trying to wade our way through the planning waters, but I cannot believe that submissions are now open. The year will continue faster than I think!

At the moment the Publicity and Outreach committee is brainstorming on soliciting submissions, so be prepared to see us in class and on campus, as well as thinking about exciting events we can host. I am thrilled that this opportunity to be on the staff of the Ivory Tower is available to undergraduate students and hope that more people take advantage of it in coming semesters. This class is a great chance to gain invaluable experience working with a magazine from the ground-up and also puts us in the unique position to leave our mark on the undergraduate community. How many people can say that they would like this experience? I feel as though there are a lot, so why isn't it taken advantage of more? Perhaps because it's a class or the title of literary magazine scares off some, but it shouldn't. This legacy of the Ivory Tower is something for us to cherish and augment. Something to revere.

I am very excited to get into the depths of the Ivory Tower with my committee and plan exciting events for all of you who enjoy the magazine as well. That's what this magazine is about - you: your writing, your voice, your opinion, your diversity. We are working for the community of the undergraduates at the University of Minnesota, where everyone has a place.

Thanks for reading! I will be sure to keep updating as the semester and magazine progress. Please submit your work!!!

Alex Weaver
Publicity & Outreach Editor

Posted by wrayx027 at 8:51 AM | Permalink