At The Tower, we aim to showcase the best creative writing and visual art by undergraduate students across the country. We believe artistic expression is necessary, and that it has the power to enlighten, challenge, and captivate. That’s why we provide a creative outlet for those who wish to share their work.
We trace our origins to the University student newspaper The Minnesota Daily, which first ran Ivory Tower from 1952 to 1969 as a column and then a regular insert. The Ivory Tower was reinvented in 2006 as an annual literary magazine staffed by students enrolled in a yearlong class offered by the English Department at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus. We shortened our name to The Tower with the 2018 edition.
We have been honored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association with their Gold Crown Award for literary magazine for our 2021 and 2020 editions.
Our annual print edition comes out in the spring; we accept submissions in the fall of every year.