This year’s theme, “Virtual / Reality”, calls into question the relationship between the physical and the virtual world. Humanity has journeyed from existing solely in reality, to existing between the ephemeral realms of technology and nature, the borders of which are becoming increasingly blurred. We ask: where do you draw the line between what is Virtual and what is Real?

How do you experience reality? Reality describes what we experience as our day-to-day lives, the relationships we cultivate and sustain, the work we do and the passions we foster. But reality is also constructed; a unique and subjective experience that differs from mind to mind. Perhaps the self exists in two different, separate planes: the physical world and the imagined world. As authors, illustrators, and creative types of all natures, we traverse between these worlds daily. The moon you hold in your imagination is a separate entity from the one that is before you, in this, the “real” world.  

From the gritty and dystopian to the lightly surrealist, we seek works that address both the physical and the imagined world. The limit lies in the imagination of the creator, and nearly anything goes. George Orwell describes reality as “exist[ing] in the human mind, and nowhere else.” Where does reality exist for you? When does the real become the virtual, the virtual become realized? We encourage authors to experiment with mediums, point of view, plot structure, and so on, in order to present evocative works that ruminate on what Virtual and/or Reality means to you. 

Submission Guidelines 

Only currently enrolled undergraduate students of Minnesota’s institutions of higher education are eligible to submit.  (You do not need to be a UMN student to submit to this magazine). 

Edited, designed, and produced by students enrolled in a two-semester course offered by the English Department, The Tower is an annual journal that publishes the best in art, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by undergraduates in the state of Minnesota. 

Please enter a short cover letter addressed to the editors as well as a short bio for yourself written in third person, suitable for publication, should your work be accepted. List your year, major(s), university/college/institute, and anything else you would like us to know. For visual artwork, please specify the medium, dimensions, and year of completion. Include your contact information: email address, phone number, and a current street mailing address.

Submissions are read during the fall semester; the issue is published during the spring semester in print and online, and is distributed free on the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota. 

Our deadline for accepting submissions is January 2nd, 2025

Acquisition Standards

1. We look for works from Minnesota undergraduate students (may be attending any university in Minnesota) that are original, authentic, and emotionally resonant. 

2. We encourage submissions from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists to give voice to the many perspectives and communities that call Minnesota home. 

3. We accept simultaneous submissions on the condition that if a piece is accepted elsewhere, the artist communicates such with the editors and withdraws the piece from consideration. 

4. We do not publish work that is hateful towards any marginalized community or could be construed as hateful.

5. We do not publish work that is distasteful.  

6. We do not publish work that is overly confessional or exists to elicit shock value. 

7. The Tower reserves the right to rescind planned publication at any time according to the guidelines outlined above.

NOTE:  This edition of The Tower seeks to demonstrate the value of human creativity. As such, submissions that employ generative AI in any capacity will not be considered.