Ahrenholz 1 | Simone Traband | Visual Art

Ahrenholz 1, Simone Traband, watercolor

END NOTES

CONTRIBUTORS

Stefanie Amundsen is a senior studying art education, sustainability, and racial justice in urban schooling. She finds inspiration and spends much of her time engaging in climate and women’s/sexual health activist communities. In the summer, she will be starting graduate school here at the University of Minnesota to work toward becoming a high school art teacher.

Katharine Anderson is a sophomore from Eagan, Minnesota, double majoring in English and religious studies. Aside from poetry, Katharine also frequently writes fantasy, science fiction, and creative nonfiction and is currently penning a science-fantasy novel. She is a passionate educator, working as both a literacy mentor in local community centers and a creative writing teacher to disabled adults. In her free time, she enjoys reading, antiquing, walking in nature, and spending time with her two cats, Binx and Reepicheep.

Dani Barber is a senior from Gurnee, Illinois, studying English. She enjoys playing sad video games, hiking, and hanging out at home with her boyfriend and cat. She hopes to someday work in publishing or to help put more sad video games out into the world.

Lauren Bastian is a junior studying statistics and computer science. When not studying or creating art, she enjoys reading, rollerblading, and spending time in her garden. Her artwork depicts the wonder and nostalgia of the natural world.

Alessandra Benitez is a freshman majoring in global studies.

Hank Berger is a junior studying computer science. He holds a deep passion for both technology and the arts and loves to combine them whenever possible. His favorite mediums to create in are 3-D digital, 2-D animation, and digital photography.

Sammi Bergren is a freshman majoring in cellular and organismal physiology and minoring in art. In her free time, she enjoys creating visual art, performing in theater, and working as a caregiver for people with disabilities. Art has been an important aspect of her life since early childhood. She uses art as an outlet for self-expression and enjoys working with many different mediums, including acrylic paint, ceramics, claymation, and multimedia pieces. In 2022, two of her paintings were also selected for the Outreach for Science and Art exhibition at University of Minnesota’s John T. Tate Hall.

Sage Caballero is a senior majoring in psychology, with minors in art history and gender, women, & sexuality studies. You can find Sage biking through the cities, playing guitar, or studying in the Weisman Art Museum.

Nicole Cerniglia is a printmaker and 3-D sculpture artist graduating in the spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in art and a minor in gender, women, and sexuality studies. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, is a lover of cats, and enjoys exploring the natural world around her.

Lum Chi is a sophomore majoring in English with a certificate in editing and publishing and a minor in creative writing. She’s always had a deep passion for writing. She has twice been awarded a Gold Key and American Voices Nomination from the Scholastic Writing Awards, has been a fiction finalist in Bennington Young Writers, has been published by various literary magazines like Blue Marble Review, and has completed two novels. When she’s not busy writing, she’s either reading a good book, bopping to BTS like the ARMY she is, or binge-watching anime.

Hyunyoung Cho from South Korea is studying art. She loves capturing beautiful moments, using her goofy imagination, making and seeing various colors, listening to music that can empathize with her emotion or provoke her imagination, all kinds of cute stuff, and animals and nature.

Morgan Coffeen is a junior from Andover, Minnesota, studying English. She enjoys reading novels and attending concerts. She one day hopes to be a book editor.

Ruby Cromer is a photographer finishing her final year in the BFA program. Her work has been published in WMN zine and is forthcoming in the journal Sinister Wisdom. Hannah Doyle is a freshman currently on track to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In her free time, she is a musician and participates as a singer and guitarist with her friends. Her hope is to someday be an art professor.

Jo Garrison is a senior completing her BFA with a minor in interdisciplinary design. Her work focuses on still life paintings that explore gender identity, sexuality, and cultural constructs surrounding femininity. She uses classic symbolism and autobiographical coded language to play within and critique the social macro and micro lenses of the femme experience. She currently works as a photographer and graphic designer while developing her fine art practice. She plans to maintain two areas of focus: one through design and the other building an integrated and exhibiting artistic practice.

River Gruber is a queer writer and artist hailing from a small town in Wisconsin who makes pieces about aer experiences with chronic and mental illness, queer love, growing up, gender confusion, and trans experimentation. Ae takes inspiration for aer visual art from online users and would like to thank them for continuing to speak their truths. Ae would also like to thank aer partner, Carter Dakota Kirby, for being the muse and central object of aer art, literally and metaphorically, now and always.

Jane Fenske-Newbart is a sophomore from Chicago, Illinois. She is majoring in microbiology and enjoys baking and

watching movies with friends outside of class.

Writer, toast-devotee, clown, heretic. The usual. Trinity V. Fritz Lawrence writes poetry, short fiction, and essays. She is studying Greek classics and English. She has been featured on Poets & Pints and published in The Tower, Penumbra magazine, The Miracle Monocle, and more. She co-hosted Poets & Pints and now curates the Blank Verse prose and poetry showcase. You’ll find her sitting in assorted coffee shops, people-watching, eating pastries, and falling in love with baristas.

Simon Harms is a freshman from Saint Paul, Minnesota, studying English and creative writing. His hobbies include hiking, foraging, and writing poems.

Rachel Huberty is a freshman from Bloomington, Minnesota, double-majoring in history and political science. She has been writing for as long as she can remember and draws inspiration from her love of winter, everyday life, and Rainer Maria Rilke, among others. In her spare time, you can find her reading anything she can get her hands on, walking around the Twin Cities, or listening to Taylor Swift. She plans to pursue a career as a social studies teacher.

Emery Hutchison is a senior from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is studying English with the plan of being a high school English teacher, and in her free time, she likes to read, write, and watch the birds. Mustapha Jallow is a junior from Minneapolis, Minnesota, studying sociology. In his spare time, he journals and writes poetry. He loves riding his bike and obsessing over music and is always planning for the next adventure.

Nate Johnson studies creative writing and nonprofit management. He lives in Minneapolis and works as Executive Director of FreeWriters, a nonprofit through which he leads creative writing classes for Minnesota county jail inmates.

Callianne Jones is an artist who works with photography and moving images in order to create work that goes beyond what the viewer sees and expands into self-exploration. Her practice is motivated by documenting the natural world as well as human interactions in order to process external events and experiences. She is passionate about using her artwork to better the environment and the world around her. Callianne received her BSB in marketing in 2021 and is graduating in 2022 with her BFA in art.

Mahdi Khamseh is currently attempting to pursue a path in physics. He always carries a notebook and pencil in case inspiration hits at an inconvenient moment and has been writing poems since fifth grade. In his free time, he enjoys writing prose and songs on his guitar or going out into nature, taking in the beauties of the natural world while finding something new to write about.

Ian Krueger is a young author from

Minnesota who loves God, metal, sword fighting, weightlifting, and space marines.

Tong Liao is a freshman from China. He studies computer science. He likes cycling and photography and can use many different types of drones. He also hopes to find friends with similar interests.

Madeline Livingood is a junior and an only child with far too much imagination who is finally trying to do something with it by going for an art degree. Born and raised in Minnesota, she has learned that life, like the weather, follows its own whims, and you must dress accordingly. She also enjoys reading, cooking, taking walks, doing puzzles, and other generically wholesome things.

Carina Lopez Segura is a freshman currently exploring her major options in the College of Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences. Her hobbies include sewing, painting, and yoga. She enjoys fashion history and one day wishes to research bio-plastic alternatives to commonly used oil-based plastics in fast fashion.

Alexis Ma is a senior NSCI major & PSY minor. During the day, she is the prototypical student and can be found studying at the Health Sciences Library. In the evening, she pours herself a glass of wine and listens to If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. It’s only after that she takes on the role of voracious reader, deep-diving into select behavioral disorder research as a future graduate student. Stella Mehlhoff is a freshman from Moorhead, Minnesota. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys yoga, theater, travel, and in-depth conversation. In her future, she hopes to continue telling stories through as many mediums as possible.

K. Mouton is a lover of tabletop games, eels, and the feeling of water against their scalp. They are a fourth-year student studying biology and psychology. They adore ornithology and folklore and bravely tolerate the occasional presence of celery in their midst. They find that writing makes them more human and hope never to stop.

Erin Mullen is a freshman from Northbrook, Illinois, studying psychology. She aspires to eventually become a clinical psychologist and rescue pitbulls.

Marissa Munley is a senior studying mathematics, statistics, and economics. She loves exploring the intersection of science and art and hopes to incorporate artistic expression into aspects of her everyday life.

Ariana Nguyen is a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering.

Brynn Nguyen is a twenty-something–year–old Whasian balancing life as a student with motherhood of two cats and the demands of new adventures. When not studying business at the Carlson School of Management, you might find her watching Asian dramas, practicing a new language, hanging out with her friends, or FaceTiming her family. In between, she enjoys

writing small pieces of poetry and stories inspired by moments and emotions from her life.

Cole Normandin-Parker is a sophomore from Laguna Beach, California, studying computer science. He enjoys snowboarding and one day hopes to work for Google.

Max Pritchard is a freshman who was born in Dudley, England and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. He is currently trying to decide between a few majors and will hopefully have that figured out by next year. In his free time, he enjoys writing, reading (especially Terry Pratchett novels), playing soccer, and performing in theater.

Emma Rasmussen is a junior studying psychology with minors in neuroscience and communications. In the future, she hopes to publish a book and work as a therapist in a sleepy mountain town.

Laurel Reynolds is a poet from Arden Hills, Minnesota. She is currently studying psychology and English. Her work often explores queerness, mental health, trauma, and relationships. Laurel’s poems have been featured on The Current, Truartspeaks’ website, The Incandescent Review, and in Truartspeaks’ anthology, Be Heard, Dig Deep.

Marley Richmond is a senior studying English, creative writing, and art. She was an Editor in Chief of The Tower 2021 and is thrilled to share her work in this edition. She is passionate about diverse representation in literature and hopes to join the publishing industry after graduation. Anna Mamie Ross is a senior majoring in English and studies in cinema and media culture. She is optimistic about the future.

Amital Shaver is a first-year student studying biochemistry. She looks to her grandfather’s poetry and paintings to guide her writing. She enjoys reading about food, performing long-form improv, and walking with new people in new places.

Jasmine Snow is a third-year journalism and American studies major originally from Huron, South Dakota. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and working on the LA Times crossword. Jasmine hopes to pursue writing professionally, both in journalism and literature.

Simone Traband is a sophomore artist majoring in environmental sciences, policy, and management with a minor in art. She is fascinated by the ways that artwork can be used to express scientific ideas and by how art can move people to combat issues such as climate change. She hopes to publish a book of her work during her time at the University of Minnesota.

Annie Zheng is a fourth-year majoring in English, with minors in creative writing and Asian and Middle Eastern studies. She is currently seeking her certification in teaching English as a foreign language. In her spare time, she enjoys watching CinemaTherapy videos on YouTube.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This edition would not be possible without the support of the Department of English, Student Unions and Activities, the Minnesota Student Association, and Radio K. Our deepest thanks to all.

We thank the friends, family, businesses, and community members who have given generously: Anonymous Donor, Blackbaud Giving Fund, Claire E. Bramel, Laura M. Burnes, Louis and Alissa Clark, Thomas M. Clausen, George C. Cromer, Benjamin A. Dworshak, John F. Dworshak, Bob Fagan, John R. Fagan, Martin Fostet, Robert A. Gaertner, River Gruber, Mary L. Halet, Regents Professor Emerita Patricia M. Hampl, Megan M. Hoff, Elizabeth Field Hogan, James W. Holm, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Julie A. Karels-Johnson, Margaret F. Liesenfeld, Vera Y. McLaughlin, Medtronic and Medtronic Foundation, Emily Melde, Professor Ellen Messer-Davidow, Zenyse P. Miller, Aaron D. Nesser, Edwin Olomon, Lillian Paul, Thomas Paul, David Paul, Donika Rakacolli, Michelle Rascher, Rascher Plumbing and Heating, Mary M. Rich, Larry Rich, Peggy Schwartz, Sharon Sederholm, Janice Sederholm, William M. Sheridan, Loretta Sigafus, Paul A. and Lucienne J. Taylor, Rodney G. Tooley, Paul Vogelsang, Andrew D. Wold.

We thank Dean of the College of Liberal Arts John Coleman for his support. We thank English Department Chair Andrew Elfenbein, Director of Undergraduate Studies Siobhan Craig, and Creative Writing Program Director Kate Nuernberger for their support. Thanks also to the following English Department staff members for helping with our endeavors: Evan Block, Executive Administrative Specialist; Rachel Drake, Coordinator of Advising and Undergraduate Studies; Karen Frederickson, Graduate Program Coordinator; Sandy Herzan, Department Administrator; Brent Latchaw, CLA Executive Accounts Specialist; Terri Sutton, Communications Specialist; and Michael Walsh, Associate Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

We thank the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement for their support and collaboration, including Peter Rozga, Director of Annual Giving; Kaylee Highstrom, Chief of Staff; John Meyers, Development Officer; Kate Walsh, Department Administrator; and Colleen Ware, Communications Specialist for the Social Sciences. Our thanks go to the staff of the University of Minnesota Foundation: Brian Ahlm, Digital Marketing Manager; Brittany Beyer, Digital Marketing Coordinator; Mike McNaughton, IT Manager, Reporting and Data Analytics; and Mounir PetersonDarbaki, Digital Marketing Specialist.

Finally, our instructor Dr. James Cihlar has earned not only our gratitude but also our utmost respect for his constant support and assistance; without him, this publication truly would not be possible.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Acquistions Standards

1. We look for work that is original, authentic, fresh, new, and insightful. We look for work that is conversant with contemporary literature and art. We seek work that reflects education and study, practice and commitment.

2. We look for work that demonstrates awareness of the conventions of genre; that innovates and experiments successfully; that is skillful on the level of craft; that demonstrates intentionality and control of its materials; that includes awareness of audience.

3. We do not publish work that contains gratuitous or disrespectful usage of the following: swear words, drug use, violence, suicide, rape, abuse, animal cruelty, religion, politics. By gratuitous we mean work that uses highly charged subjects simply to provoke responses from readers, without providing substantive grounding and serving no artistic purpose. We do not publish shock-value pieces nor joke-pieces nor merely irreverent pieces.

4. We do not publish racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, classism, ageism, or any form of hate speech.

5. We seek work that gives authentic expression to the diverse voices and experiences of our campus community. We do not publish work that appropriates identity.

6. We do not publish work that advertises or reviews businesses and corporations. We do not publish work that is promotional in nature or intending to solicit membership or contributions. We do not publish work that is libelous, confessional, or plagiarized. We do not publish work that violates copyright protection.

7. We do not publish fan art or fan fiction.

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Submissions to The Tower are read during the fall semester; the issue is published during the spring semester in print and online. Only University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, undergraduates may submit. The submission dates for the 2023 edition are: September 6, 2022, submissions open; December 13, 2022, submissions close.

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