CK Tower
MI, USA
webmaster@cktower.com
www.cktower.comAreas of Interest
Creative writing, editing, electronic publishing, literature,
literary theory & criticism, poetics, developing high-quality
& useful electronic medias as a means to assist writers
and readers in their literary pursuits. Helping to further establish
the Internet as a resource for quality literature.Grants
1996 Lansing Community College Foundation Grant:
"An Evening With Richard Tillinghast"
1997 Lansing Community College Student Life Grant
"Reading and Workshop by Galway Kinnell"
Honors and Awards
1995 Poetry Society of Michigan- 1st Place- poetry by college students
1995 Poetry Society of Michigan - 1st Place - poets under 24
1995 Cranbrook Scholarship (poetry)
1995 Lansing Community College Student Service Award
(for services performed as a member of the L.C.C Creative Writing Club)
1996 Omega Institute- Poetry Workshop (selected by Galway Kinnell)
1996 Lansing Community College Student Service Award
(for services performed as a member of the L.C.C Creative Writing Club)
1997 Lansing Community College Student Service Award
(for services performed as President of the L.C.C Creative Writing Club)
1997 Selected by the Lansing Community College English Dept. to attend
Niki Giovanni workshop
1999 Nominated for lifetime membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Organizations
Internet Artists and Writers Guild(Founding Member)
Internet Literary Editor's Fellowship (ILEF) (Founding Member,
Board of Director's)
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Professional Experience
Poetry Editor- The Washington Square Review 1995-1997(print)
Poetry Editor- Recursive Angel 1996- present (www.recursiveangel.com)
Founder/Lead Editor/Designer- Conspire- a journal of literary art 1996-present
(www.conspire.org)
Host- Word for Word, literary interview series from Riding the Meridian
1998- present (www.heelstone.com/meridian)
Academic Experience
Lansing Community College 1988-89, 1994-1997
Relevant Courses:
Writing: Science & Technology
Writing 121, 122
Creative Writing
Advanced Creative Writing
Writing Workshop
Intro. to Poetry
British Lit. I, II
World Literature
World Mythology
Independent Study- poetry
Michigan State University Spring 1998-present
(Dbl. major- English & Women Studies- class: senior)Most Relevant Courses:
Intro. to the Study of English (wvr)
Literature in English 1660-1789 (wrv)
Introduction to Poetry Writing
Literature in English since 1900
Women and Literature
Comparative Drama: Classical and Medieval
Contemporary American Poetry
Comparative Epic Oral Tradition
English Internship- Humanities Computing
Intro. to Feminist Criticism
National Diversity and Change U.S.
Women Studies Internship- H.net:
Humanities and Social Sciences Online(Sum. 2000)
Publishing Credits
Horse Play Magazine Vol. 20, No. 4
Peninsula Poets Vol. 51, No. 1
1995 Washington Square Review
1996 Washington Square Review
1997 Washington Square Review
Afterthoughts Vol. 3, No. 2 '96
Eclectica Vol. 1 No. 2
A 2River 'View Vol. 1, No. 1
Intimate Thoughts (Summer '96)
Pyrowords (June '96)
Word Outa Buffalo (Winter '96)
Poetry In Motion (Spring '97)
Afterthoughts Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring '97)
15 Credibility Street (March '97)
Poetalk Vol. 20, No. 9(March/April '97)
Stark Raving Sanity Vol 1, No. 2 '97
A 2River 'View Vol.1, No.3 '97
Eclectica Featured Artist (May '97)
Black Swan Review Vol. 1, No. 1
Artisan (Summer '97)
Ashes of David (July '97)
Spoken War (July '97)
A Little Poetry Featured Poet (July '97)
Brooklyn Poet Featured Poet (July/Sept '97)
Ceteris Paribus (Summer '97)
A 2River 'View (Summer '97)
Dreams And Dragons (Fall '97)
Eclectica (Sept. '97)
Zuzu's Petals (Fall '97)
Poetry In Motion (Winter '97)
Oracle (Dec. '97)
CrossConnect Vol. 3, No. 2 (Oct. '97)
Highbeams (Winter '97)
Disclosures (Winter '97)
Chili Verde Review Vol.1, No. 2
1998 Ginger Hill (Slipper Rock University)
The Morpo Review Vol. 4 iss. 7 (Dec. ’98)
Fear.com (Feb. '98)
Pulse (Spring ’98)
Zuzu's Petals (Spring '98)
Poetry Magazine (April ’98)
The Astrophysicist’s Tango Partner Speaks (Spring '98)
The Orphic Chrinicle (Spring ’98)
1998 Allegheny Review (best undergraduate poetry 1998)
Poetry Magazine (April '98)
Eccentricity (May. '98)
Mississippi Review (June '98)
Gravity issue 21 (1998)
Silhouettes In the Electric Sky ISBN 0-9667228-0-9 (1998)
Perihelion issue 2, vol. 1 - Interview with Dorriane Laux (Sept. '98)
PIF (Sept. '98)
Perihelion issue 3, vol. - Interview with Robert Kendall (Nov. '98)
Tintern Abbey (Jan. '99)
Gravity (Jan. '99)
Riding the Meridian vol. 1, issue 1 - interview with John Tranter (July '99)
PIF (Oct. '99)
Riding the Meridian vol. 1, issue 2 - interview with Alan Kaufman (Oct. '99)
Riding the Meridian vol. 1, issue 3 - interview with Daniela Giosefi (Feb. 2000)
The Roughneck Review vol. 1, issue 1 (Spring 2000)
Burnt vol. 1, issue 1 (Spring 2000)
Samsara vol. 1, issue 3 (Fall 2000)
*****
So why do I want to do this kind of work? Two things primarily, first, I love the language of poetry and I love the way editing affords me an insider glance at the new shapes it is taking. The second has been summed up for me by Robert Bly, in his introduction to Best American Poetry 1999 when he says, "we can tell when a poem has 'arrived' by a certain feeling in the gut..." That is the other part of why I love to edit poetry, for those moments when I come across one of those few poems out of several dozen and I can feel it deep inside my gut.
There is a lot of clash, bang, shock, plastic, momentary and overly sentimental poetry to be wadded through as the poetry editor of a literary journal, a less experienced person is not going to be able to sort it all out. This job requires someone who is well-read in the classics through to the contemporaries, and more than just American literature. It requires someone who has a good ear for rhythm, someone who doesn't get caught up in politics or flashy, ephemeral trends. Most importantly it requires someone who can see that a poem is good even if it isn't "their kind" of poetry. I pride myself mostly on the later, and if you take a look at Conspire, I am confidant you will see that diversity I refer to.
-CK Tower
8/99