Writer's Block

A night at the Herbst

September 24th, 2015

For many people in the Fargo-Moorhead area, especially the younger crowd, the name “Herbst” probably doesn’t ring a bell. For older generations however, that name likely calls to mind the Herbst Department Store, a former downtown Fargo retail hub that helped define the F-M community for nearly 90 years.

Now thanks to a new book from Arcadia Publishing, the Herbst heyday has a new life.

On the evening of Thursday, Sept. 24, NDSU archivists Trista Raezer-Stursa and John Hallberg will…

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Not your ordinary poetry reading

September 17th, 2015

by M. Koskela


For sister duo Shari Lindsley and Jessica Lindsley, poetry has always played a part in their lives. Aside from growing up writing and taking creative writing classes together, they grew up powerlifting. They are also currently competitive powerlifters in Minnesota and North Dakota, often taking 1st and 2nd place and lifting 330 pounds. Shari says that powerlifting for her means that “If you can lift that amount of weight you can do anything, you are infinitely more…

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​Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Fargo for Book Signing

August 26th, 2015

On Sunday, Aug. 30, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s book tour for her memoir “The Senator Next Door” will be passing through Fargo, specifically at Barnes and Noble on 42nd Street SW.

The reading and book signing will begin at 3:30 p.m. Soon after, Klobuchar will head out to Duluth for a reading on Monday night, followed by another at Edina on Wednesday, and finally Rochester on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Recently published by Henry Holt and Co., “The Senator Next Door” chronicles the obstacles…

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​A book’s look at the boom

August 26th, 2015

One Book, One Community offers nonfiction read on N.D. oil issues

Photo courtesy of Jack Dura Hundreds of miles away from the Bakken region, Fargo residents have had the chance to witness their state's oil industry in visual art and performance theater this year. And now in literature.

The public libraries of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo have teamed up for the fourth straight year for One Book, One Community, the reading program connecting the three cities over one book. This year's selection, "Fractured Land:…

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​Tea Time Book Club to discuss “Station Eleven”

August 26th, 2015

On Monday, Aug. 31, Fargo’s local Tea Time Book Club will be meeting to discuss “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. The discussion will take place at the Dr. James Carlson Library on 32nd Avenue S, with tea and desserts provided. No registration is necessary.

“Station Eleven” tells the story of Kirsten Raymonde, a theater-goer who witnesses a famed actor dying of a heart attack during his performance in “King Lear.” Soon after, a flu pandemic wipes out most of North…

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​Q&A with Juliann Rich

August 5th, 2015

Minneapolis-based author signing books at FM Pride

Juliann Rich is an award-winning Minneapolis-based author. She currently has three novels under her belt: “Caught in the Crossfire,” “Searching for Grace” and “Taking the Stand.” They are a trilogy that chronicles the love of two young boys at Bible camp.

Rich will conduct a meet and greet through the Affirmative Faith Community at this year’s FM Pride in the Park.

HPR: Can you please tell us about the affirmative faith…

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​‘Beneath the Bonfire’ review

July 9th, 2015

If winter is the season for hibernating and tackling hefty 19th-century Russian novels, then perhaps the short story is the perfect medium for reading during an active summer. And now that we’re on the other side of the Fourth of July mayhem, it’s the perfect time to give the psyche some much-needed rest and relaxation, and switch out the bottle rockets for a good set of short stories.

Nickolas Butler, whose novel “Shotgun Lovesongs” was a standout debut of 2014, has released a…

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​Let us now praise independent booksellers

April 29th, 2015

Melanie Hoffert

Zandbroz celebrates Independent Bookstore Day

A world in which independent bookstores can still thrive is certainly a good one. Independent bookstores enrich their communities in many ways, partly by connecting people with local authors and fostering a unique sense of place.

This year, these unique shops get a special day in their honor.

Saturday, May 2 marks the first national Independent Bookstore Day, sponsored by the American Booksellers Association and Penguin Random House. More than…

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​Tales of war and home

April 1st, 2015

In Phil Klay’s short story “War Stories,” a former Marine muses “I’m tired of telling war stories.”

Although said in a numbly serious manner, the statement remains somewhat humorous in light of the fact that it is the very first line of “War Stories,” which also happens to be part of a short story collection comprised solely of – that’s right – war stories.

Klay, a veteran of the Marines who served in Iraq, doesn’t seem to be through with war stories just yet.…

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The Other Half: The UND Writers Conference brings women to the forefront

March 18th, 2015

The 46th Annual UND Writers Conference, “The Other Half,” will take place March 25-27, 2015 at the Memorial Union on UND’s campus in Grand Forks. The conference will feature only women authors and artists for the first time since 1973, when Gwendolyn Brooks and Mary McCarthy, among others, shared the stage. The conference will feature readings, panel discussions, book signings, workshops and film screenings. All events are free and open to the public. Free parking is available.…

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