Writer's Block

​‘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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​Q&A with Bonnie Jo Campbell

March 18th, 2015

Q&A with Bonnie Jo Campbell

By Sara Dupree

Bonnie Jo Campbell is one of the featured writers at the 2015 University of North Dakota Writers Conference. She is the author of the national bestselling novel “Once Upon a River” and the short fiction collection “American Salvage,” a finalist for the National Book Award. She has been awarded a Pushcart Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

HPR: Animals figure prominently in your writing. Are there particular moments of interacting with…

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​Full of Faith: Adam Copeland on “Wrestling with Faith and College”

January 28th, 2015

It was two weeks ago today that Adam Copeland, Concordia professor and director of theological inquiry, held a reading at Zandbroz Variety for his book “Kissing in the Chapel, Praying in the Frat House: Wrestling with Faith and College.” This event included free food, coffee and wine, along with copies available for sale.

Copeland’s book, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers back in December, is a collection of essays written by students in their 20snationwide. For his…

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​“Lines & Notes” event coming up at the HoDo

November 28th, 2014

Kevin Zepper / Photo by J Earl Miller

Music and performance poetry will come together next Wednesday at Stoker’s in the Basement (The Hotel Donaldson), where poet Kevin Zepper and pianist Terrie Manno will put on a show entitled “Lines & Notes.” This collaborative exhibition will be free and open to the public.

This isn’t the first time these two local artists have collaborated. Zepper’s Reverbnation webpage features audio and video clips of his poetry readings, including one for National Poetry Month last April.…

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​Boose and The Red Bishop

November 25th, 2014

In the early 2000s, High Plains Reader published an article by writer Greg Boose titled “Three Older Women Stand in Line to Yell at the Author James Frey when Malcolm-Jamal Warner Stops By with a Two-Liter of Cherry Coke Under his Arm.”

Years down the road, Boose published the piece on his website and the one-and-only No. 1 bestselling author of “A Million Little Pieces,” James Frey, contacted Boose to say he enjoyed the piece.

Today, this Minnesota State University Moorhead grad…

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Fargo author Ryn Pitts releases a murder mystery

November 19th, 2014

Last year, Fargo author Ryn Pitts released her first book, “Deadly Benefits,” a murder mystery that utilizes her background in pharmacy, health administration and insurance, as well as her Scandinavian background (with her proudly Finnish heroine, the pharmacist Heli Harri).

The plot revolves around Christine Runyan, a young mother stricken with Crohn’s disease, who dies in the intensive care unit at the fictional Swedish Hospital in Fargo. Fearing a malpractice lawsuit, Dr.…

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​Dharma Book Club announces its November pick

October 30th, 2014

Starting Nov. 5, the Spirit Room will be holding Dharma Book Club meetings every Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. The club will discuss one chapter a week from “Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chödrön. Copies are available at Zandbroz Variety.

“Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” is a self-help book about maintaining peace of mind under trying circumstances. Rather than hiding from the chaos of everyday life, Chödrön encourages readers to embrace…

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