Writer's Block

Visiting Bob Anthology Launch

December 5th, 2018

Bob Dylan- by Chris Hakkens

by Nataly Routledge
natalyroutledge@googlemail.com

FARGO—Editors Thom Tammaro and Alan Davis are launching their anthology Visiting Bob: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work by Bob Dylan on December 9th at 2pm. The event will be held at Zandbroz Variety and will incorporate words from the editors, readings from various poets, and live music. Visiting Bob is a collection of 100 poems written by 100 poets based upon the life of artist Bob Dylan.

The anthology, published through New Rivers…

Read more...


Tough and humble

November 28th, 2018


Jeff Kolpack - photograph by Alexandra Floersch

When Monday Night Football host Jon Gruden called Carson Wentz “North Dakota Tough” during one fateful Monday night game, it struck a chord within writer Jeff Kolpack.

Though he didn’t come up with the idea for his latest book “North Dakota Tough” that night and he can’t really say exactly when the idea hit, once the idea struck it struck hard.

He said, “At one point I’m just going, you know, he’s onto something here because there are a lot of people here who grew up…

Read more...


Best books for giving

November 14th, 2018

Charles Beck - The Nature of an Artist

by Greg Danz
greg@zandbroz.com

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for a lot of reasons. One of our favorite reasons is you have more excuses to buy cool books. If you choose carefully, giving a book is the gift that keeps on giving, it will be enjoyed long after the holidays are gone (can you say February). Coincidentally, this is the time of year when publishers present some of their finest works. Here are some of our favorite books for sharing this holiday season.


“The…

Read more...


Closing this year’s Community Read

October 31st, 2018


by Nataly Routledge

MOORHEAD-- “I thought I’d read 30 pages of the book in a monotone,” said Penny Duffy in the introduction to the question and answer session for her novel on Thursday. The audience lit up with laughter. Held at the Knutson Center of Concordia college, the event was held as part of this year’s 1 Book, 1 Community read for the Fargo, West-Fargo, and Moorhead communities.

The yearly community read for our region is hosted by the local libraries. This was the 7th…

Read more...


Fiction and folklore along the Red River

October 17th, 2018

“My dad would say something when we’d see the river really low. I was raised in Colorado along the South Platte. In German he’d say, ‘The river he is so dry -- he is crying for rain. He is rain poor.’ ‘He’ it wasn’t an ‘it’ and the earth was not an ‘it,’ the earth was ‘die erde’ which is feminine because it was full of life.” said retired NDSU professor and author Dr. Timothy Kloberdanz.

“I’ve always been fascinated by rivers. It’s going to sound like…

Read more...


Wild and Rare: Adam Regn Arvidson presents reading

October 3rd, 2018

This Monday, Zandbroz Variety will be hosting Adam Regn Arvidson in a reading of his book of essays, Wild and Rare: Tracking Endangered Species in the Upper Midwest, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. This event will be free and open to the public, with copies available for purchase.

Arvidson, a nonfiction writer and landscape architect living in Minneapolis, is also the author of Greening the Landscape: Strategies for Environmentally Sound Practice, published by W.W.…

Read more...


​A lasting legacy

September 5th, 2018

Annie KrapuMadeline Luke and Gary Krapu of Valley City and the High Plains Reader are pleased to announce the creation of the Anne Krapu-HPR Journalism Scholarship Foundation. Annually, the Foundation will award financial and mentoring support to one or two young writers who are interested in becoming journalists.

High Plains Reader was founded 24 years ago as a weekly Fargo-Moorhead area newsweekly paper owned by John Strand and Raul Gomez. HPR is an independent voice reporting on the arts,…

Read more...


​Harlan Ellison: a big fish in an ever-expanding pond

August 22nd, 2018

Harlan Ellison

by Randy Christianson
randybchrstnsn@hotmail.com

Harlan Ellison always liked rolling a grenade or two into the room before entering. If this were Readers' Digest, I might call him The Most Unforgettable Boy I Ever Met. 'Boy' because, as I saw for myself, he let his inner child come out to play quite frequently. In over six decades of creating--one to put himself on the map and five to maintain his status as a big fish in an ever-expanding pond--he never shed his rep as an enfant…

Read more...


​‘Murder on the Red River’

July 25th, 2018

Cover of Last year, regional author Marcie Rendon of the White Earth Anishinaabe Nation hosted a public discussion of her novel, “Murder on the Red River,” at the Plains Art Museum. Wednesday, August 1st, Rendon will be at the Fargo Public Library for a reading, author talk, and book signing. This event will be free and open to the public, with books available for purchase.

“Murder on the Red River” tells the story of a shrewd and resilient Native American woman and former foster child…

Read more...


Illustrating ‘The Bear and His Daughter’

May 16th, 2018

“Mother” a red mother bear with a white baby bear - by Christina JohnsonThree years ago, the children’s book “Peter the Slug” was self-published by local author Peter Schultz. Today, under the name Peter Fane, that same author has released “The Blind Dragon” and “The Bear and His Daughter,” both part of the Canon of Tarn series.

These books have a sizeable following, due to successful readings and book signings at several local businesses. Most recently, there was a reading and book giveaway last Tuesday at the Creative Plains Foundation.

Now…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry 7Clans Tracker Pixel for Entry WritersConf2 Tracker Pixel for Entry Rodeo1 Tracker Pixel for Entry Gruff2 Tracker Pixel for Entry Aquarium3 Tracker Pixel for Entry FarmToTable

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By HPR Staff We’re all a part of building strong, healthy and inclusive communities. But the region’s non-profit organizations do a lot of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time for these organizations to step into the spotlight.…

Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Hjemkomst Center202 1st Avenue N., MoorheadLet’s be real, Irish culture is on everyone’s mind in mid-March, so why not expand your horizons and…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com 2025 marks us halfway through the roaring 2020s. Boy, am I glad I didn’t bob my hair for this go-around. It feels like we’re off to the wrong roar, opening Pandora’s box of what-the-Fox…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comLennon: “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can!”On January 8, 2025, Timothy W. Rybeck of “The Atlantic" magazine published “How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days” with the…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com As a food enthusiast, there’s nothing better than attending a local event featuring hotdish. And as far as hotdish events go, no place does it better than the fine folks at Brewhalla and Drekker…

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comBong Joon-ho’s highly anticipated follow-up to the game-changing Oscar-winner “Parasite” was set to arrive in theaters last year, but the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike pushed the date. Was the…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Everyone has heard the adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” However, it is safe to say there are far more than a thousand in Mickey Smith’s photographs. When one hears…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On Dec 5, the Turning Point USA chapter at North Dakota State University hosted an event called BisonFest. This event featured Chloe Cole, a former trans kid, known for detransitioning and…

By Gilbert Kuipersgilbertkuipers@outlook.com I live in North Dakota District 24 and have been challenging the district Republicans about their understanding of climate science for years. There has been no serious response to my…