Writer's Block

​Murder on the Red River at Plains

August 16th, 2017

Next Thursday, the Plains Art Museum will host Fargo author Marcie Rendon of the White Earth Anishinaabe Nation for a public discussion of her novel, “Murder on the Red River,” which was published by Cinco Puntos Press back in April.

Rendon’s protagonist, Cash, is a 19-year-old Native American woman who grew up in foster care and makes a living as a farm laborer and pool shark. As a toddler, she was rescued by Sheriff Wheaton, who pulled her from the car wreck that killed her…

Read more...


​Out on the prairie: book reviews

August 10th, 2017

“Prairie Silence: A Memoir.” By Melanie Hoffert. Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. 238 pp. $24.95 cloth

From the outside looking in, North Dakota is an exotic locale, never more than when the topic of LGBT arises. It is a black hole of a state, a place from which no trans or gay could ever emerge.

For those of us who live here, the experience is quite variable. If one lives near a university -- and North Dakota is nothing if not a university state -- one may feel as though the subject is…

Read more...


​‘Dedicated to the 99%’

August 2nd, 2017

Let’s begin with the first sentence of this novel.

“Two dozen bodies lay in duct tape patched nylon sleeping bags atop cardboard folded for padding against the pebbled, cigarette and bottle-cap littered earth.”

Home sweet home. Imagine every liberal’s fears come true. In this dystopian novel, all aspects of life are privatized, including the “police force.” Citizens are crippled by their credit scores, unemployable and hounded by the credit police and the looming debtor’s…

Read more...


​Elisa Korenne: readings and book signing

July 19th, 2017

This evening, local fans of Elisa Korenne’s music will get an opportunity to know her as a writer, while those unfamiliar with either will get a chance to see her perform for the first time.

Just last month, North Star Press released her memoir, “Hundred Miles to Nowhere: An Unlikely Love Story,” which is now a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The memoir chronicles her 2006 move from New York to Minnesota, and the culture shock that resulted. Her experiences in…

Read more...


​Amy Thielen: book launch and reading

June 7th, 2017

Last Thursday, Zandbroz Variety hosted a book launch and reading for Amy Thielen’s memoir “Give a Girl a Knife.” Though originally scheduled for May 25th, the event had to be rescheduled due to illness. Nonetheless, the turnout at Zandbroz was substantial, with pastry goods courtesy of Youngblood Coffee.

“Give a Girl a Knife” chronicles her journey as a chef, from her rural upbringing in Minnesota to the elite culinary world of New York, followed by her move back to Park Rapids…

Read more...


​The power of slug: local children’s book inspires

May 17th, 2017

“When I was a little guy, I don’t know that this was so long ago -- we didn’t have all these formal designations for various learning disabilities and whatnot. I was in special classes for various things but I remember being told very specifically that I could do whatever I wanted -- but there was this weird little caveat at the end of that and that’s what the story is about.” says Peter Schultz, author of the children’s book Peter the Slug.

“All of Peter’s friends tell…

Read more...


From the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Fargo

May 17th, 2017

By Francese Manya

I was born in Congo in Lumbumbashi. It was kind of good where I was, but we had conflict between two tribes—Kasais and Hancomas. My grandma left us and went to Namibia, and I stayed with my mother, niece, and brothers.

We were sitting in my grandma’s house talking, joking, and playing outside, just when we saw another tribe; they came and attacked us. They were beating my mom and my father and my brothers. We were all crying. They took a stick and they hit my head and…

Read more...


​Amy Thielen cookbook launch party

May 10th, 2017

Three years ago, Minnesota author and former Food Network chef Amy Thielen held a launch party for her cookbook, ‘The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland Recipes,’ at Fargo’s Zandbroz Variety. This book was illustrated by North Dakota artist Amber Fletschock and earned the praise of celebrity chefs Andrew Zimmern and Lidia Bastianich.

Next Thursday, Zandbroz will once again host Thielen for a launch party for her new memoir, Give a Girl a Knife, which chronicles her journey from…

Read more...


​Danielle Nadler and the Sierra Phantom

May 3rd, 2017

Back in December, journalist and MSUM alum Danielle Nadler released a nonfiction book entitled “Without a Trace: The Life of the Sierra Phantom,” the result of Nadler’s conversations with John P. Glover, a man who lived off the grid in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for 50 years. At the age of 75, Glover settled in a small town in California, once his advanced age made him more vulnerable to hypothermia and frostbite.

On Saturday, May 13, as part of her book tour, Nadler will be back…

Read more...


​Laurie Hertzel to visit MSUM

April 19th, 2017

This Monday journalist and author Laurie Hertzel will be at MSUM to promote her memoir News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist published by the University of Minnesota. This book won the Reader’s Choice Award at the Minnesota Book Awards back in 2011.

There will be an informal meet-and-greet at noon, followed by a reading and book signing at 7:30pm. Both events will take place in Room 205 in the Comstock Memorial Union. In between, she will be a guest on KDSU-FM, 91.9 FM,…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry TheatreB Tracker Pixel for Entry Aquarium Tracker Pixel for Entry Bismarck1 Tracker Pixel for Entry Blackbird Tracker Pixel for Entry EmpireAUG2021 Tracker Pixel for Entry MidwestRoadTripAdventures

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com The business of Indian Hating is a lucrative one. It’s historically been designed to dehumanize Native people so that it’s easier to take their land. ‘Kill the Indian, save the man,”…

SHSND delves into their ornament collectionBy Jenny Yearoushistory@nd.govIn 2017 we received Christmas ornaments from the North Dakota Former Governors’ Residence. The ornaments were gifts from local chapters of the Germans from…

Saturday, December 21, 7 p.m.Drekker Brewing, 1666 1st Avenue N, FargoEmbrace the naughty and celebrate the dark side of the solstice. From 7-close, Drekker’s mavens of mischief transform their taproom. There’s a photo booth,…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I’m really sick of the “Nobody wants to work anymore” narrative. Like, really sick. I can’t hide the eye rolls and I don’t even try to hide them anymore. In fact, I feel like they’ll…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comA new type of Civil War: “smash-and grab” capitalism and healthcare The Divided States of America has the greatest economic inequality among wealthy nations on Planet Earth and has birthed a…

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 In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…

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 Curtis W. Stofferahn, Ph.D.Curtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu In June, two events markedly contrasted the difference between two different visions of agriculture: precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture. The dedication…