Tracker Pixel for Entry

Poetry reading: Rag Talk

Writer's Block | November 17th, 2017

This Friday will be the last chance to take part in a poetry reading hosted by The Poetry Rag and the Drumconrath Brewing Company in Mapleton. Rag Talk has been held every Friday since October 20 and is free and open to the public.

In addition to scheduled readers, there will be an open mic period for anyone wanting to participate. Participants are free to bring poetry, short stories, or works of creative nonfiction, and enjoy the varieties of craft beer.

The Poetry Rag has been in circulation as a free monthly journal since October of last year. It can be found in small businesses throughout Moorhead, Fargo, and Grand Forks. Popular venues include coffee shops, bookstores, and record stores. Online issues are also available in PDF format on thepoetryrag.net.

Its creators are editor Kendra Smith and local musician Joe Bertrand of the Brothers Bertrand. The Poetry Rag was founded on the incentive of letting writers have creative control, as opposed to changing their work to make it acceptable for publication.

“The Rag started out of frustration,” Bertrand has said. “Working with other publishers can be a real drag. I found their rules and themes created very small boxes to write in. I decided self-publishing would better suit my needs… but as I wrote and typed up the first issue of The Rag, I realized there must be a lot of poets in my community that feel the same way. I added submissions, and it became one of the best aspects of The Poetry Rag.”

The Poetry Rag has a high acceptance rate and considers all forms of poetry for publications. No poem is turned down on the basis of subject, style, or format.

“I don’t like messing with someone else’s work,” said Bertrand, “unless we catch a typo or a misspelled word. If I edit a poem, it’s double-checked with the poet and okayed by them… All you poets out there: say what you want, write what you feel, and absolutely don’t hold back!”

Drumconrath Brewing Company, which was opened in October of last year by Sam and Kelly Corr, specializes in Irish beer. Though the Corrs originally wanted to open a brewery in Fargo, they decided to place it in a location where commuters from Fargo can stop on their way home.

Other events at this brewery have included trivia nights, bingo nights, political meet-and-greets, and visits from food trucks such as The Dog Father and Texas Q BBQ.

IF YOU GO:

Ragtalk poetry/lit reading

Friday, November 17, 7pm

Drumconraith Brewing Company, 349 Knutson St, Mapleton ND

Recently in:

Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com A midnight wedding ceremony at the Clay County Courthouse in Moorhead on August 1, 2013 was more than a romantic gesture. Eighteen couples made history on that day by exchanging vows in the…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu On March 11, 2024, we celebrated the 121st birthday of bandleader Lawrence Welk. He was born March 11, 1903 in a sod house near Strasburg, North Dakota, and died on May 17,1992. The…

Saturday, May 117 p.m., gates at 5 p.m.Outdoors at Fargo Brewing Company610 University Dr. N, FargoWisconsin’s finest export, The Violent Femmes, started out in Milwaukee in 1981 as an acoustic punk band, and they’ve been…

Is this a repeating pattern?By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThere’s a quote circulating around the world wide web, misattributed to Sinclair Lewis: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a…

by Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comAccording to my great-grandfather many years ago, my French ancestors migrated from Normandy to Quebec to Manitoba to Wisconsin to Minnesota over the spread of more than two centuries, finally…

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 It is not unheard of for bands to go on hiatus. However, as the old saying goes, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” That is why when a local group like STILL comes back to…

Now playing at the Fargo Theatre.By Greg Carlson gregcarlson1@gmail.comPalme d’Or recipient “Anatomy of a Fall” is now enjoying an award-season victory tour, recently picking up Golden Globe wins for both screenplay and…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com There’s no exaggeration when we say that this year’s Plains Art Gala is going to be out of this world, with a sci-fi theme inspired by a painting housed in the Plains Art Museum’s permanent…

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 John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

Dismissing the value of small towns for the future of our nation is a mistakeBy Bill Oberlanderarcandburn@gmail.comAccording to U.S. Census projections, by the middle of this century, roughly 90% of the total population will live…