As some parts of the country start to carefully emerge from their two-month, COVID-19 hibernation, we thought we’d share Shane Castle’s story “Ursa” which appeared in NDQ 87.1/2. I’m usually not at a loss for how to describe a story, but this piece is indescribable. At turns touching, funny, and absurd, it’s
There’s something very contemporary about Emily Scudder’s wonderful poem “Death by Project Management Webinar.” Like too many people in the U.S. today, I’m spending hours on Zoom meeting discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everything from the university finances to curriculum changes. Anyone who has endured a similar
In my other life, I’ve been thinking about digital media, computer games, and archaeology of contemporary American culture. These musing may be why Evan Higgins’s essay, “Role Playing Games” resonated with me. It also happens to be a very fine essay that appears in NDQ 87.1/2. If you’d like to
We know that things are rough out there. Between COVID-19 and personal, economic, and emotional challenges associated with social distancing, there doesn’t seem to be a lot right happening in the world. To do our part to make the world just a little bit better, we thought we’d make the
In light of the fact the University of North Dakota’s Writer’s Conference had to canceled due to COVID-19, organizer Crystal Alberts was able to arrange for North Dakota Quarterly’s poetry editor Paul Worley to interview Laila Lalami whose 2014 novel, The Moor’s Account received the American Book Award in 2015 and was a
To celebrate NDQ 87.1/2 going to the printer, despite all the confusion, uncertainty, and tragedy in the world, here’s Terry Toma’s story “how it will happen” which will appear in the next issue of the Quarterly. There’s something about this story that captures the contemporary mood. It goes without saying that
