Floodwall Magazine

Fall 2021

From the Editors

Fall 2021 Print Issue

We’re excited to bring you the fourth issue in volume two of Floodwall, the student-run, campus literary magazine at the University of North Dakota. This issue continues our revived run, which began in the spring 2020 semester, when we opened to submissions just weeks before campus (and much of the country) shut down in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This issue marks the first time that many of our contributors, editors, and readers have been able to take part in the magazine on campus, and we’re thrilled to be able to share these stories with our literary community.

This issue of Floodwall continues our obsession with writing that smudges the charcoal, blurring the imaginary with the real. A howto guide devolves into a cycle of regeneration—and a cyclical return of vultures. The absence of sound generates so much noise that a mechanic fears for his sanity (and reality). A fable holds cautions about what we value, and what we should prioritize instead. Coffee shops become sites of snark and gossip, and coffee makers percolate a morning brew against a backdrop of writer’s block. A sparrow watches a farmer and contemplates its migration routes. And the environmental hazards of the California forest fires make us reckon with the memories of home.

These are only some of the powerful stories, poems, and essays gathered in this issue of Floodwall, and they represent only a few of the vibrant voices in our campus’s literary community. So step up to the ‘wall, and take a look at the voices that are gathered here.

Floodwall is shelter and art; Floodwall is a haven for the writers and artists of our brilliant, talented UND community. It’s an honor for us to support the voices of our fellow writers and artists, and we’re overjoyed to share their work with you.