The University of North Dakota is home to the fantastic Floodwall Magazine, a student-run literary magazine in its second iteration. Floodwall Magazine publishes poetry, nonfiction, fiction, photography, and digital art, and the individuals behind Floodwall “believe that creative writing can bring people together and challenge us to see the world in new and different ways.” (und.edu). It was first started eight years ago in 2012, and the current group works closely with the Writing Center here at the University. Dr. Patrick Henry, the current Editor in Chief of the magazine and a professor here at UND, was asked about the number of submissions received by Floodwall.  

“Our submission guidelines invite writers and artists to submit single works or small packets, and this fall we ended up with about 80 submissions across all genres. About 40 poets, essayists, fiction writers, and artists submitted work across our different categories. The UND students who volunteered do a phenomenal job reading all of those submissions and making the difficult choice of which pieces we’ll run in our next issue. I’m immensely proud of them for the excellent work they do!”  

Floodwall Magazine works closely with the UND Writing Center and other individuals and groups across campus, and when asked about this, Dr. Henry had nothing but positive feedback. “One of the truly inspiring parts of being at UND is just how collaborative and supportive our campus community is. Quite a few Writing Center consultants have volunteered to read submissions for us this fall, and they’ve also volunteered to serve as copy editors and proofreaders for the magazine. They were a crucial part of getting our spring 2020 issue prepared, and we’re excited to have their help again on the fall issue! So, it’s been a real boon for Floodwall—having this partnership with the Writing Center, as well as the ardent support of Anna Kinney (Coordinator of the University Writing Program and director of the Writing Center). I also want to note that Floodwall wouldn’t happen without our UND community. We’re immensely grateful for the support of everyone—the students who volunteer each semester, our student organizations like the Adelphi Literary Society and the Writing Club, the English Department and my wonderful faculty colleagues, and the College of Arts and Sciences.”  

It is truly inspiring how fantastic the support is and how the campus comes together to create the masterpiece that is Floodwall Magazine. There is also no specific aesthetic or vision for what can be submitted to Floodwall. While much of it is poetry, nonfiction, essays, and photography, Dr. Patrick Henry stated;  

“This fall, our submissions include a bit of everything—pieces that merge poetry and the visual arts, some horror-inspired fiction, nature photography, creative manifestos, and more. If it’s work that UND students are crafting, then we want to read it! 

There may be some anxiety and fear about submitting one’s work to a literary magazine like Floodwall, which is a completely normal and honest reaction. Dr. Henry had words of inspiration for those nervous to submit to the magazine; 

“I know that there can be a lot of nerves when first submitting work to literary magazines. At Floodwall, the staff is also full of readers and writers, so we understand! But we also believe that submitting to lit mags lets you share your work with people who want to read it, and submitting lets you connect with other members of our campus community. While we can’t publish every piece submitted for consideration, we do want to read your work—and we’re grateful to everyone who shares their words with us.” 

Kaitlyn Willett is a Dakota Student News Writer. She can be reached at [email protected]