The Fargo Public Library is seeking submissions for our seventh annual Northern Narratives, a writing project that aims to inspire local and regional writers and serve as a community heirloom. Selected submissions will be included in the library's North Dakota Collection. We are accepting submissions online at our Wufoo link from Feb.1 through March 31, 2023 in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The program is open to adults and teens 13 years or older.
2023 Submission Categories:
Fiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words
Nonfiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words
Poetry: 1,000 words or less per poem
All submissions must be original, unpublished, proofread, and edited works. All rules, guidelines, information and frequently asked questions are available here. The selection committee reserves the right to withhold publication at their discretion.
Chosen selections shall be subject to “first rights” copyright. Any future publication, unrelated to the Fargo Public Library, shall require appropriate attribution.
For any questions, please email NorthernNarratives@fargolibrary.org or call Andy at 701.241.1412.
This project is supported by the Friends of the Fargo Public Library.
Northern Focus is a project conceived by the Fargo Public Library for regional amateur photographers with the aim to provide a free space, for artist and viewer alike, to showcase up-and-coming or recreational photographers and share local perspectives. This is the fourth year that photographers from North Dakota and parts of western Minnesota sent in their favorite photographs taken anywhere within the region. Submissions for Northern Focus will be accepted from April 3 through May 31, 2023. The program is open to adults and teens, 13 years and older. Rules and information will be available soon; stay tuned for further details.
Northern Focus is a project conceived by the Fargo Public Library for regional amateur photographers with the aim to provide a free space, for artist and viewer alike, to showcase amateur artwork and share local perspectives. This is the third year that photographers from North Dakota and parts of western Minnesota sent in their favorite photographs taken anywhere within the region.
Thank you to all who participated in the Fargo Public Library’s Northern Focus 2022 photo contest. This year, we had 33 submissions and the judging panel had a challenging job choosing the winning photo.
Gordon Court's Milky Way and Meteor was chosen from among them to be the front cover of Northern Narratives 2022, Northern Focus’s sister project for regional writers.
Please note: Photographers retain the rights to their photographs.
Special thanks to the Friends of the Fargo Public Library for supporting both the Northern Focus photography project and the Northern Narratives writing project.
Northern Narratives 2022 is the library’s sixth publication of poems, essays, and short stories produced by local and regional authors. It is available at all three library locations for check out, or it can be read online. Please note that the cover art (titled Milky Way and Meteor) for this book was by photographer Gordon Court and submitted as part of the Northern Focus 2022 photography project.
Northern Narratives Jr. is the library's kids-only, literary magazine. This anthology is available to be read online and features over 50 entries of poems, nonfiction essays, short stories, drawings, photographs, and comics written and created by school-age children from the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo community in the spring of 2022. Categories had first and second place winners, and some categories also had honorable mentions, as judged by the Fargo Public Library Children's Services Staff. Winners works are indicated by an asterisk.*
Please note: Transcription of each piece is taken directly from the original work, so any creative spelling, grammar, or formatting is considered intentional by the artist.
Northern Narratives 2021 is the library’s fifth publication of poems, essays and short stories produced by local and regional authors. It is available at all three library locations for check out, or it can be read online. Please note that the cover art (titled The Wild Mist) for this book was by photographer Brittani Hovland and submitted as part of the Northern Focus 2021 photography project.
Northern Narratives Jr. is the library's first ever, kids-only, literary magazine. It is available to be read online and features poems, nonfiction essays, short stories, drawings, photographs, and comics written and created by school-age children from the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo community in the spring of 2021. Each category had first and second place winners as judged by the Fargo Public Library Children's Services Staff. Winning works are indicated by an asterisk.*
Please note: Transcription of each piece was taken directly from the original work, so any creative spelling, grammar, or formatting is considered intentional by the artist.
Northern Narratives 2020 is the library’s fourth publication of poems, essays and short stories produced by local and regional authors. It is available at all three library locations for check out, or it can be read online. Please note that the cover art (titled Home in the Middle of Nowhere) for this book was by photographer Hannah Borsheim submitted as part of the inaugural Northern Focus photography project.
Northern Narratives 2019 is the library’s third publication of poems, essays and short stories produced by local and regional authors. It is available at all three library locations for check out, or it can be read online.
Northern Narratives 2018 is the library’s third publication of poems, essays and short stories produced by local and regional authors. It is available at all three library locations for check out, or it can be read online.