Arts & Entertainment

Mygel Porter with Matteo, one of the many new friends he made in Honduras. I recently got back from a week-long mission trip in Honduras which was such a great experience. We partnered with a local church down there to build a house, and that whole journey was so amazing. Also the culture down there was a bit of a different lifestyle. The organization I went with was Young Life, a youth ministry. We had partnered with a local church in Choluteca, Honduras, that does many o

Liberty Friez and Kayden Schmitcke pose for a photo with other members of their mission group. The previous Mystician Editor, Kayden Schmitcke, and I recently arrived back from a two-week long mission trip to Stuttgart, Germany. Apparently, it is the month of mission trips. We went with an organization called Couriers for Christ located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Twice a year, Couriers picks a city in Europe, contacts the local missionary, and plans a campaign. These campaigns

I love eating out at different places, from burger joints, pasta places, chinese places, and even corndog places. So when it comes to choosing a favorite fast food place it gets difficult. After some consideration though, I can list the top three of my favorite fast food places in the Bismarck and Mandan area, with my first being Chick-Fil-A, my second being Taco Bell, and my third is Dairy Queen. My two honorable mentions are Subway and Pancheros. They were really close co

With the semester coming to a close and summer break imminent, here are some books to pick up this summer. All either Liberty, Kayden, or Sophia approved. The Cruel Prince - Holly Black The Screaming Staircase - Jonathan Stroud Unwind - Neal Shusterman Cinder - Marissa Meyer The Summer Hikaru Died (Sophia suggestion) - Mokumokuren Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows Renegades - Marissa Meyer A River Enchanted -

This academic year has been a Ride! We saw: our beautiful collection boxed up and returned, though it took quite a few months! new shelving, carpet, and office furniture installed. students, faculty, and staff from all over campus seriously discuss banned and challenged books. nearly 50 people of all ages attempt the Halloween Escape Room: The Mystery in the Static. everyone devour and explore our databases, books, and records with an excited fervor. over 300 students par

A resident of the Dakota Cat Café hangs out in a cozy nook and says hello to lounge visitors. To the southeast of Bismarck, in the town of Lincoln, a cozy café is filled with the sounds of coffee steamers, small talk, and … meowing? The Dakota Cat Café opened for business on Dec. 16, 2025. It offers visitors a place to drink coffee while getting their fill of kitty time. Ashley Kneavel is the owner and founder of the café. She was inspired to create a cat café in North Dako

Musician Justin Payne will be visiting Bismarck on June 30 for a performance at the Laughing Sun Brewery. With a mix of country twang and alternative rock, Justin Alan Payne will bring his unique style to the Laughing Sun Brewery on June 30. Payne is an alt country/alt rock musician hailing from Nashville, Tenn. From Ohio to Texas to Illinois, this rocker has been around. Born in Newark, Ohio, Payne grew up playing classical music, starting the violin when he was about fou

North Dakota Filmmaker Justin Deegan takes part in an interview with Mystic Media, discussing his creative career and lifelong passion for film. North Dakota is known for its plains and farms, but there are also many film lovers and aspiring directors in the state. Justin Deegan is a filmmaker from Bismarck who has worked on eight TV shows and films, including the Hulu docuseries “Vow Of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae.” Justin has been working with film for years, b

Student will don their caps and gowns on May 15 at the first graduation ceremony in the Bavendick Center. Graduating can be incredibly overwhelming for students as much as it is an exciting feeling to be so close to the finish line. Luckily, Bismarck State College has a multitude of resources and amenities for graduating Mystics. Here are some of the top tips that Mystics should know about graduating. For starters, finish strong. That may seem easier said than done, but it

Money Smart Mystics It all started in the Summer of 2024. Marlene Anderson, Director of Library Services, and I were discussing how we could make our programs more cohesive for the 2024-2025 academic year. We really wanted to highlight Financial Literacy - the ability to understand, evaluate, and communicate information about money and financial services, enabling informed financial decisions because we had noticed it was an issue many students struggled with. Then, the mai

A shot from the "Find Your Flex" video shoot for Public Affairs featuring a BSC Student/Parent. Bismarck State College’s Public Affairs department is multifaceted. Nearly everything on a wall or screen on campus originates in the department. The work Public Affairs does promotes all aspects of the school except itself. Their work is visible to all, but they remain hidden. This is a given of any production team. Their job is to put the spotlight on others and let the end pro

Bismarck State College freshmen Graysen Connolly and Cammie Veldkamp brought home some hardware from the Collegiate DECA International...

Set during the Viking era, “Vinland Saga” follows Thorfinn and his transformation from a rage-fueled warrior to a noble pacifist. He faces the horrors and beauty humans are capable of as he attempts to build a peaceful utopia in a land called Vinland during one of the most violent periods of history. The series was created by Makoto Yukimura, who wanted to create a story highlighting the notorious brutality of Vikings and how that way of life was disturbingly normal. The ser

Weezer has risen to social media fame in recent years, with fans arguing over the band’s best and worst albums. The album “Weezer,” more commonly known as the “Blue Album,” is most agreed to be their best. With the 30th anniversary edition of the “Blue Album” released last year in November, I thought it would be a great idea to delve into Weezer’s debut release. The “Blue Album” first released on May 10, 1994 to not-so-critical acclaim, but slowly gained a cult following. Th

In Medora, ND a unique collaboration exists between Bismarck State College (BSC) graphic design students and Jill Friesz, owner of GS...

"Powerless.” A book that has gained an almost cult-like following and sold over one million copies worldwide. Of course I had to read it. Buckle your seat belts and hold on to your hats everyone ‘cause I have opinions. “Powerless” is the first book in Lauren Roberts’ young adult fantasy series that was released in 2023. This book has been compared to Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” and “Red Queen” by Alexandra Bracken. “Powerless” is about Paedyn Grey, a seventeen-year-

Movies can be an exciting thing, especially upcoming movies. It can be hard to determine whether or not a movie will be good based on its trailer. Jaxon and I try our best to draft the best upcoming movies. A movie draft is when we go back and forth, choosing the “best” movie of our chosen genre. We go for five rounds, and then we discuss who we think had the better movies. For this segment, we will be drafting upcoming movies. I went first with taking one of the most antici

Paul Thomas Anderson is a filmmaker known for his deeply written characters and bold directing style. Anderson’s interest in filmmaking started at a young age where he worked as a production assistant on various film projects throughout Los Angeles and New York. Anderson’s filmmaking career spans almost 30 years and his films vary greatly in genre and setting. Anderson’s debut “Hard Eight” (1996) follows a senior gambler who takes a young man under his wing as they become em