VALLEY CITY, ND (VCSU) – Valley City State University’s student literary magazine, The Forge, has been recognized as a REALM First Class magazine by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

The distinction was awarded after NCTE reviewed Issue 21 of The Forge, which was produced by VCSU student editors Sierra Crocker, Abigail Dreher, Beth Mehus and LilyBeth Townsend, and advised by Dr. J. Gregory Brister. The Forge is annually produced by VCSU students taking English 213: Literary Publications.

“The Forge is honored to be the first campus publication in North Dakota to receive this award,” stated Brister, professor of English 213: Literary Publications. “It recognizes the dedication of our student editors and the vibrancy and vitality of the literary, artistic, and scholarly work of the VCSU community.”

First Class is the highest honor in the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) contest run by the NCTE. The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.

Schools in 46 states and five countries nominated 422 student magazines to be reviewed for the 2024 contest. Magazines from middle school, high school, and higher education were included. The Forge is one of 125 magazines to receive REALM First Class.