editor's note

The privilege of being a magazine editor provides a plausible front for meeting people you might otherwise not. You get to sit in their offices or homes for an uninterrupted block of time and ask about things that might normally, say at a cocktail party, not seem acceptable. (I don't think I've ever been to anything that correctly would be termed a cocktail party, which I suppose amplifies the point.) For this issue, I spent an hour with now-retired English professor Richard Bovard. He is not a new acquaintance but previously we'd mostly exchanged good-hearted barbs. During the interview, we went a little deeper. He put into words so nicely his goal as a teacher: he hopes students will like what he likes, perhaps even love what he loves.

Our job is to make it seem like you are sitting across the table enjoying the interview, hearing these pearls of wisdom first hand.

Thank you for reading.
laura.mcdaniel@ndsu.edu