Ponder Magazine

12/06/2025

Issue 4 out now!

12/05/2025

Tomorrow’s the day! We’re excited to celebrate the release of Issue 4 at our Launch Party.
We’d love to see you there.

Dec 5 • 4–6 PM • The Joy Center

Black Hills State University

12/02/2025

Things are happening! Come see the new issue this Friday at our launch party.

Dec 5 • 4 - 6 PM
The Joy Center
Spearfish, SD.

10/31/2025

The team behind Izakaya Three Fish in Bozeman Montana took omakase to new heights. Chef-curated dishes, bold drinks and delightful hospitality have reshaped the sushi experience in the Mountain West.

https://www.bhsumedia.com/ponder-magazine/いただきます/t

10/24/2025

Elizabeth Mattson always wanted to create a space where her community could come together, so she opened Henry’s Books in Spearfish, SD. Within weeks, the crowd-funded bookstore became a place where people build relationships and gain new perspectives on life.

Read Mattson’s story in the latest issue of Ponder.
https://www.bhsumedia.com/ponder-magazine/story-keepers/

10/19/2025

We’re incredibly honored to announce that Ponder Magazine has been recognized nationally by the Associated Collegiate Press as a 2025 Feature Magazine Pacemaker Winner, the highest honor in collegiate journalism.

Our team also brought home multiple individual awards celebrating storytelling and photography excellence:

Nathan Feller – 1st Place, Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile Award

Alec Butterfield – 1st Place, Environmental Portrait

Hayden Hill – 4th Place, Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile Award & 3rd Place, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reporting

Caleb Minor – Honorable Mention, Sports Game / Action Photo

We’re deeply humbled to receive these prestigious awards and proud to represent Black Hills State University and South Dakota on a national stage.

10/15/2025

Ponder Magazine staff was honored to sit down with U.S. Senator Mike Rounds this morning while in Washington D.C.

Senator Rounds also gave the team a exclusive, private tour of the US Capitol.

Photos courtesy of the Rounds team.

10/09/2025

When Brenda Kasaty’s daughter met Ellia, a bright, sassy girl living with a degenerative disorder, the two bonded through imagination. Ellia often became “Rose Cat,” a fearless character in a cape who could do anything.

After Ellia’s passing at age thirteen, her parents shared a drawing that read Rose Cat’s Reading Society. From that, Brenda built Rose Cat Coffee Company & Reading Society. A café rooted in inclusion, friendship, and joy.

Read Service with a Smile in the latest issue of Ponder. bhsumedia.com/ponder-magazine/service-with-a-smile/

10/03/2025

Three Black Hills State University student organizations were recognized for their outstanding academic, community, and organizational achievements during the South Dakota Board of Regents meeting held on the BHSU campus Thursday, October 2.

09/19/2025

Tucked in the heart of Custer, South Dakota, Skogen Kitchen has become a nationally recognized destination. Head Chef and owner Joseph Raney, a two-time James Beard “Best Chef: Midwest” nominee, crafts bold, unexpected dishes that continue to draw people from all over to this hidden gem in the Black Hills.

Read Maten er halve Føda, in the latest issue of Ponder. bhsumedia.com/ponder-magazine/maten-er-halve-foda/

09/12/2025

In a place not built for queerness, performers like Dixy Divine and Virgo The Vixen fight to be seen and celebrated. Behind the Curtains captures the resilience, artistry, and everyday bravery of drag in the Midwest.

Read the Pacemaker Award finalist story here:

The lights are low, mostly coming from the bar in the back of the room. There are various levels of dress present: a man in jeans and a t-shirt, an older woman in a full-length-dress, an excited twenty-something in a sparkling rainbow jumpsuit. It smells mildly like alcohol mixed with stale hotel co...

09/05/2025

The SOUR: A Bakery, owned by Peter and Makenzie Mitchell, is more than a bakery. It’s a testament to faith, family, and community.

What began as late nights shaping loaves in their home has grown into a bright, bustling downtown café filled with greenery, warmth, and conversation.

Discover the full story in the latest issue of Ponder. bhsumedia.com/ponder-magazine/the-secret-ingredient/