The Perfect River

From giant freshwater prawns to bikini-clad coeds, from ancient Indian artifacts to swimming pigs, there’s something for everyone on the San Marcos River.

by Stephen Harrigan

Country Boy

Texas Cities are full of people who grew up in the country - and want everybody they meet to know it.

by Nicholas Lemann

Play (It One Last Time with Feeling) Land

When San Antonio’s Playland closed last year, Texas lost its sentimental favorite among amusement parks.

by Bill Holloway

Trial by Piano

Why knock yourself out for two grueling at a piano competition in Fort Worth? For $12,000 - and a string of concert bookings money can’t buy.

by W. L. Taitte

The Deal That Didn’t Work

Parceling out three new seats in Congress sounds like an easy job, but the Texas Legislature tried for two months and couldn’t do it.

by Victoria Loe

Behind the Lines

Written out.

by Gregory Curtis

Politics

Angry Men

Texas Fathers for Equal Rights joined divorced men from all over the country to protest family courts that have always favored mothers in child custody cases.

by Gene Lyons

Art

Unentitled

Artists and art organizations are getting cut off from the federal dole - and maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

by Michael Ennis

Lifestyle

She Followed Me Home, Mom, Honest

The dog that the family fell in love with was beautiful, well trained, and friendly. The only problem was, she wasn’t theirs.

by Prudence Mackintosh

Books

The Fifty Best Texas Books

One man’s favorite writings span a century and capture Texas in all its grimness and glory.

by A. C. Greene

Film

Thrills, Chills, Action, Adventure

Raiders of the Lost Ark gets an A, but it’s still a B-movie. Arthur has a dead plot but lively humor. Stripes should have been scuttled.

by C.W. Smith

Theater

The Neon Lights Are Bright in Dallas

Dallas productions of The Elephant Man and Children of a Lesser God proved that Broadway is getting closer to home.

by W. L. Taitte

Crime

Cruel and Unusual Parenthood

Every year thousands of men and women assault, molest, or murder innocent victims - their own children.

by Jim Atkinson

Reporter

Mr. Boll Weevil goes to Washington; Dallas scholars go to the Sunbelt’s defense; Houston’s public abortion clinic goes down the drain.

Roar of the Crowd

Bullets, Bibles, and buds.

Touts

High flying and fly tying.

by Patricia Sharpe

Puzzle

Holey Rollers.

State Secrets

Bombs away on the Franklin Mountains; why pro-nukes belong in the Nutt House; the Dallas News goes public; sportfishermen change their minds about redfish.

Edited by Paul Burka