Me of Little Faith

All I know for certain about religion is that the one my mother tried so hard to pass on to me just didn’t take.

by Jan Reid

Army Brat

More than anything, we hated the moves, the long drives in a hot car with squabbling siblings, then getting to the new post and having to be the new kid all over again.

by Michael Hall

Embarrassment of Riches

At Westlake, even if your parents wouldn’t spring for Ralph Lauren, you could still work your way into the in crowd.

by John Spong

Flatlander

People have an attitude about the Panhandle, as if living there is a hardship. To this day, they offer condolences when they learn where I’m from.

Photographs and text by Wyatt McSpadden

Midnight in the Garden of Memory

My San Antonio was an overgrown small town, socially stratified and inbred, controlled by a handful of old, wealthy families.

by Mimi Swartz

Christmas in Brownsville

My father, who had grown up on a farm, used to talk about his family’s killing a pig for the tamales, but this was back in the twenties.

by Oscar Casares

The Lost City

A few of the streets near what used to be downtown have familiar names, but Arlington has mutated into a disconnected clump of shopping malls, cul-de-sacs, and gated communities, faceless, soulless neighborhoods that give urban sprawl a bad name.

by Gary Cartwright

I of the Storm

The Gulf carried mendacity in every molecule. Its beauty, its tranquillity, was all a lie. It had created Galveston, carved out its deepwater port, tempted us with the promise of greatness, and then betrayed us.

by Paul Burka

Behind the Lines

Where I’m Of

The case for my Texanness.

by Evan Smith

Where I’m From

Bob Schieffer

Whenever I go to Fort Worth, I try to take a look at the little house where we lived. It’s amazing to think about what we went through.

As told to Christopher Keyes

Where I’m From

Kirbyjon Caldwell

One evening Ike and Tina came over for dinner to my mom and dad’s house. Tina kissed me on the forehead before I went to bed.

As told to Mimi Swartz

Where I’m From

Ethan Hawke

Larry McMurtry writes about how if you’re forced to leave Texas before you’re ready, before the state lets you go, you always dream of it.

As told to Pamela Colloff

Where I’m From

Lynn Wyatt

I had no clue about the amount of magic Texas held. Texas had a persona all its own, and I was proud to be a little smidgen part of it.

As told to Mimi Swartz

Where I’m From

Tish Hinojosa

It wasn’t until I moved away that I saw that a lot of art, a lot of what Texas is about, didn’t come only from San Antonio.

As told to Katharyn Rodemann

Where I’m From

Richard Linklater

The prison affected me personally. I grew up parking cars at the prison rodeo. I had a stepfather who was a prison guard.

As told to Katy Vine

Where I’m From

Lupe Valdez

As the daughter of migrant workers from South Texas, I was taught to value education, choose my friends wisely, and stay on the right side of the law.

As told to Christopher Keyes

Where I’m From

This Month’s Contributors

Sarah Bird

Mass Appeal

My short, happy life as a Catholic schoolgirl.

Reporter

Y’all Come Back

Homecoming in the town of Spur means football, the crowning of a queen, parades, pep rallies, barbecue, a bonfire, and so much more.

by Skip Hollandsworth

Book Review

Against Gravity

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Book Review

Ringside Seat to a Revolution

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Book Review

Havoc

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Music Review

The Funk Anthology

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Music Review

Live in Austin, TX DVD/CD

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Music Review

Lost Horizon

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Texas Monthly Talks

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson on growing up in Abbott, playing in public for the first time, what he listens to on the bus, and why he doesn’t hate the music business.

Interview by Evan Smith

Pat’s Pick

Café San Miguel

Dallas.

by Patricia Sharpe

Pat’s Pick

O Christmas Tea

Timely treats for your culinary calendar.

by Patricia Sharpe

Roar of the Crowd

Rah Deal

State of the Art

Start Here

The childhood homes of nine famous Texans.

Interview by Jordan Breal

Good Times

Editor Evan Smith on Willie Nelson and what we could all learn from him.

Interview by Rena Garcia

Family Matters

Writer-at-large Jan Reid on growing up, his mother, and her religion.

Interview by Tosin Mfon

Basic Training

Senior editor Michael Hall on being a military child, growing up on a base, and starting over.

Interview by Laura Griffin

The Kid From Amarillo

Contributing photographer Wyatt McSpadden talks about open spaces, Amarillo as an oasis, and where he’s from now.

Interview by Dacus Thompson

The Real World

Associate editor John Spong on going to Westlake, being popular, and life after high school.

Interview by Leah Fillion

There’s No Going Home

Senior editor Gary Cartwright on how Arlington is not his town anymore.

Interview by Dacus Thompson

All the Pretty Horses

Catherine Crier, the host of Court TV’s Catherine Crier Live, on growing up in Dallas, riding and showing horses, and moving away from Texas.

As told to Stacy Hollister

An Excerpt from "Little Town Lies"

by Anne Strieber

Dallas Dish

Reviewed by Carolyn Joe

Happy Trails

Fairfield is much more than a near-midpoint pit stop between Dallas and Houston.

by K.K. Young

Texas History 101

In the late 1800’s a group of women from Bell County left their husbands to set up a communal house in Belton.

by Lindsay Meeks

Texas Tidbits

The pock-marked Dinosaur Valley State Park reveals an amazingly well-preserved (and somewhat checkered) prehistoric past.

by Dacus Thompson