Why is James Evans so good at photographing the mavericks and renegades who make Big Bend one of the most interesting places on earth? Because he is one himself.

In our annual roundup of the restaurants everyone's talking about, you'll find a bare-bones taquería, a bastion of cowboy chic, a snazzy deconsecrated church—and dishes that range from soup (squash blossom) to nuts (toasted cashews with chocolate-swirled bread pudding). Not to mention a little French place in San Antonio that's the best of the best.

The most promising young fiction writer in Texas is Oscar Casares, whose tales of life in Brownsville have put him and his hometown on the literary map.

By now we've heard plenty about how smart senior presidential adviser Karl Rove is, and how he's the most powerful political consultant of all time, and how he delights Republicans and bedevils Democrats. But how did the man who made George W. Bush famous get to be famous—and infamous—himself?

Yes, we should remember the battle at the center of the Texas Revolution. But we should forget everything we think we know about it.

After years of ignoring Woody Guthrie's time in Pampa, residents of the tiny Panhandle community are finally singing "This Land Is His Land."

Speaking of the Speaker.

Is Austin artist Jack Jackson's illustrated history of the Alamo too unconventional to be sold at the Alamo gift shop? Draw your own conclusions.

Lured by the lucre of tourism, many small towns can't resist quainting themselves to death—which is why true-to-itself Fayetteville is such a pleasant place to visit.

When I was a kid, my grandmother was partial to Imperial sugar and other products made in Texas. You know what? I'm still sweet on them.

Michael Morales' guilty plea doesn't answer the most interesting question about his attempted extortion of Tony Sanchez: Who else knew about his cockamamy plot, and when did they know it?

Grilling the experts about Bill Parcells.

Drilling for answers on Padre Island.

Kinky Friedman for governor?!?