
There’s been a recent uptick in activity in the Permian Basin. This week we look back at the last time West Texas was booming.
Andrea Valdez, a Houstonian, received a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and received her MSJ from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2006. Two days after graduating from Medill, she began working at Texas Monthly as a fact-checker. In addition to dutifully guarding the magazine's integrity, she wrote more than forty columns in a series titled "The Manual," a short lesson on activities every Texan should know how to do. The column has since been turned into a book, How to Be a Texan: The Manual.
Valdez moved to the digital side of editorial in 2011, and in 2014 she became the editor of texasmonthly.com. During her tenure, the site's traffic has increased more than 250 percent and Texas Monthly's social media audiences have more than quintupled. She also helped launch two verticals—TM Daily Post and TMBBQ.com—and had a hand in a major redesign of texasmonthly.com in 2013.
She lives in Austin.
Feb 3, 2017 — By Andrea Valdez
There’s been a recent uptick in activity in the Permian Basin. This week we look back at the last time West Texas was booming.
Jan 24, 2017 — By Andrea Valdez
Reporting on a different kind of power in Texas.
Oct 19, 2015 — By andrea valdez
Revisiting the archives, including our greatest hits, the obscure b-sides, and everything in between.
Aug 14, 2015 — By andrea valdez
A peek at our September cover, featuring Houston's favorite new hometown hero.
Aug 5, 2015 — By andrea valdez
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But feel free to give it a new coat of paint.
Jun 19, 2015 — By andrea valdez
The two musicians, featured on our July cover, talk about Texas’s rich songwriting history and their place in it.
May 21, 2015 — By andrea valdez
Our June issue, featuring a look back at Urban Cowboy 35 years after its premiere, is on newsstands and texasmonthly.com.
May 20, 2015 — By andrea valdez
An interview with the Baylor Law student who spent a year doing 63 things that every Texan should do before they die.
Apr 20, 2015 — By andrea valdez
A taste of the majestic vistas Big Bend National Park has to offer.
Dec 10, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Take your shots before the big reveal tomorrow.
Nov 20, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Unless it's one of the places featured in our December issue cover story.
Aug 7, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Ten Instagram photos taken by you, dear reader.
Aug 4, 2014 — By andrea valdez
We asked four people—including a legislator, a doctor, and a veteran—to have an open dialogue about the pros and cons of using marijuana to help people cope with PTSD.
Jul 21, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Thirteen famous Texans showed us theirs. Now we want to see yours.
Jul 8, 2014 — By andrea valdez
We are beyond thrilled to announce that Brian D. Sweany now holds the top job at Texas Monthly.
Jun 19, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Now it's time to see off another pillar in the Texas community: our governor. A look into our July issue, featuring Rick Perry on the cover.
Jun 10, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Yesterday, when we unveiled the cover of our July issue featuring Rick Perry, we also told you about “The Perry Report Card,” an upcoming magazine feature where, as the title suggests, we graded the tenure of the governor on eight areas of public policy. We invited you to weigh…
Jun 9, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Our July cover features Rick Perry, who is wrapping up his historic tenure as governor of Texas.
May 23, 2014 — By andrea valdez
And our June issue is better than a cup of coffee.
May 14, 2014 — By Andrea Valdez
How our creative director captured a moment all Strait fans will know and love.
May 1, 2014 — By Andrea Valdez
Plan a summertime weekend surveying the coastal art scene using this guide with tips on what to do, where to eat, and where to stay.
Apr 29, 2014 — By andrea valdez
We tip our hat to the King of Country, George Strait.
Apr 24, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Through the magical wonderland that is the May 2014 issue.
Mar 13, 2014 — By andrea valdez
Here's what you missed while waiting in line for that free burger.
Mar 7, 2014 — By andrea valdez
The Austin-based ad agency created "Avoid Humans," a web app to point users to the least-crowded restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and general areas of refuge.
Dec 3, 2013 — By andrea valdez
We asked three experts in the oil field to come together to discuss that very question and to debate whether this latest boom will treat Texas, and the nation, any better than the last two.
Nov 5, 2013 — By andrea valdez
A take on the Southern classic from Ziggy Gruber, the owner/chef of Kenny & Ziggy's in Houston.
Oct 31, 2013 — By andrea valdez
From pastry chef Steven Cak, of Olive and June restaurant, in Austin.
Oct 10, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
Archer City's most famous son tells a writer's group that ‘Blood Meridian’ "was a little windy" and admits that two of his favorite television shows are ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’
Oct 10, 2013 — By andrea valdez
On Wednesday’s edition of Marketplace, Noel King reported on the recent “philanthropic urge” that has been striking certain people of means during the government shutdown. King points to Houston’s own John and Laura Arnold, who made headlines this week when they donated $10 million from their…
Oct 7, 2013 — By andrea valdez
A segment on This American Life tells the story of the vigilante killer in the violent border city, a woman who called herself, Diana, the hunter of bus drivers.
Oct 4, 2013 — By andrea valdez
A Done Dell After months of delays and deliberations, Dell Inc. shareholders voted Thursday to take the company private in a $24.8 billion buyout from CEO Michael Dell and the Silver Lake Partners investment group. The deal, which is expected to go through by November 1, comes after a…
Jun 13, 2013 — By andrea valdez
Senior editor Katy Vine, author of the Greatest Barbecue Story Ever Told, put together a BBQ Road Trip soundtrack. It features fourteen songs with a variation of the word “barbecue” in the title, six tracks called “Salt and Pepper,” three boogies, an ode to white bread, and one…
Jun 13, 2013 — By andrea valdez
More than 75 songs to accompany you during a meaty quest.
Jun 10, 2013 — By andrea valdez
Our barbecue editor was recently interviewed by Sunrise, Australia’s self-described “number one breakfast show.” The hosts ask him about Texas-style barbecue (and the difference between an Aussie sear and our preferred smoking method), if he is “the Simon Cowell of the brisket,” and his favorite places in Texas. Watch the…
Mar 21, 2013 — By andrea valdez
(Photograph by Chris Wilkins | Texas BBQ Posse) In a move that seems long overdue, today we named Daniel Vaughn as Texas Monthly‘s first barbecue editor. Before people start stamping their feet and cursing that they weren’t hired for this highly coveted position, let me assure you that Vaughn is…
Mar 21, 2013 — By andrea valdez
We've created what may be the most coveted job in the state and hired the best person for the position: Daniel Vaughn, a.k.a. BBQ Snob.
Mar 20, 2013 — By andrea valdez
Bryce Gilmore, of Barley Swine, in Austin, and Chris Shepherd, of Underbelly in Houston, were among the eight Texas chefs, writers, and restaurants nominated for a James Beard Award, the highest honor given in the food world. Garden and Gun magazine recently caught up with the two chefs to…
Mar 17, 2013 — By andrea valdez
For the first time since 1977, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament won't include a single team from Texas.
Mar 12, 2013 — By andrea valdez
Austin's food truck scene has exploded in both numbers (hundreds of trucks are parked across the city at any given time) and popularity (waits can last up to an hour). With so many choices, it's hard to know which trailers are worth it, so here's our list of seven trucks to hit up during SXSW.
Mar 8, 2013 — By andrea valdez
A printable, sharable list of the best restaurants in Austin. Make reservations now.
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
On New Year’s Day superstitious Texans take out a symbolic insurance policy by helping themselves to a heap of black-eyed peas—a practice that, according to tradition, guarantees one lucky day for each pea consumed. No one knows for certain how this ritual started, but one theory is rooted in horticulture:…
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
The Season For many hunters, Labor Day weekend is synonymous with the soft coos of the mourning dove. Every year, roughly 350,000 people in Texas are seduced by this avian siren song and harvest about five million of the four-ounce birds—that’s about 30 percent of the total number shot in…
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
Rites of passage dot the path to becoming a true Texan—riding a horse, having your picture taken with Big Tex—but few are as iconic as learning to fire a rifle. Although there are a variety of types, beginners often train with a .22-caliber. “That’s because there’s minimal recoil, and the…
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
A time-tested recipe that anyon who wants to learn how to make chili can use.
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
The rules for riding a one-ton bucking bull are deceptively simple. A cowboy must stay on the animal for eight seconds. If he’s thrown off before the time elapses or if he touches the bull, himself, or the equipment with his free hand, he’s disqualified. The maximum score is 100…
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
Equipment 1 turkey cooker with a propane burner (also called a catfish cooker or crawfish boiler) 1 36- to 40-quart stockpot and basket 1 large turkey injector with needle 1 deep-fryer thermometer or candy thermometer elbow-length oven mitts Cinnamon-Chile Rub 1/2 cup cinnamon 1/2 cup pasilla or…
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
A few things to know before you drop a big bird into a bubbling vat of oil.
Jan 20, 2013 — By Andrea Valdez
Texas women may not have invented big hair, but they realized long ago the allure of the coiffed crown. Just consider Ann Richards, who made it her trademark and once declared an official Big Hair Day, in 1993. The style is powerful yet elegant, bold but surprisingly down-home. As Gail…
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