BBQ
November 24, 2021
The Franklin Barbecue Line Has Returned in All Its Glory
After enduring twenty months of takeout-only service, Franklin fanatics were thrilled to spend hours—up to ten of ’em—in line for Texas’s most famous brisket.
Style & Design
October 14, 2021
These Quilters Mean Business
After a year of solitary pandemic quilting, devotees of East Texas fabric mothership Stitchin’ Heaven take over Fort Worth, ready to bond—and spend.
Food & Drink
August 6, 2021
HTeaO Is Taking Over Texas, 51 Ounces at a Time
The Amarillo-based chain sells iced tea, and (almost) only iced tea. But it's in HTeaO's simplicity that we find its brilliance.
Food & Drink
July 30, 2021
Maybe the Topo Chico Shortage Is a Good Thing
Let's take advantage of this forced break between Texans and our Topo, and test out sparkling water brands that are—I hate to say it—even better.
Food & Drink
July 23, 2021
Nothing Will Stand Between This San Antonio Woman and Her Favorite Blue Bell Flavor
Rebecca Muehl is on a crusade to get the ice cream company to sell Krazy Kookie Dough year-round.
Texas History
July 15, 2021
The LBJ Library’s New Lady Bird Exhibit Is a Delight
The former first lady is best known for her love of wildflowers, but this peaceful, dreamy show reveals much more.
Texas History
June 24, 2021
The Strange, Soggy Saga of Glurpo, San Marcos’s Underwater Clown
Apparently, children did not find him creepy in the 1950s.
Libations
June 17, 2021
A Hot and Thirsty Texan’s Guide to the Most Refreshing Shapes of Ice
When ERCOT doesn't want you to turn your thermostat below 82, frozen water is all you have.
Food & Drink
June 2, 2021
And Now We Argue About H-E-B’s In-house Snacks
Cake batter hummus is malevolent and must be stopped.
Music
May 22, 2021
I’m a Fan of Kacey Musgraves and St. Vincent, but I’m So Tired of Their Album Promotions
A fan’s plea: Enough already with the pre–album release media rollout.
Texas History
April 19, 2021
Juanita Craft Helped Integrate the Texas State Fair—And Inspired the Next Generation of Civil Rights Activists
The subject of our latest Texans You Should Know history profile started 182 NAACP chapters and welcomed kids and power brokers alike into her South Dallas home.
Books
April 13, 2021
The Rise (and Occasional Dips Into Despair!) of Jenny Lawson
In her best-selling memoirs, her eclectic, taxidermy-filled San Antonio bookstore, and her unvarnished tweets, the author makes light of her darkest times—and helps her readers make light of theirs.
Books
March 2, 2021
Meet the Comedian Whose New Poetry Book Is as Discomfiting as Her Cabaret Act
Houston-raised actor and stand-up star Catherine Cohen confronts anxiety and narcissism in a self-deprecating collection of poems.
Being Texan
February 19, 2021
The Day Everything Went Wrong
Like many Texans, residents in one Austin apartment complex faced a kaleidoscope of worst-case scenarios. And like many Texans, they had to get through them alone.
Politics & Policy
January 28, 2021
The (Fake) Beto Diaries, Vol. 6: I’m (Thinking About Being) Back, Baby
Our hero contemplates a run for governor.
Style & Design
January 21, 2021
Feast Your Eyes Upon This Outrageous Car-Themed Mansion for Sale in North Texas
For a cool $8 million, it could be yours.
Books
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas, 2021: Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Greenlights’
In one of the year's best memoirs, truth is often stranger than fiction.
Being Texan
December 16, 2020
Texas Wedding Photographers Have Seen Some $#!+
They know what you did this summer.
Politics & Policy
November 19, 2020
Matthew McConaughey Said He’d Consider Running for Texas Governor, so We Wrote His Political Platform
Expect marijuana, college football, and compromise to play central roles.
Film & TV
November 13, 2020
Is Blue Ivy Carter a Texan?
Everybody knows that she was born in New York City, and thus isn’t a Texan. What this post presupposes is ... maybe she is?
Texas History
November 6, 2020
Slavery Was Integral to Texas’s Transition From Republic to Statehood, but This Textbook Doesn’t Tell the Full Story
The version of Texas history taught in school is often anglicized and sanitized. We examine how one textbook falls short.
Film & TV
November 2, 2020
Sweeping Landscapes and Other Soothing Texas Videos to Assuage Your Election Day Anxiety
Ahead of tomorrow’s nail-biter, we present a grab bag featuring a Big Bend documentary, Beyoncé clips, the Houston Zoo’s baby animal playlist, and more.
Film & TV
October 30, 2020
How to Scare Yourself Like a Texan
A selection of Texas-bred horror films, books, and TV episodes to indulge in during the spooky times.
Texas History
October 29, 2020
How Leaders of the Texas Revolution Fought to Preserve Slavery
The version of Texas history taught in school is often anglicized and sanitized. We examine how one textbook falls short.
Texas History
October 22, 2020
How One State History Textbook Erases the Stories of Black and Hispanic Texans
The version of Texas history I learned in school was woefully incomplete. And, according to two historians, this 2016 textbook is, too.
Best Thing In Texas
October 19, 2020
The Best Thing in Texas: An Austin Teen Is One of the First Girls in the Nation to Earn the Rank of Eagle Scout
Abby Winkelman, 14, says she hopes her achievement will inspire other girls.
Books
October 14, 2020
Six Good Texas Book Festival Reads
This year’s festival is all-virtual, but its lineup is still all-star, as demonstrated by this trio of recent books from Texas authors.
Film & TV
October 12, 2020
As ‘Dazed and Confused’ Gets Older, the Spirit of the Film Stays the Same
During a live reading on Sunday night, many of the original actors brought the same chemistry that has made the film such a joy to rewatch for 27 years.
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2020
Wendy Davis Is a Feminist Icon. Chip Roy Is a Ted Cruz Protégé. What’s a Swing District to Do?
He’s as red as a rose; she’s as blue as the state flower. And now the two congressional candidates are locked in a throwdown in a district that is neither.
Film & TV
October 7, 2020
‘News of the World,’ Tom Hanks’s First Western, Is the Perfect Role for ‘America’s Dad’
The film adaptation of Utopia author Paulette Jiles’s acclaimed novel finds Hanks shepherding a young girl across 1870s Texas.
The Culture
July 22, 2020
Why Alyssa Edwards Is Forever a Texan
She’s one of the nation’s most influential drag queens, jet-setting from Europe to Australia. But she’d rather be at a dance school in Garland.
Music
July 21, 2020
On ‘Gaslighter’ the Chicks Are a Little Less Country—and Unflinching as Ever
The band's first album in 14 years is vengeful and deeply reflective (and, yes, there's talk of boats).
Texas History
July 3, 2020
Why Texas Still Celebrates Confederate Heroes Day
Recent attempts to abolish the holiday have failed. But things might be different when lawmakers return to Austin in January.
Style & Design
May 21, 2020
How to Embroider Your Denim
We can’t promise it’ll look perfect, but it will be one of a kind.
Film & TV
May 19, 2020
A Final Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart’
All the remaining Texans on the reality show lost last night…or did they?
Film & TV
May 18, 2020
Matthew McConaughey’s Numerous Pandemic Public Service Announcements, Ranked
The Uvalde native and patron saint of "alright" just keeps makin' videos.
Film & TV
May 12, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Five
Only one Texan remains on the show: Rudi, a pop singer from San Antonio, who gave a compelling performance of ‘Shallow.’
Style & Design
May 8, 2020
How to Make Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé-Themed Stained Glass Window Art
This week, we try our hand at window art—with a few stops and starts.
Film & TV
May 5, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Four
Don’t worry: there are only two Texans left.
Music
April 30, 2020
Caleb Landry Jones on His Demented, Lysergic Musical Debut
Out this week, the actor's first album, ‘The Mother Stone,' is not unlike background music at a haunted circus.
Film & TV
April 28, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Three
In week three, the rules of the game change dramatically—and half the Texans left on the show go home.
Art
April 23, 2020
Pins and Needles: Clay Sculptures of Emma Tenayuca and a Pecan Tree
Play with clay and learn about an important figure from Texas history.
Film & TV
April 21, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Two
In its second week, the spin-off reality show introduced new Texan musicians vying for love and fame.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
Fishing Lures We Love
These Lone Star lures catch the eye as much as they catch fish.
Film & TV
April 14, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart’
The spinoff reality show features plenty of musicians from the Lone Star State who are intent on finding love.
Books
April 14, 2020
I Love Paulette Jiles’s Novels. So Why Won’t She Talk to Me?
My up and down encounters with the brilliant, beloved, and very grouchy western novelist.
Film & TV
April 13, 2020
Matthew McConaughey Is the Best Celebrity for These Times
The actor's sincerity and tendency to ramble on about “livin’” brings joy during a trying moment.
Art
April 9, 2020
Pins and Needles: Crepe Paper Wildflowers
Brighten up your living room with a homemade Texas floral arrangement.
Style & Design
March 27, 2020
Pins and Needles: How To Crochet a Whataburger-Themed Koozie
During these strange and difficult times, crafting can perhaps help assuage anxiety.
Music
March 5, 2020
Breaking Down the Dixie Chicks’ First New Single in 14 Years, ‘Gaslighter’
The beloved band released a song and an accompanying video this week.