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.
Emily McCullar is an eleventh-generation Texan who was hired as Texas Monthly's front desk receptionist in 2014. She soon charmed her way into the fact-checking department before becoming a staff writer in 2019. She has written about celebrities, literature, music, film, politics, and history, and she likes to think of herself as a Matthew McConnoisseur. She once wrote an essay about deer hunting with her dad that was longlisted in The Best American Sportswriting, and the fact that this basically means she's a "sportwriter" is the funniest thing in the entire world.
Articles by Emily McCullar
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.
The (Fake) Beto Diaries, Vol. 6: I’m (Thinking About Being) Back, Baby
Our hero contemplates a run for governor.
Feast Your Eyes Upon This Outrageous Car-Themed Mansion for Sale in North Texas
For a cool $8 million, it could be yours.
The Best Things in Texas, 2021: Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Greenlights’
In one of the year's best memoirs, truth is often stranger than fiction.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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).
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.
How to Embroider Your Denim
We can’t promise it’ll look perfect, but it will be one of a kind.
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?
Matthew McConaughey’s Numerous Pandemic Public Service Announcements, Ranked
The Uvalde native and patron saint of "alright" just keeps makin' videos.
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.’
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pins and Needles: Clay Sculptures of Emma Tenayuca and a Pecan Tree
Play with clay and learn about an important figure from Texas history.
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.
Fishing Lures We Love
These Lone Star lures catch the eye as much as they catch fish.
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.
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.
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.
Pins and Needles: Crepe Paper Wildflowers
Brighten up your living room with a homemade Texas floral arrangement.
Pins and Needles: How To Crochet a Whataburger-Themed Koozie
During these strange and difficult times, crafting can perhaps help assuage anxiety.
Breaking Down the Dixie Chicks’ First New Single in 14 Years, ‘Gaslighter’
The beloved band released a song and an accompanying video this week.
20 Other Texas Sayings According to Mike Bloomberg
The presidential candidate thinks ”as scared as a cat at a dog pound” is a thing that Texans say. So we’ve got a few more for him.
In Defense of Renée Zellweger’s Drawl
The internet was once again confounded by the Katy native’s Texas accent, with some thinking it wasn’t sincere. The internet is wrong.
A Ross Thomas Adaptation Rethinks the Border Noir
'Briarpatch,' a new show on USA Network, portrays a West Texas rarely seen on TV.
Austin’s Roadside Christmas Trees, Ranked From Most to Least Rage-Inducing
I spent some quality time with those decorated cedar trees along Loop 360 to see if I could get in the holiday spirit.
Kacey Musgraves Joins a Lineage of Texan Celebrities Who Have Starred in Christmas Specials
The country star's Christmas show premieres later this week.
The Story Behind the Long Lost Alamo Movie of 1911
’The Immortal Alamo’ says much about the silent film era, and how San Antonio could have been Hollywood.
The Book of Rick
Rick Perry says Trump is ”chosen by God.” But what if Perry were chosen to write the newest book of the Bible?
Is Taylor Kitsch of ‘Friday Night Lights’ Ever Going to Be a Movie Star?
’21 Bridges’ won’t be the film to get him there.
Texans and Their Boots: Reflections From a Few of Our Favorite People
The stories, the traditions, and the deeper meanings of the boots in their lives.
The (Fake) Beto Diaries, Vol. 5: Journey’s End
Our hero’s odyssey ends where it started: with him.
The Best Thing in Texas: Megan Thee Stallion’s Web Crime Series ‘Hottieween’
Vampires and private investigators loom large in the Houston rapper's spooky new show.
Karen Olsson: Novelist, Journalist, and . . . Math Nerd?
In her third book, ’The Weil Conjectures,’ the Austin author revisits the equations of her youth.