The Stand Up Desk
March 29, 2021
Community Guidelines
We welcome your respectful thoughts, concerns, questions, and anecdotes, but ask that you keep conversations civil and productive on our site.
Arts & Entertainment
March 19, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: Volunteering at a COVID-19 Vaccination Site
It's an uplifting experience. Plus: a new book by photographer Rahim Fortune and performances by two top Texas drag queens.
Books
March 5, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: An Old-fashioned General Store in Houston
Plus: a coming-of-age novel set in El Paso and new music from Post Malone and Black Pumas.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2021
The Winter Storm, in Photos: How Texans Are Surviving the Historic Freeze
As multiple crises unfold across the state, photographers captured Texans doing their damnedest to keep warm and safe.
Dining Guide
January 26, 2021
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our February 2021 Issue
Texas Monthly adds and updates approximately sixty restaurant listings to our Dining Guide each month. There’s limited space in the print issue, but the entire searchable guide to the best of Texas cuisine is at your fingertips online! Below are a few highlights from the new restaurants reviewed in our February 2021…
Music
January 22, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: Nighttime Kayaking
Plus: the cult classic ‘Veronica Mars,’ Selena Gomez's new single, and a plant-based burger joint.
The Stand Up Desk
January 20, 2021
February 2021: Roar of the Crowd
Reader letters published in our February issue.
Health
January 5, 2021
The 19-Year-Old Funeral Home Employee Facing a Flood of “Death Calls”
Last month, Donavan Diaz planned as many funerals as he might have in six months pre-pandemic.
Being Texan
January 1, 2021
“This Pandemic Isn’t Finished With Us Yet. Until Then, I’m Sleeping With One Eye Open.”
Chefs, musicians, gardeners, and one very enthusiastic librarian tell Texas Monthly about their New Year’s rituals and plans for 2021.
Music
December 29, 2020
The Texas Tunes That Helped Get Us Through 2020
The smash singles, country albums, and even a bardcore remix that moved staffers this past year.
Books
December 26, 2020
Ten Texas Books We Loved in 2020
Looking for a great read over the holidays? From fiction to memoir, cooking to comics, Texas Monthly writers recommend a few favorites.
Health
December 22, 2020
San Antonio’s Bus Drivers Have Stepped Up During the Pandemic
Watch the video to follow Bobby Richardson and others as they deliver food, and support, to the families along their routes.
Health
December 22, 2020
Unwilling to Call in an Exterminator, 89-Year-Old Carlene Stalks a Tiny Foe
I’ve been living in my house for 31 years, and I never had a mouse in the house. Well, a few days after Thanksgiving I found a candy wrapper on the floor beneath my kitchen compactor. It was one of those Kind bars, with nuts in them. I…
The Culture
December 18, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: A West Texas Animal Shelter
Plus: the pleasures of pickling, a feminist take on the Mexican Revolution, and a Georgetown jeweler.
Being Texan
December 17, 2020
The Ten Most Memorable Things Influential Texans Told Us This Year
These are our favorite quotes from the actors, musicians, business leaders, and other prominent people who appeared in our pages.
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
The 2021 Bum Steer Awards
Let’s face it: this was no one’s favorite year. Here are a few dozen reasons why.
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
2021 Bum Steer of the Year: The Texas Democratic Party
Because it grew so overconfident about its ability to win Texas that it didn’t bother to figure out how to win Texas, the state’s Democratic party is our Bum Steer of the Year!…
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
Bum Steer Awards, 2021: Get Ready for the Amazing Adventures of PAXT-MAN!
Can you help Texas's attorney general escape the long arm of the law?…
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
Bum Steer Awards, 2021: The COVID Nineteen
The not-quite-twenty Texans who spectacularly disgraced themselves during the pandemic.
Best Thing In Texas
December 16, 2020
The Best Things in Texas, 2021
Not everything that happened last year was terrible. Here are a few reasons we kept hope alive.
Dining Guide
December 11, 2020
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our January 2021 Issue
What to order for takeout at restaurants around the state, plus some pro tips.
Travel & Outdoors
December 3, 2020
Ten Great Vacation Rentals Vetted by Texas Monthly Writers
From a stargazing spot in Terlingua to a lakefront cabin in the Hill Country, these are a few of our writers’ favorite getaways.
Politics & Policy
November 4, 2020
Roundup: Texas Elections 2020
Donald Trump wins the state, John Cornyn defeats MJ Hegar, and Democrats fail to make substantial gains in Congress or the Legislature.
Books
October 26, 2020
Texas Book Festival 2020
The Austin-based celebration of literary culture begins October 31.
Music
October 9, 2020
Willie: A Special Project
Dive into this collection devoted to Willie Nelson where you’ll find new essays about the Red Headed Stranger, our new podcast "One by Willie," a comprehensive ranking of every album Willie ever published, and more.
Podcasts
September 29, 2020
Tom Brown’s Body
In 2016 a popular teenager disappeared in the tiny Panhandle community of Canadian, Texas. Two years later, his remains were discovered beneath a tree outside of town. But to this day, no arrests have been made, and nearly everyone involved in the case has fallen under suspicion. Beginning September 29,…
Music
September 28, 2020
Announcing Our New Podcast ‘One by Willie’
Join senior editor John Spong and artists you love for intimate conversations about the Willie songs that mean the most to them.
Music
August 3, 2020
Get Ready for a New Season of Texas Monthly’s Sound Check Music Series
A special quarantine edition kicks off August 11 and will feature backyard performances by some of your favorite artists.
Politics & Policy
July 15, 2020
Roundup: Texas Primary Runoffs 2020
MJ Hegar defeated Royce West in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Troy Nehls crushes Kathaleen Wall in Fort Bend County, and other key results.
Film & TV
July 10, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’
Plus, re-creating a classic Texas cookie and sampling H-E-B's drive-through barbecue.
Where To Stay Now
June 29, 2020
First Look: Austin’s Most Anticipated Grand Hotel
The 1928 Commodore Perry mansion has been restored to its former glory and turned into an upscale resort unlike anything in the city. Join us on a virtual tour.
News & Politics
June 22, 2020
How I Became “The Guy Who Waves”
During the pandemic, Sam Waring put a sign in his yard: ”If the Curtain’s Open, Give Us a Wave, Eh?” Passersby obliged.
News
June 5, 2020
The Best and the Bums: Streets of Rage
A little girl responds to unspeakable loss, the governor de-escalates, black trail-riders take Discovery Green, Ted Cruz’s craven response to military force, and a guy with a sword in Deep Ellum.
Books
May 20, 2020
What to Read Now
Stuck at home? Run out of shows to binge-watch? We have a few suggestions.
Food & Drink
April 30, 2020
Sweet Relief: Your To-Go Guide to 19 Favorite Texas Bakeries
Where (and how) to get those treats you need right now, from flaky croissants and freshly made kolaches to addictive churros.
Health
April 28, 2020
A Rural Nurse Has Just About Had It
Suzanne Ohlmann is a heart failure nurse based in San Antonio, serving rural Texas. On Facebook, she’s waging a war against misinformation.
Music
April 25, 2020
Listen to ‘For the Love of Willie,’ a Texas Monthly Radio Hour
On April 25, an uninterrupted hour on KUTX delved into the backstories of some favorite Willie songs—including a few you’ve probably never heard.
Health
April 23, 2020
What You Should Know About the Coronavirus in Texas
Check back each day for updated figures about the number of COVID-19 cases in our state.
Health
April 23, 2020
“We Touch Everything That You Touch”
I’ve been employed with Austin Resource Recovery for sixteen years. I’ve always wanted to work for the city. It’s good benefits: it’s a job that a lot of people want. It’s steady, and you know it’s something that you can depend on and your family can depend on.
Books
April 23, 2020
Texas Monthly Bedtime Stories
Stressed? Can’t sleep? Curl up at home and let our writers help you escape into a great story.
Style & Design
April 21, 2020
With Salons Closed, an 89-Year-Old Houston Woman Washes Her Own Hair for the First Time in Decades
Unable to make her weekly appointment because of social distancing, Carlene takes her hair into her own hands.
Being Texan
April 16, 2020
An Eighth Grader Battles Existential Gloom, Watches Netflix
The kids are alright, but they’re getting a little bored.
Film & TV
April 15, 2020
How to Hunker Down Like a Texan
A guide to catching up on great culture from around the state while you’re holed up in isolation.
News & Politics
April 15, 2020
Haunting Scenes of a Pandemic-Induced Standstill
Images from across the state capture our eerily historic moment.
Travel & Outdoors
April 15, 2020
Fishin’ Across Texas
We’re calling it: Texas has the best fishing in the United States. Alaska and Florida are right up there. California is too, we guess. But what many Texans may not appreciate—even those of us who grew up casting lines—is the impressive diversity of fishing in the Lone Star State. Most…
Being Texan
April 14, 2020
“We’re Prepared for Just About Anything That Comes”
On a remote property near Terlingua, a prepper community is thriving.
Business
April 9, 2020
Mark Cuban’s Advice for Texas Small Business Owners
The tech entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner took reader questions about how to navigate the coronavirus crisis.
Border & Immigration
April 9, 2020
A Minister on the Border Tries to Keep Despair at Bay
There are about 2,000 migrants in the camp now. It changes every day—20 new families arrive, then 40 leave. Two months ago, the government made everyone move from the plaza—a park near the bridge—to the river bank. They were…
Being Texan
April 7, 2020
He Hoped Sheltering in Place Would Save His Marriage. Instead, It Led to Divorce.
“I guess the pandemic didn’t exactly end my marriage. It just revealed that it no longer really existed.”…