Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Barton Springs Pool in the Dark Is Its Own World
Swimming before sunrise became a necessary ritual for novelist Elizabeth McCracken during an uncertain time. And then came the strangers.
Personal Essay
Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Reeling in the Years at a Cabin in the Laguna Madre
My family’s shack on an island in the world’s largest hypersaline lagoon has brought us closer to the fishing—and to one another.
Opinion
June 2, 2022
My Uvalde
I’ve lived in Uvalde for thirteen years. Our community is more complex and nuanced than media portrayals suggest.
Being Texan
May 11, 2022
The Joy and Struggle of Learning Spanish as a Tejano Adult
I used to feel ashamed that I didn't speak Spanish. Now I understand why my parents didn't teach me.
Being Texan
March 22, 2022
The Boy From Booker T.
A decade after losing one of their own, the former residents of an Austin housing project reckon with their upbringing and the tragedy that changed them.
Being Texan
March 14, 2022
Me and My Truck: A Love Story
For fifteen years, my 2005 GMC Sierra has, through good times and bad weather, taken me to every corner of Texas. It might be time to say goodbye, but it won’t be easy.
Being Texan
January 11, 2022
How Much Is a Dog’s Life Worth?
A writer learns the hard way—the hardest way—that in Texas the answer is: not much.
Being Texan
December 15, 2021
All I Want for Christmas . . . Is You
When a grown-up son visits for the holiday, a mom takes what she can get.
News & Politics
December 2, 2021
A Texas School District Banned My Book. Then Things Got Really Ugly.
I’ve been the target of censorship and vicious harassment, but my greatest worry is what this trend means for young people who rely on school libraries.
Being Texan
October 15, 2021
This Year’s State Fair Was Overstimulating, Anxiety-Inducing—and Exactly What I Needed
After nearly two years of pandemic life, I didn’t even realize just how much I was craving this release.
Being Texan
May 17, 2021
What an Obscure Childhood Experience Taught Me About the Nature of Memory
Passing through a desolate stretch of North Texas, I set an anchor in the sea of time.
Personal Essay
June 28, 2019
Farewell to the “Rambling Boy,” Lonn Taylor
The Fort Davis historian and raconteur knew and loved Texas and its people like no one else.
Art
February 1, 2003
An Unmarried Woman
My divorce made me what I am today.
Being Texan
January 1, 1995
Closing the Circle J
A final farewell to the Hill Country spread that for more than thirty years meant everything to me and my family.
Texas History
March 1, 1993
Indian Takers
All across Texas, vandals are searching for ancient treasures by looting Indian campgrounds—including the one on my family’s ranch.
Being Texan
March 1, 1992
He Called Me Puddin’
Through sickness and health. Texas humorist John Henry Faulk was my mentor, my idol, my friend.
Being Texan
October 1, 1991
The Eye of the Bull
All I wanted to do was photograph the running of the bulls. I never intended to risk my life.
Being Texan
November 1, 1985
Preacher’s Kids
My father had to have an answer for everything—adultery, spiritual crises, the pigeons defecating in the church gutter. No wonder I didn’t become a preacher. The miracle is that my sister did.
Being Texan
June 1, 1983
For Names’ Sake
Life is tough all over, but especially for Juniors.
Being Texan
June 1, 1983
It’s Just Another Day
Kids, house, husband—these are the natural enemies of a well-ordered day.
Travel & Outdoors
May 1, 1983
The Cow’s in the Corn
Or, my life as a Texas gardener.
Being Texan
July 1, 1982
What Texas Means to Me
God created Texas, and then He created people who would love it.
Travel & Outdoors
March 1, 1981
Going Under
For a man and his daughter out for a pleasant day’s fishing, the first sign of danger was a man’s hat floating silently down the stream.
Politics & Policy
July 1, 1980
Why I Turned In Lee Otis Johnson
When black militant Lee Otis Johnson got out of prison his old friends welcomed him with open arms. Later, some of them wished they hadn’t.
Being Texan
June 1, 1980
Lawn Boy
Here’s how to achieve inner peace, perfect serenity, spiritual calm, and a nice, neat lawn.
Health
February 1, 1980
The Crack-Up
You learn one clear and not so very grim lesson by looking death in the face.
Being Texan
December 1, 1979
My Life and Hard Times in the Junior League
“In the League, you’ll run into a little tradition, some noblesse oblige, and a lot of talk about diets, dyslexia, designer dresses, and divorce.”
Health
December 1, 1979
Smokers Are People Too
You can always spot a smoker. He fiddles with matches, his shirt pocket bulges in a tiny rectangle, and fumes emerge from his mouth and nose. But what should we do about him?
Health
June 1, 1976
Physician, Heal Thyself
How a doctor got hooked on drugs, and how he got off.
Being Texan
November 1, 1975
God’s Country
Abilene, Abilene, strangest town I’ve ever seen.