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Katy Vine joined the editorial department of Texas Monthly in 1997 and became a staff writer in 2002. As a general assignment reporter, she has written dozens of features on a range of topics, including rocket scientist Franklin Chang Díaz, hip-hop legend Bun B, barbecue pitmasters, cult leader Warren Jeffs, refugees in Amarillo, the moon landing, a three-person family circus, chess prodigies, a woman who kidnapped the Kilgore Rangerettes director and her daughter, an accountant who embezzled $17 million from a fruitcake company, and a con man who crashed cars, yachts, and planes for insurance money. Her stories have been anthologized in Best American Sports Writing and Best Food Writing. Her feature story about a West Texas sting operation was the inspiration for the 2012 television series The Client List.

335 Articles

Style & Design|
November 20, 2019

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.

Politics & Policy|
November 23, 2016

Lost and Found

They have fled war-torn countries, given up livelihoods, and left behind possessions and family for the safety of a foreign world of cowboy hats and Walmarts. But the refugees who land in Amarillo’s Astoria Park have an ally who understands their confusion and loss: a 64-year-old former teacher named Miss

Art|
September 14, 2016

Fame in the Abstract

Dorothy Hood was one of Texas’s greatest artists, yet her work remains largely unknown. Now, sixteen years after her death, can her fans bring her the acclaim she never received in life?

True Crime|
December 23, 2015

Just Desserts

Sandy Jenkins was a quiet accountant at the Collin Street Bakery who felt overlooked and dreamed of living the good life. He found it (for a while) by embezzling nearly $17 million from the famed fruitcake maker.

Business|
October 27, 2015

When China Came to Houston

This past year, China surpassed all other foreign countries in terms of properties purchased and dollars spent. And with increasing frequency, investors are coming to the Houston area, which now has a Chinese population of 86,000.

Family Traditions|
October 8, 2014

Revisiting the Family Circus

Eight-year-old Giovanni and six-year-old Victor can ride the Globe of Death, spin plates, and transfix large audiences. As the eighth generation of the Flores Family Thrill Show, it’s their birthright.

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