News & Politics
September 15, 2014
Patently Unfair
How the small East Texas town of Marshall became a personal hell for some of the country’s biggest high-tech companies.
Columns
Music
September 12, 2014
I Am Womack, Hear Me Roar
Lee Ann Womack became a star the old-fashioned Nashville way. Now she’s ready to be an artist on her own terms.
Politics & Policy
September 12, 2014
Out to Pasture
Paul Burka on Jim Hogan and the plight of the Democrats.
The Texanist
August 8, 2014
The Texanist: Are the Banks of a Stream Free to Use for Camping?
Our estimable advice columnist on camping by a river, shooting by a river, choosing what heels to wear (not by a river), and more.
behind the lines
August 8, 2014
Turning the Page
Brian D. Sweany on taking the reins at Texas Monthly—and always carrying a pen.
Music
August 7, 2014
Cowboy Rides Again
Some overdue recognition for Manuel Donley, Tejano’s first rock star.
Country Notes
August 5, 2014
The Promise of Thunder
When you live in the desert, waiting for rain requires almost irrational optimism. And maybe a curse word or two.
Books
August 5, 2014
Dallas Flambé
With its tight prose, waitress heroine, and stinging insight into urban life, Merritt Tierce’s debut marks an exciting turn in Texas literature.
Texas History
August 5, 2014
The Livermore Cache
Why did hunter-gatherers bury their arrow points on the tallest peak in the Davis Mountains?
Politics & Policy
July 15, 2014
Grand Old Problem
What Greg Abbott and the Republican party should have learned from their state convention.
The Texanist
July 15, 2014
The Texanist: Is There “No Such Thing as Bad Barbecue”?
Our estimable advice columnist on bad barbecue vs. no barbecue, rodeo bullfighting, and dogs at bars.
Music
July 10, 2014
The Way They Get By
Spoon gets ready to take its new album to the top of the charts.
Politics & Policy
July 10, 2014
Start Making Cents
The virtual currency Bitcoin is perfect for Texas’s don’t-fence-me-in ethos. It may also be a disaster waiting to happen.
News & Politics
July 10, 2014
Sam Rayburn’s Bates List Finder
The legendary speaker of the House had his own version of a little black book—and it included numbers for a florist, a fishing buddy, and two future presidents.
The Texanist
June 5, 2014
The Texanist: What Are Happening to Dining Traditions of Yore?
Our estimable advice columnist on bygone dining traditions, feeling homesick, and the indelible effects of living a mere five years in Texas.
Film & TV
June 5, 2014
A Double Date With Leatherface
Forty years later, I still can’t forget sitting in a darkened theater to watch “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” with the movie’s leading man.
The Culture
June 5, 2014
Mother of the Bride
A few days before her wedding, my daughter asked for marriage advice. But what’s there to say about the craziest institution around?
The Culture
June 5, 2014
Cat Power
How one feline (and then a couple more, and then another) conquered both our hearts and our mice.
Books
June 5, 2014
Race and Relations
Journalist Chris Tomlinson delves into the parallel histories of two Texas families with the same last name—one black, one white.
Politics & Policy
June 5, 2014
Guv Story
Paul Burka on Rick Perry’s greatest feat: completely changing state government.
Music
May 9, 2014
How Long Blues
What will it take for Stevie Ray Vaughan to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
The Texanist
May 9, 2014
The Texanist: Can a Non-Native Texan Teach Texas History?
Our estimable advice columnist on seventh-grade Texas history teachers, the ban on the can ban, sought-after stick sausages, and more.
Texas History
May 9, 2014
Spanish Gauntlet
Faced with the realities of a rugged land, a band of sixteenth-century explorers left behind their dreams of conquest, as well as this chain mail glove.
Behind the Lines
May 9, 2014
Gone to (and From) Texas
Jake Silverstein on what first drew him to Texas, what kept him here, and what he will miss as he takes his leave.
Energy
May 9, 2014
Liquid Assets
You know that fracking boom? Now it’s putting Texas at the front of a new energy race: exporting natural gas to the rest of the world.
News & Politics
April 21, 2014
The Rough Guide to Frackistan
Energy reporter Russell Gold gives us a reason to give a frak about fracking.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2014
Cities, Slicker
Mimi Swartz on how the rise of our cities will lead to a new kind of government.
Politics & Policy
April 10, 2014
Squeeze Play
How Comcast SportsNet Houston could doom the Astros. A cautionary tale.
The Culture
April 8, 2014
True Colors
As a teenager I thought a quick paint job would help my family blend in to our white suburban neighborhood. Now I'm glad it wasn't that simple.
The Texanist
April 8, 2014
The Texanist: Does Anyone Actually Have a “Roll in the Hay”?
Our estimable advice columnist on euphemisms involving the word "hay," A&M's unaptly named yearbook, and meat preparation preferences.
The Texanist
March 19, 2014
The Texanist: Has Society Become Too Protective and Overly Litigious?
Our estimable advice columnist on equestrian liability, Texan genealogy, and Furr’s Fresh Buffet vs. Luby’s Cafeteria.
Politics & Policy
March 7, 2014
Bio Hazard
Campaigns get complicated when politics and gender collide. Just ask Wendy Davis.
News & Politics
March 6, 2014
Fire Fight
How Houston mayor Annise Parker’s nasty battle with the firefighters’ pension fund could affect the fate of Texas’s largest city.
Country Notes
March 4, 2014
Home Making
The lonely, calloused, plaster-caked ballad of the do-it-yourself renovator.
Texas History
March 4, 2014
Sallie Tate’s Emancipation Dress
A rare relic of slavery in Texas—and one woman’s freedom.
The Culture
March 3, 2014
Before the McConaissance
Searching for signs of greatness in the tepid rom-coms of this year’s best actor.
The Texanist
February 11, 2014
The Texanist: How Do I Break It to My Children That They Ate the Livestock “Pets”?
Our estimable advice columnist on how to talk to kids about edible pets, whether Plano is pretentious, what constitutes a “major” city, and more.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2014
Evolution of the Specious
The arguments against teaching evolution in schools have largely failed. Have they finally come to an end?
Books
February 11, 2014
Coming to Our Census
Former state demographer Steve H. Murdock is back, with a book that should be required reading for all 26,060,796 of us.
The Culture
February 11, 2014
All the Pretty Ponies
Growing up at Charro Days.
Business
February 11, 2014
The Generation Gap
Was deregulating the Texas electricity markets a colossal mistake?
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2014
A Long and Bitter Fight
How the debate over abortion has come to define our politics like no other issue.
The Texanist
January 22, 2014
The Texanist: Can You Recommend a Cure for Cedar Fever?
Our estimable advice columnist on the best way to endure the cedar allergy season, the safety of mutton busting, how to impress your valentine this month, and more.
Politics & Policy
January 15, 2014
Below the Surface
The Legislature was looking in the wrong place when it tried to solve the state’s water crisis.
Music
January 10, 2014
The Perfectionist
Robert Ellis is the next big thing. Trust me.
Film
January 10, 2014
Dreaming in the Dark
Nearly everything about moviegoing has changed since I first fell in love with the big screen as a kid. But my ardor remains.
Business
January 9, 2014
High-Fiber Duet
The competition between Google and AT&T to bring ultra-high-speed Internet to Austin is not exactly what it seems.
Texas History
January 9, 2014
Santa Anna’s Chamber Pot
The story behind an unusual trophy of the Texas Revolution.
Music
December 10, 2013
Sweethearts of the Radio
How the Eli Young Band cracked the code of the country music business and became one of Texas’s most successful exports.
The Texanist
December 10, 2013
The Texanist: Should I Let My Teenaged Son Go on a Coed Camping Trip?
Our estimable advice columnist on when teenagers should be allowed to go on unchaperoned coed camping trips, whether Coloradans hate Texans, and more.