The Stand Up Desk
January 25, 2024
Texas Monthly’s Forrest Wilder Will Go Anywhere for a Story—Especially Up
When Forrest Wilder isn’t hanging out at the state capitol, he’s often clinging to a cliff face.
Editor's Letter
The Stand Up Desk
October 18, 2023
Editor’s Letter: Our Food Team
A celebration of beloved neighborhood restaurants—and the many folks who cover food for Texas Monthly.
The Stand Up Desk
September 13, 2023
Texas Monthly’s New Look
Starting in this issue, you’ll find visual delight from the first page to the last—and a whole new section.
The Stand Up Desk
July 19, 2023
The Story Behind Senior Editor Ben Rowen’s Unusual Beat: Longboards and Legislators
He’s surfed in Waco, skied in College Station, and braved a karaoke bar where Texas lawmakers serenaded one another.
The Stand Up Desk
June 21, 2023
Meet Executive Editor Michael Hall: Rock Star, Award-Winning Journalist, and a New Documentary’s Leading Man
Decades of his dogged reporting are receiving well-deserved recognition.
The Stand Up Desk
May 17, 2023
How Texas Monthly Went Hollywood
Meet our executive producer Megan Creydt, who’s shepherding dozens of the magazine’s stories to the silver screen.
The Stand Up Desk
April 12, 2023
Behind the Scenes of Our Lively New Hotel Package
Meet Texas Monthly executive editor (and travel and lifestyle guru) Kathy Blackwell.
The Stand Up Desk
March 15, 2023
The Creative Whiz Behind Our Award-Winning Photography
Meet Texas Monthly’s photo editor, Claire Hogan.
The Stand Up Desk
February 15, 2023
Meet the Writer Behind Our March Cover Story
Mimi Swartz’s latest epic is a must-read tale of a decades-long attempt to sabotage Texas’s public schools.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Birth of Texas Monthly Is a Very Texan Story
On the occasion of our fiftieth anniversary, we reflect on how far we’ve come—and where we’re headed.
The Stand Up Desk
December 14, 2022
The Making of Our New Podcast, ‘White Hats’
Meet the folks behind our latest audio project, which grapples with the complicated legacy of the Texas Rangers.
The Stand Up Desk
November 17, 2022
From the Editor: Meet Our Award-Winning Creative Director
Go behind the scenes with the inventive force shaping our photography and design.
The Stand Up Desk
October 19, 2022
From the Editor: Top Chefs
Meet the editors and writers behind our award-winning food coverage.
The Stand Up Desk
September 14, 2022
From the Editor: Writer on the Roam
For Texas Monthly’s latest cover story, our correspondent set out to capture the state’s plenitude of roadside quirks.
The Stand Up Desk
August 17, 2022
From the Editor: “Sparkle Plenty,” Chronicler of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Sarah Hepola’s cover story expertly examines the fifty-year history of the famous NFL cheerleading squad.
The Stand Up Desk
July 20, 2022
From the Editor: Critters and Californians
Newly named senior editors Rose Cahalan and Ben Rowen elevate our coverage of Texas’s wildlife and wild politics.
The Stand Up Desk
June 22, 2022
From the Editor: The Power of the Provisional
Texas Monthly makes it official with senior editors Jason Heid and Michael Hardy.
The Stand Up Desk
May 18, 2022
From the Editor: Boomerangs and Beards
Texas Monthly welcomes a new deputy editor for digital journalism and celebrates a strong awards showing.
The Stand Up Desk
April 13, 2022
From the Editor: Meat Sweats and Massages
Arts and entertainment editor Josh Alvarez gets into the spirit of the story, no matter what he's working on.
The Stand Up Desk
March 16, 2022
From the Editor: A Dan for All Seasons
Senior editor Dan Solomon reports on topics from the wacky to the weighty.
The Stand Up Desk
January 20, 2022
Our New Partners in Video Storytelling
Texas Monthly has a deal with HBO and is the new owner of ‘Texas Country Reporter.’
The Stand Up Desk
December 16, 2021
From the Editor: Saluting Two Creative Natives
Our creative director, Emily Kimbro, and design director, Victoria Millner, keep Texas Monthly looking good.
The Stand Up Desk
September 15, 2021
From the Editor: An Energetic New Colleague
As Texas Monthly’s new energy editor, Russell Gold will dig deep into one of our state’s most crucial industries.
The Stand Up Desk
July 21, 2021
From the Editor: Powerful Storytellers
Mike Hall was recently honored for his incisive coverage of the Texas legal system, while Casey Gerald brought a singular voice to our cover story on Fort Worth singer-songwriter Leon Bridges.
The Stand Up Desk
June 23, 2021
From the Editor: Team Player
J. K. Nickell, features director for ‘Texas Monthly,’ was instrumental in bringing this month's cover story to life.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
From the Editor: Going Hollywood
Texas Monthly is making big moves into film and television.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2020
From the Editor, November 2020: “BBQ, Boots—and Ballots”
An ambitious politics cover package ahead of the 2020 election wouldn't have been possible without these key players.
The Stand Up Desk
August 19, 2020
From the Editor, September 2020: “Knives Out”
The team behind this month's well-red cover story.
The Stand Up Desk
July 22, 2020
From the Editor, August 2020: “The Annas in Our Engine Room”
Behind the scenes, two staffers with the same first name keep Texas Monthly running smoothly.
The Stand Up Desk
June 24, 2020
From the Editor, July 2020: “A Spong for You”
Senior editor John Spong is the brains behind our special thirteenth issue of Texas Monthly devoted to the life and music of Willie Nelson. The issue publishes in August.
The Stand Up Desk
May 20, 2020
From the Editor, June 2020: “Investing in Talent”
We introduce you to Texas Monthly's newest editorial staff members.
Bum Steers
December 18, 2019
From the Editor, January 2020: Herding Bum Steers
Plus, feeling grateful for our gimlet-eyed deputy editor, Jeff Salamon.
The Stand Up Desk
November 20, 2019
From the Editor, December 2019: Boots on the Ground
On bee stings and boots—both cowboy and combat.
The Stand Up Desk
October 16, 2019
From the Editor, November 2019
On Texas Monthly’s newest hires.
The Stand Up Desk
September 18, 2019
From the Editor, October 2019
On the battle over Texas history, a serial killer in Laredo, and more in our October issue.
The Stand Up Desk
August 20, 2019
From the Editor, September 2019
On honky-tonks, a collaboration with the Texas Tribune, and more in our September issue.
The Stand Up Desk
July 24, 2019
From the Editor, August 2019
A letter from our editor.
The Stand Up Desk
June 21, 2019
From the Editor, July 2019
A letter from our editor.
The Stand Up Desk
May 29, 2019
From the Horse’s Mouth, June 2019
A letter from our editor.
The Stand Up Desk
April 24, 2019
From the Horse’s Mouth, May 2019
A letter from our editor.
The Stand Up Desk
March 25, 2019
From the Horse’s Mouth, April 2019
A letter from our editor.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
Behind the Lines
Something special.
The Stand Up Desk
January 20, 2013
Behind the Lines
TALK OF CHANGE AND REFORM has been in the air since the Sharpstown scandals more than perhaps at any time in our state’s history. Such talk is welcome, and, as most of us apparently felt in the last elections, mandatory. One imagines that talk of reform came as uncomfortably, but
Film & TV
November 1, 1998
Looking for Love
‘Urban Cowboy’ rides again.
The Stand Up Desk
April 1, 1998
Empire of Culture
How Texas—and Texas Monthly—has changed.
The Stand Up Desk
January 1, 1997
Testy Mail
IN NOVEMBER WE PUBLISHED A RANKING of 3,172 public grade schools in Texas, giving each school one of five grades, from four stars (the best) to no stars (the worst). This article provoked an unusual amount of mail. Some of the letters were barely restrained victory whoops from people connected
The Stand Up Desk
April 30, 1974
Behind the Lines
On a warm March morning we went looking for the grave of my great-great-grandmother Nancy Daugherty. My mother had visited the grave more than 40 years before, and remembered only that it was near the capitol and that a small iron fence encircled the plot. We found the grave amid
Politics & Policy
March 31, 1974
Behind the Lines
We Texans have always seemed to drive more, and farther, and for perhaps stranger reasons, than just about anyone else. Young people in the bleak and monotonous landscapes of West and North Texas grew up accustomed to endless, aimless rides around the countryside and to regular trips into the cities
The Stand Up Desk
February 28, 1974
Behind the Lines
Writing about Larry L. King is a difficult task that leaves me feeling like some sweating country jeweler stooped over a fine stone trying to fashion an appropriate setting out of tin. Some good writers have craft; others have soul and spirit. Larry has what great writers have: he has
The Stand Up Desk
January 1, 1974
Behind the Lines
INMATES OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT of Corrections have made 181 new desks for about $34 a desk. Rockford Furniture Associates of Austin has fashioned matching chairs for $180 a chair. A new electronic voting board has been installed for $33,500 ($200 more than the total cost for the chairs). These