For 45 years, Texas Monthly has hosted a conversation about Texas, and what it means to be Texan, in smart and engaging ways. We do that better than ever today through our monthly print magazine, with our daily writing and reporting online, in podcasts and videos, and, increasingly, at live events.

This September 7th and 8th, we are hosting our second-annual Edge of Texas event in Dallas, and it promises to be even more compelling and memorable than our inaugural effort last year. Over two days, we will expose you to the ideas, people, and trends reshaping our state. Just as any issue of the magazine may challenge, enlighten, or entertain you, the Edge of Texas weekend aims to do all of the above and more. Only there won’t be a page or a screen separating us—we’ll all be together at the Belo Mansion in downtown Dallas, and the Empire Room in the Design District—and, as a result (if last year is any guide), you’ll feel closer to and more a part of that conversation than ever.

We have a lineup loaded with great food, big ideas, challenging topics, and amazing music. Our opening-night event will explore the legacy of the outlaw movement in country music. Featuring performances by and discussions with Joe Ely, Jessi Coulter, Holly Williams, Jack Ingram, and others, as well as exclusive clips of a forthcoming documentary series on outlaw country, we will take you through the past, present, and future of one of the seminal movements in music history.

On Saturday, we will have a series of conversations addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time. Executive editor Mike Hall will speak with the outspoken and ever-articulate Dale Hansen about the perilous intersection of sports and politics. Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth will interview the original prosecutor in the controversial Darlie Routier case, which was recently featured in an ABC special series. Andy Langer, host of our National Podcast of Texas, will interview the up-and-coming comedian Mo Amer about immigration (Amer and his family emigrated from Kuwait to Houston during the first Gulf War), and editor-at-large Tom Foster will sit down with best-selling author and podcaster Tim Ferriss to ask why he moved from California to Texas—and explore why the two states represent such different visions for America.

There’s more—a lot more. We’ll talk with reality TV stars Rachel Lindsay and Alyssa Edwards. We’ve got four of the most promising filmmakers in Texas coming. Ben Fountain, an award-winning author whose (and provocatively titled) book Beautiful Country, Burn Again will be out soon, will be there. We’ll talk about the family-separation crisis, give you an intimate look at the wildlife and terrain along the Rio Grande, do some wild imagining about the coming virtual and augmented reality revolution, and host what is sure to be a spirited debate between chefs and pitmasters. Talk about range!

We will conclude Saturday evening with—what else?—a great big party, featuring world-class food, music, and curated experiences you won’t soon forget. The theme celebrates Texas coming together. It’s a rare quality in today’s world to disagree without being disagreeable. If there’s any place where that can happen, it’s Texas, and if there’s anyone suited to facilitate that kind of conversation, it’s Texas Monthly. Come join us—you won’t regret it.