In a state this big and with skies this endless, the call of the open road comes for every Texan. But each traveler has their own story to tell.
That’s the catalyst for Texas Highways’ acclaimed Open Road essay series. Since 2018, this section of the print magazine has been an outlet for some of our most esteemed writers to share their journeys across the state—and what Texas means to them. Essays from the series have showcased New York Times bestselling authors, been nominated for a National Magazine Award, and appeared in numerous national outlets.
As Texas Highways approaches 100 essays, we bring you a new way to experience Open Road: a monthly audio essay, narrated by the respective author and set against the backdrop of the Lone Star State, from Big Bend to the Piney Woods.
So, hop in your car, queue up an episode, and set out in a new direction—the road is calling.
Audio Produced by Katey Psencik
Episode 3
Mapping New Land
Writer Sam Stephenson was already living in Texas in his head before migrating from his home in coastal North Carolina. He and his family were looking for a house in College Station when their realtor told him about a place that sounded familiar: Matagorda.
“It was her family’s favorite spot on the coast. They liked it because it was isolated and remote, with basically no tourism except people there to fish or watch birds. This sounded good to me.”
Listen to Episode 3 Now
Episode 2
On Little Islands
Writer Elizabeth Gonzalez James explores her family’s history as crypto-Jews, Catholic converts who continued to practice Jewish rituals in secret during the Inquisition.
“I felt I was closing a wound that had opened 500 years earlier, finishing a story that had remained incomplete.”
Listen to Episode 2 Now
Episode 1
Amarillo By Morning
While coping with a loss, writer Emily Gogolak returns to the Panhandle to repay a stranger who helped her when she was stranded on the side of the road.
“That memory is a stand-in for everything I miss about Texas—the openness of its plains, the enormity of its sky, the quiet kindness of its strangers.”
Listen to Episode 1 Now