How “Poet of the Story” Katherine Anne Porter was Shaped (And Conflicted) by Growing up in Texas
She won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. President Kennedy praised her work. Vivien Leigh starred in her movie. Her life rivaled the character drama of Hemingway’s—four marriages, countless affairs, stints in New York and Paris and Mexico. But you may have never heard of Katherine Anne Porter. And even here in her home state, you’re even less likely to know that this 20th-century master of the short story could be the best writer ever born and raised in Texas. Read More »
Stories of Suffering and Salvation from Colonial Texas’ Western Edge
For the colonists who settled Texas, the Colorado River represented boundless potential—lands thick with alluvial soils, timber, and game. But as the edge of civilization, the Colorado also meant danger—a treacherous obstacle that was prone to flooding, deadly to cross, and a harbor for native tribes. Read More »
The Bard is Back
"As You Like It" and "Othello" are atop the bill for the 34th Texas Shakespeare Festival beginning Thursday at Kilgore College. Read More »
Seeking Solitude, an East Texas Native Discovers an Island of Indelible Characters
When I moved away from the Piney Woods, my old canoe stayed behind. Years passed before I came back to fetch it ... Read More »
A Refurbished Baker Hotel Signals a New Beginning in Mineral Wells
The venerable but long-vacated Baker Hotel, which opened in Mineral Wells in 1929 and once hosted personalities such as Judy Garland, Clark Gable, and president Lyndon Johnson, is poised to surge back to life under a newly announced $65 million renovation slated for completion in 2022. Read More »
Horse Racing, Ferris Wheels, Dancing—Find it All at the Gillespie County Fair in Fredericksburg
The fairgrounds draw horse racing fans from El Paso to Beaumont and Amarillo to McAllen. “People like watching the races here because they can get so close to the track,” says Billy Roeder, who recently retired after 28 years as a Gillespie County commissioner. Read More »
50 Years After JFK’s Moonshot, Historian Douglas Brinkley Recounts Its Lasting Influence on Texas
Rice University professor of history, CNN presidential historian, and perennial bestselling author Douglas Brinkley takes us to the moon this summer with his newest book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race. Released in time for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing in July 1969, Brinkley’s historical page-turner brings to life the personalities and interplaying forces that made this American triumph possible. Read More »
San Antonio’s Juneteenth Educates Future Generations
Texans are celebrating Juneteenth with events across the state this week, including today’s state government holiday. Read More »
Hopscotch, An Immersive Art Exhibit, Announces Permanent San Antonio Space
Taking over 18,000-square-feet and two stories of Travis Park Plaza in the downtown area, Hopscotch features rooms that will house anything from light installations and adult playscapes to experimental architecture and gamified environments. It’s set to open late 2019/early 2020. Read More »
Hitch a Ride on the Texas State Railroad from Rusk To Palestine
Join Amberly, Rich, and Luke as they head to the Piney Woods of East Texas in the June edition of "A Piece of Texas". Read More »
How Sweden-born Artist Kent Ullberg Found His Muse Along the Texas Gulf Coast
Kent Ullberg’s bronze sculptures dot the landscape across Texas—a giant bison in Corpus Christi, a cougar on the hunt in San Antonio, and eagles with outspread wings in Houston and College Station. Read More »
My Hometown: Luther Hotel Innkeeper Jack Findley Talks History and Having Fun on Tres Palacios Bay
At the historic Luther Hotel in Palacios, proprietor Jack Findley often mingles with guests on the front porch overlooking Matagorda Bay. Findley’s path to Palacios was circuitous. Read More »