‘Earth Has No Sorrow’: Visions of a Caldwell County Long Gone
The Observer resurfaces a 50-year-old collection of fine arts photography and unique oral history.
Culture
Penned Poetry: A Formerly Incarcerated Activist’s Turn to Verse
Longtime advocate Jorge Antonio Renaud lyricizes the grit of prison life in his first published collection of poems, The Restlessness of Bound Wrists.
The San Antonio Flood of 1921 Held Lessons We Refuse to Learn
There is nothing unknown about what triggered the brutal Hill Country flood of 2025 and so many others dating back to the nineteenth century.
The History of Eugenics in Texas Isn’t What You Think
A new book unearths a chapter of the state’s story when anti-intellectual fundamentalism was put to good ends.
Can a Great Museum City Survive the Censorious Right?
Fear and reticence spread in Fort Worth as Sally Mann’s nude photos of her children were held as police evidence.
The Rio Grande Valley as Heart of LGBTQ+ Resistance and Joy
As we celebrate Pride Month, I am struck by the contrast of what I know to be true about this region and what the popular narratives may be.
Wrestling with the American Dream
Afghan refugees find a home on a San Antonio high school athletics team.
Art Is Immortality
Suddenly, Analina dips her head. Grief seems on the verge of overwhelming her—until something visibly intervenes…