Abilene, Through the Looking Glass
A monumental blown-glass installation inside a sparkling new library reflects a city—one grappling with an AI boom and an insurgent book-banner—that’s defined by its slippery cultural identity.
Leaving His Mark On Houston’s Inprint
Rich Levy, the man behind the Bayou City’s prestigious reading series and the brains behind Inprint, an unusual literary nonprofit, is retiring.
Reckoning with History: What Should Become of the Cesar Chavez National Monument?
"We have to have the correct individuals at the table that are helping lead these conversations. It should be taken out of politics."
Jesse Jackson Comes to Town
In honor of the late civil rights leader, the Observer resurfaces an encounter between the reverend and Molly Ivins.
The Aesthete from Archer
A new biography of Larry McMurtry tells the tale of a writer ever met with misreading.
The Plight of the Monarch
All along their journey, from my hometown suburb to their winter home in Mexico, the iconic butterflies face human-made threats.
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‘Proudly Claiming Our Tears’: Fathers Stand Together for Their Trans and Nonbinary Kids
In “The Dads,” a new documentary that premiered at SXSW, men open up to each other about their hope, their fears, and their unconditional love for their children.
Time Comes for Castroville
The Little Alsace of Texas, my once and current home, has long been more comfortable with an idealized past than with its full history or contradictory present.
Mythbusting Texas’ Reactionary Past
A new book doesn't romanticize our state's history, but it does establish a neglected throughline of solidarity.