‘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
Throwing the Book at Books in Prison
Inside Books Project volunteers have sent used books to Texas inmates for nearly 30 years. A new crackdown is threatening their work.
A Queer Texan Retraces Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile trip
Austin author and essayist Lauren Hough serves up a monster of a tale about traveling with a dog named Woody Guthrie on a road trip across America.
A Mirror and a Portal
Through self-portraiture, a trans Texan photographer steps in front of the camera to document their journey to find home within.
Betty Simmons, a Texan in Slavery’s Last Years
Narratives collected by the federal Works Progress Administration, like the one recounted here, are an invaluable tool for retelling American history.
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.
The Great Wilonsky Returns to the Newsroom
Meet the veteran Dallas newspaperman and devoted follower of “the religion of righteousness and truth-telling.”
‘La Causa’ Continues in South Texas
We cannot ignore César’s influence and leadership. At the same time, we must acknowledge his abuse, support the victims, and condemn any other similar conduct in a movement that was never about one person, no matter how iconic.
A Black Cowboy Museum, Rebooted
With diversity and history under attack in Texas, Fort Bend County leaders are bucking trends to back the expansion of a museum featuring Black cowboy culture.