Jazz on a Diamond Needle Hi-Fi
Not a poem about jazz. A poem that is jazz. Deborah J. Hunter's "Jazz on a Diamond-Needle Hi-Fi" performed live in
Abby Wendle
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Kate Kline’s Veggies and Wine
In the 1960s, Kate Kline abandoned normal food and an oppressive marriage for long hair and a vegetarian
Abby Wendle
Oh, Paperboy!
Matt O’Meilia was an aspiring musician and had a neighborhood paper route. Then, a rock star moved in next door: Leon
Abby Wendle
Migration Happens
Tim Hernandez writes about the lives of Mexican immigrants in the United States. Here, he discusses climate change and
Abby Wendle
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos: Finding Woody’s Deportees
What do you call someone who breaks the law by crossing the border into the United States? An illegal? An alien?
Abby Wendle
“Driveway”: A Collaborative Reading of Ron Padgett’s Poem
In "Driveway," poet Ron Padgett wrestles with the city in his skin: Tulsa. We had people on the street read this poem
Abby Wendle
So Long Joe Brainard
John Brainard remembers his brother Joe, a Tulsa-born artist who befriended Frank O' Hara, Andy Warhol, John Ashbery,
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This Highway Life
Author Richard Higgs was a long haul trucker for a year and a half. Here, he shares the perils and isolation of the
Abby Wendle
Buddie’s Pride
In his prime, Dana Livingston's father was an Oklahoma superhero. He lettered in four sports, drilled oil wells, and
Abby Wendle
“Cardiology” by Nicklaus Faith: Poetry Circus Edition
People on the street perform Niklaus Faith’s “Cardiology", then discuss one dead bug and the desire to move
Abby Wendle
Three Springs Farm
For Earth Day, we bring you a portrait of Three Springs Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Oaks, Oklahoma. Emily
Abby Wendle
After the Oklahoma City Bombing: A Fresh Look
Andrew Gumbel co-wrote the book Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed–and Why it Still Matters (2012,
Abby Wendle
Harvesting Tomorrow
Dr. Lewis Ziska is a plant ecologist at the United States Department of Agriculture. Ziska's work examines the effects
Abby Wendle
Inside Oklahoma’s Death Chamber
Kelly Kurt Brown used to cover Oklahoma's death chamber for the Associated Press. Over the course of a few years, she
Abby Wendle
From the Archives: Speedy West and David Teegarden
Two musicians with Oklahoma connections, pedal steel guitarist Speedy West and drummer David Teegarden, each tell us a
Abby Wendle
Professor B Looney
Early in life, Steve Smith started working as a chaplain in a children’s hospital. But he quickly began transforming
Abby Wendle
“The Devil is Not Art”
A statue of the Satanic deity Baphomet may be coming to the Oklahoma State Capitol. Here, pedestrians around the
Abby Wendle
Tulsa’s Slow Integration
John W. Franklin is the grandson of an African American lawyer who survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. He’s been
Abby Wendle
Cleaning Graves in Calvert
"Cleaning Graves in Calvert" recounts a burial ritual in a small town in Texas. The poem prompts one reader to recall
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It Started with a Crush
Ron Padgett is a poet, translator, and memoirist from Tulsa. He left for New York in 1960 to find inspiration from
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The Dancing Demigod of Tulsa
Catherine Margaret "Skilly" Forsman had a beautiful body. She earned it dancing, which she began shortly after popping
Abby Wendle
The Blues Big Time
Little Joe Mclerran is a old-fashioned bluesman. He's only 30, but he dresses like someone in a black-and-white movie:
Abby Wendle
Bat Watch
Once a year, over a million bats fly to a cave in northwest Oklahoma to give birth. Natasha Ball took a trip to this
Abby Wendle
Wal★Mart, I Can’t Quit You
An ode to the superstore and its people. This story was produced in partnership with The Texas Observer.
Abby Wendle
Giant Bass!
Basses come in varying types including the striped bass, the large mouth bass, the small mouth bass, and the spotted
Abby Wendle
Okie Noodling and Fat-Fried Catfish
Hand fishing, grabbling, or noodling is something that Gary Altizer knows plenty about. After all, he is a proud 4th
Abby Wendle
Growing Up a Poet
Poet John Brehm dives beneath the chit-chat and finds his soul in the river. Read more poems. Music Cattail
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Poietry To The People: Coming Home by Ken Hada
People around Oklahoma read a poem by Ken Hada. Read more poetry. MusicAutumn Sunset by Jason
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Racing Around the World
Jack Seehafer grew up bike racing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He moved to Colorado to coach for Team Type 1. Here, Jack shares
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Warm and Fuzzy, with Some Grit
JD McPherson is a singer and guitarist with a retro sound. He grew up listening to punk music and studied video
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To Write with Power
Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14th, 1912. To celebrate his one-hundred-second birthday, we're
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This Land Radio: An Encounter with Bob Dylan
Jeff Martin, This Land's fiction editor, tells us about the time he met Bob Dylan behind Cain's Ballroom.
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This Land Radio: Howdy, John Hood
We stopped by the one bar in a one-bar-town and met John Hood. John used to be addicted to gambling. Now he has
Abby Wendle
This Land Radio: Meet Your Meat
Three friends confront their meat-eating ways. They recount the day they gutted, skinned and ate the first animal
Abby Wendle
Cicada III
I am drawn to the empty husk of the Cicada where it clings to the bark of a tree in my backyard. Fearing I will
Scott Aycock
A Reading of Carol Johnson’s “Poet Issues”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Carol Johnson overcomes her fear of poets, then helps one
Carol Johnson
A Reading of Russell Cobb’s “Where the Buffalo Drift”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Russell Cobb drifts toward downtown Tulsa, and the
Russell Cobb
A Reading of Rivka Galchen’s “Severe Storm Watch”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Heroes rise from the McDonald's drive-thru in Rivka
Rivka Galchen
Cheryl Babcock
One of the most innovative architectural structures in the Midwest, Shin’en Kan was a house unparalleled. Bruce Goff
Shawna Lewis
W.T. Brady Court Transcript
In the early 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had been so active in Tulsa, Oklahoma - doing everything from holding parades to
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 1 – Where is Oklahoma?
In our inaugural episode of This Land Radio, we asked the question on every Oklahoman's mind: Where the heck are
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 2 – Keeping Bees
Holly Wall talks Russian steak and virgin birth. Mark Brown gets lost in a beehive. Iraq and Afghanistan war
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 3 – Sports!
This week, we learn the rules of the game just enough to question them. Russell Cobb tells the story of Johnny
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This Land Radio: Episode 4 – Sugar and Dirt
This week, we dig. Tom Naples combs the archives for Dust Bowl memories. Holly Wall unearths dinosaur bones in
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 6 – Broken Down Hearted
Episode 6: Broken Down Hearted Show Description: This week, our heart is in a hole. Carol Johnson looks to a
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This Land Radio: Episode 7 – Teenagers
Episode Episode 7: Teenagers This week, we meet a rock star on our paper route. Fareedah Shayeb is ecstatic,
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 8 – Radio Potluck
Episode 8 - Radio Potluck This week, our friends each bring a dish. Long Haul Productions sings grace, The
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 9 – This Machine Comes Home
This week, Woody Guthrie visits our studio and gets us on his wavelength. Nora Guthrie asks us to dance. Dance
This Land
This Land Radio: Episode 10 – A Fork in the Road
This week, we go left or we go right. John Hood stands at the vertex and sells us a Coors. Pantoja buys a one way
This Land
Rebroadcast: This Machine Comes Home
Woody Guthrie visits our studio and gets us on his wavelength. Nora Guthrie asks us to dance. Tiffany Colannino reveals
This Land
THIS LAND RADIO: Hook Echo
With tornado season escalating in states from Oklahoma to Arkansas to Mississippi to North Carolina, This Land Radio is
This Land
This Land Radio: Cattle Rustling in God’s Country
Jeff Emerson's ranch was robbed a few summers back. He lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cattle.
This Land
This Land Radio: Water Birth by Larina Lavergne
Birthing pools are growing in popularity. But this is the tale of a woman who was born in a kiddie pool on
This Land
This Land Radio: One Banshee and One Sunrise
Caldwell O’Keefe was part-owner of and bartender at Nine of Cups, a restaurant and bar on Tulsa’s Boston
This Land
This Land Radio: Bobby Wants to Get In Touch
Bobby Berryhill served with the Oklahoma National Guard for 16 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s lived on
This Land
This Land Radio: Private Manning Speaks
Private First Class Bradley Manning is currently our nation's most notorious whistleblower--the man many
This Land
This Land Radio: David Sedaris on Aging
In 2013, writer and humorist David Sedaris released a book of essays called "Let's Explore Diabetes with
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This Land Radio: My Baby Left Me
We stopped by the Harmonica Summit at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and met Brian "Hash Brown" Calloway who
This Land
This Land Radio: La Donna’s World
LaDonna Osborn spent her childhood traveling around the world with her evangelical parents, T.L. and Daisy.
This Land
This Land Radio: Bob Wills Is A Hollering Fool
Folklorist Guy Logsdon tells us about Bob Wills, the Texas cotton picker who came to Tulsa and became the
This Land
This Land Radio: Group Fitness by Roxanne Gay
This story was produced in partnership with The Oxford American. More at
This Land
The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast
What do you think about when you think about Oklahoma? Imaginary Oklahoma is a new podcast from This Land Press,
This Land
The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 1: Tom Mix
– Illustration by Jane Radstrom. ***Episode 1 of Imaginary Oklahoma features the story Tom Mix by John
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 2: Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Halls
– Photograph by Richard Ortega *** Episode 2 of Imaginary Oklahoma features the lovely
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 3: Stillwater
– Illustration by Michelle Duckworth In episode 3 of Imaginary Oklahoma, Matt Bondurant's mystical and
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 4: Rest Stop
- Photo by Shane Brown In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Liz Blood reads Caitlin Horrocks’ story of a
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 5: Drinking Games
– Illustration by William Godwin In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Carolyn Parkhurst's story
This Land
The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 6: Of All Places
Illustration by Derrick Dent In this episode, writer Lori Ostlund presents a tale about what people think about a
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 7: The Violinist
*** Illustration by Jeremy Luther In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Emily St. John Mandel's "The Violinist"
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Robert Coffey, Pediatrician
Photo: Bishop Rick Hollingsworth, with photo of Robert Coffey, MD. Dr. Robert Coffey was friendly and caring just like
Jennie Lloyd
A Reading of Jennie Lloyd’s “Asylum”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Jennie Lloyd descends into Oklahoma's state-run mental
Jennie Lloyd
Jane Carmichael Everitt, Light Opera OK Co-Founder
One of the great benefits of being an artist, especially in the realms of performance and the recording arts, is that
Jeff Martin
O.T. “Lucky” Lane, Boxer and Navy Seaman
You might think someone with a nickname like “Lucky” had won the lottery or survived a plane crash. Or perhaps it
Jeff Martin
Coleman Davis, Tulsa Teamster
There’s tough, and then there’s Teamster tough. With his tenacity and stubborn demeanor, C. Coleman Davis
Michael Mason
Grant Hastings, Inventor of Hasty Bake Charcoal Oven
There was once a time in America when summers didn’t automatically include grilling in the backyard, and then Grant
Michael Mason
Heather Harp Howland, Diva
During the day, Heather Harp Howland was the larger-than-life personality who operated the England & Harp antique
Michael Mason
Oral Roberts, Televangelist and University Founder
Tributes to Oral Roberts flooded the airwaves after his passing. His son Richard said that he received hundreds of
Michael Mason
Robert “Dr. Bob” Aikman, Obstetrician
With an estimated 27,000 baby deliveries during his career as a Tulsa obstetrician, it’s hard to believe that Robert
Michael Mason
Billy Joe Daugherty, Pastor
The website at Victory Christian Center said their pastor had “graduated.” Press releases noted his passing,
Michael Mason
Chet Baker – Jazz Trumpeter
His music is legendary throughout the world, but, like many other artists, hardly recognized at home. Chet Baker spent
Michael Mason
E.W. Redmond, The Kite Gypsy
Among kite enthusiasts, E.W. Redmond was a celebrated artist. But as his friend Pam Vrooman suggests, he had achieved a
Michael Mason
Michael Selvaggi, Founder of Mario’s NY Style Pizzeria
It was an inconspicuous place, a tiny little nook in a strip mall facing 51st Street. Then suddenly, around the noon
Michael Mason
Cheryl Benford, Educator
From the sounds of it, Cheryl Benford was the kind of teacher who transcended her career by embracing both the daily
Michael Mason
Carl “Uncle Zeb’ Bartholomew, Children’s Show Host & Filmmaker
If you were raised in Tulsa in the seventies, the name “Uncle Zeb” probably carries a mythic quality. The Uncle Zeb
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Josef Peter Hardt, Mr. Oktoberfest
You can’t live through October in Tulsa without someone asking you if you plan to attend Oktoberfest. Going on its
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Larry Dalton, Pianist
Tulsa has its hometown celebrities; Larry Dalton was certainly one of them. As a popular pianist, he was known for his
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Charles “Chuck” Schnake, Public Relations Visionary
You only need to take a quick look around Tulsa to see Chuck Schnake’s fingerprints. They’re on your PikePass, your
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Betsy Horowitz, Civic Activist
If you lived in Tulsa through the seventies and eighties, you either loved or hated Betsy Horowitz. Today, you’re
Michael Mason
Roger Swift, Barbershop Singer & Jazz Afficianado
If you look into the life and career of Roger B. Swift, you’ll a man of skill and accomplishment. He was a US Navy
Michael Mason
Bell’s Amusement Park
New York has its Coney Island; Tulsa had its Bell’s Amusement Park. Founded in 1951, Bell’s rapidly became the
Michael Mason
Robert Lucy, Committed Teacher
Community college occupies a strange place in our culture—it’s sort of an academic Limbo, a time and experience
Michael Mason
Laura Barnes, Middle School Teacher
Laura Barnes‘ life was filled with achievement and wonder. She was a much-adored teacher at Carver Middle
Michael Mason
Richard Belcher, Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controllers are famously subjected to tremendous stress, but they may also be the most under-appreciated
Michael Mason
Gary Lee Hahn, Waiter at Brownie’s Hamburger Stand
People come and go. We are born and then we die. It’s a simple equation. But places are different. And the
Michael Mason
Kristine Dixon, Realtor and Poetry Enthusiast
Most Tulsans who knew Kristine Dixon probably remember her as a realtor for McGraw Davisson Stewart, but many of her
Michael Mason
Maurice Pianalto, Square Dance Caller
Maurice “Big Daddy” Pianalto. Auto mechanic. Italian. Okie. Square dance caller. Those few words are enough to make
Michael Mason
William Z. Duncan, Tough Veteran, Kind Principal
His students adored him, but few of them would ever know that their principal, William “Burma Bill” Duncan was part
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David MacKenzie, Anachronism
David MacKenzie was a fine arts critic and reporter for the Tulsa World who died in October of 2008. In this episode of
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Bill Brown, Band Teacher & Jazz Musician
William Joseph “Bill” Brown was a musician and a music teacher, but to call him either is something of a misnomer.
Michael Mason
Ernest Wiemann, Blacksmith
When Ernest Wiemann first opened his metalcraft business in 1940, he probably didn't anticipate that it would forge the
Michael Mason