Snake Ball
Joey Rigoletto is a spazz. We know this. What a dickhead, we said as he went by, tipped over practically, calling out,
Bayard Godsave
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What the Thunder Said
This story was made possible in part by our friends at City of Guthrie. Thank you, City of Guthrie, for supporting
Bayard Godsave
Running
Running is without a doubt a great way to achieve your fitness goals. Millions of people, both young and old, engage
Jessica Puckett
Near McAlester
When folks ask me where in Oklahoma I live, I say “near McAlester,” because this is where I go to shop, use the
Rilla Askew
Trail
Long after I left Tahlequah I dreamed of the place. Not just the town but the earth and waters that surround it. The
Rilla Askew
Home Territory
We headed south from McAlester to the Texas border in early morning. The day was blazing hot, humid, no wind. Typical
Rilla Askew
Thirty Minutes of Terror
The afternoon opens with a birthday party. Your neighborhood friends are ramping BMX bicycles in the driveway.
Aaron Toney
The Society Gang Killing
One of Tulsa’s most notorious crimes occurred on Thanksgiving night, 1934. Twenty-one-year-old John Gorrell’s body
Kent F. Frates
The Atonement of Christie
Was Nede Wade “Ned” Christie a bloody outlaw or a wrongfully accused Cherokee patriot? That was the question in
Kent F. Frates
Bandit in Boley
The air was cold and bitter the day George Birdwell robbed the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Boley, Oklahoma. Normally
Jamie Birdwell-Branson
Icee Dates, Evangelical Games, and Missional Positions
I remember the crying. Girls with mascara smeared across their faces, racing down the aisles of the tabernacle toward
Jamie Birdwell-Branson
Lawyer with a Gun
Tension and a sweltering summer heat hung over the courtroom at Enid, Oklahoma Territory. All doors and windows were
Glenn Shirley
Murder by Samaritan
Allen Ross was a free spirit. He wore thrift-store clothes and Converse tennis shoes to complement his tall, gangling
David A. Farris
Saucers over Oklahoma
Saturday morning, July 31, 1965, at 1:05 a.m., Officer Lewis Sikes of the Wynnewood Police Department reported sighting
David A. Farris
The True Blues and the Tiger Eyes vs. the Ku Klux Klan
Tom Bouggous was a man who stood out in a crowd. He was an outspoken and powerfully built Indian who had lived in the
David A. Farris
Strung Out, Locked Up
In 2010, Tamra Schmidkunz sat in a dark car outside the Rib Crib on 51st Street and Sheridan Avenue in Tulsa. She was
James A. Pearson
Rocking China
In retrospect, I do wonder how I made a rock and roll record in China in such adverse conditions. I had lived in
Tyson Meade
Choctalking on Other Realities
It was so hot in the kitchen of the Oklahoma City airport café that the plastic clock melted. Time oozed down the wall
LeAnne Howe
Mongolians “R” Us
For me there will never be another travel adventure like Japan. I was one of four guest speakers at the International
LeAnne Howe
Imagine There’s No Cowboy
Indians on horseback have been stampeding across the television screen all afternoon. It’s the mid-1960s, so maybe
LeAnne Howe
Stories Carved in Stone
Painter, illustrator, sculptor, husband, father, innovator, teacher: Oklahoman Allan Houser was all of these things and
Christina Burke
Our Daughter Was an Only Son
Editor's note: This article was originally published in Oklahoma Monthly, Vol. 3, Issue 2, 1977. Read "The Stories
Mike Boettcher
Lady of the Plains
Bryant Baker knew that the Pioneer Woman was his masterpiece, so he called in a photographer to document its gradual,
Mike Boettcher
Out, Proud, and Under the Collar
Nearly every Sunday morning while growing up in northwest Oklahoma City, my father would plop me into a plastic milk
Tamara Lebak
An Oil Town’s Golden Idol
When the Golden Driller was installed for the 1966 International Petroleum Exposition, Tulsa was “The Oil Capital of
Tony Beaulieu
Enormity and Image
The evening of May 31 and the morning of June 1 marked an event of racial violence that culminated in the looting and
I. Marc Carlson
“A Negro Peyote Cult”
Excerpted from the Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, Vol. 24, No. 10, October 15, 1934. In the fall
Maurice G. Smith
Justa Few Beers
The year before, 1981, we’d moved to a new house in Nichols Hills with a pool. It was the summer after my freshman
Blake Bailey
Surrey with the Fringe on Top
A black bear has come out of the hills to the highway. He lumbers along the shoulder and throws a great paw out. A
Karin C. Davidson
GUIDE: The Best Things to Do in Oklahoma in June
Summer is in full swing in Oklahoma, and June’s calendar is already looking pretty packed. To help you plan, we’ve
Tony Beaulieu
Centennial Celebrations: Allan Houser Exhibits
On June 30 of this year, the world celebrates the centennial anniversary of Allan Houser's birth. In Oklahoma, nearly
Tony Beaulieu
The Soul of the Game
All this man wants to do right now is find the damn game. It’s a Saturday in the middle of the European football
RJ Young
It Only Got Worse
All right, before you judge me, you have to understand what I was dealing with. No matter what any man will tell you,
RJ Young
The Condemned Man’s Son
William Clifford Bryson III walked into the viewing room of Oklahoma’s execution chamber clutching his
RJ Young
Life Among the Pick-Ups
I had a doctor confess to me that he went through a bit of a “mid-life crisis” recently and started to bike to
Jonathan Gaboury
Dowsing for Cartoonists
The Dick Tracy Headquarters occupies a small corner of the Pawnee County Historical Museum, and the exhibit looks as
Jonathan Gaboury
GUIDE: Oklahoma’s Best Food Festivals
Nothing brings people together quite like food. Food can be a means of traversing cultural barriers, a way of
Brooks Nickell
Toby Jenkins
Toby Jenkins, father of two grown children and proud "Poppi" of three grandchildren, has been involved in one way or
Brooks Nickell
Cornel Williams and Keith Reed
These men know how to roll with the punches. A decade ago, Cornel Williams (right) created Tulsa Crime Monthly — the
Brooks Nickell
Steve Adams
There's hardly anything about McAlester, Oklahoma, that Steve Adams doesn’t know. For 35 years, he’s been the local
Brooks Nickell
Marcello Angelini
How long does it take to dance from Italy to Oklahoma? For Marcello Angelini, almost 35 years. He began studying
Brooks Nickell
Sam Gillaspy
Sam Gillaspy has lived in Arcadia, Oklahoma, for 88 years. He's devoted the last eight of those to giving tours at the
Brooks Nickell
GUIDE: Oklahoma Art Festivals
Oklahoma is filled to the brim with visual and performance art events—enough to occupy nearly every weekend of your
Molly Evans
GUIDE: Oklahoma’s Best Music Festivals
Since Oklahoma’s festival season lasts just as long as its tornado season, it’s important to take precautions for
Molly Evans
Oklahoma’s Best Cultural Festivals
Fortunately for its residents and visitors, Oklahoma is made up of a diverse people, representing cultures far and
Molly Evans
Free For All: The 24 Best Displays of Public Art in Oklahoma
Art isn’t just found in galleries. Thanks to the talent and ingenuity of its creators, and funding by both public and
Molly Evans
Religion of Silence
A curving road led me from the expressway into a neighborhood where American flags adorned brown, brick houses and
Molly Evans
A Life Illustrated
I cracked the book’s spine and turned its surprisingly crisp pages, inhaling the damp attic smell that wafted up to
Molly Evans
The Dust Bowl Interviews
In the fall of 2011, hordes of young people set up tent communities in front of government and financial buildings
Amy Gastelum
Gateway to America
In many ways, southwest Kansas is just as you’d imagine it. The land is wide open, and the wind constantly races
Benet Magnuson
Lynn Riggs at the University of Oklahoma
One likes to think of Lynn Riggs’ days at the University of Oklahoma as among his most happy and most satisfying.
Charles Aughtry
Outlaw on the Big Screen
He was born Napoleon Blackstone Vann, but ever since he was a little shaver, "Nip" Vann was destined to be a
Andy Taylor
To Boldly Go
With life science and research advancements within the cosmetology field, there are many amazing products that have the
Samuel Annis
Invisible State
I was 17 when I first encountered Invisible Man. I inhaled it over the summer before my senior year, passing
Jezy J. Gray
Wild Life
The rock formations that spill out from the wooded foothills of the Sans Bois Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma were
Jezy J. Gray
In My Tribe
A childhood summer afternoon is thrown into relief. I’m 10 years old. My big sister Kat and I are spending the day
Jezy J. Gray
In the Territory: A Look at the Life of Ralph Ellison
Originally published in the May 7, 2007, issue of The New Yorker, Volume 83, No. 11. Copyright © 2007 Hilton Als.
Hilton Als
Go Home, Grandma
In 1955, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood became the first woman to walk all 2,050 miles of the Appalachian Trail by herself.
Ben Montgomery
The Rusty Brotherhood (La Hermandad Rusty)
Alberto Fuguet is a writer, a Guggenheim fellow, and, according to Newsweek, one of the “50 most important Latin
Alberto Fuguet
Katia Anaya
Katia Anaya is part of the fifth-generation of her family’s business, Pancho Anaya Mexican Bakery, which began in
Melissa Lukenbaugh
Joy Harjo
The wandering poet, writer, and musician Joy Harjo returned home three years ago. She left Oklahoma for an Indian
Melissa Lukenbaugh
Father George Eber
Father George Eber, an Okie since the '80s, is originally from Buffalo, New York. After three years as an infantry
Melissa Lukenbaugh
A Bridge Too Far
The bungalow’s uninsulated tin roof crackled and popped each evening as the sun set and temperatures dropped from the
Ron Loewen
In the Field
The red fox flashes in the field, and the mind wants to stop it. Run the catalogue of what it knows, put a
Michael Madonick
Odd Man In
When I was three, I choked on an Oscar Meyer wiener and lost consciousness, turned blue, and was ambulanced to the
Sam Harris
Boys Will Be Boys
Mr. Smith was an old-fashioned cowboy. He wore tight Wranglers with a circle burned into the back pocket where he kept
John Paul Brammer
Grandma’s Panties
“I have something to tell you,” Daddy said as we sat around the table eating red Jell-o for dessert one
Janis Cramer
Chicken Fat
Everybody at Alice Robertson Junior High in Muskogee, Oklahoma, was wondering why we, of all the students in the entire
Janis Cramer
Tami Teeters
Tami Teeters saved three things before her Mannford home was engulfed by a wildfire in August of last year: a pair of
Matt Leach
The Big Not So Easy
Don’t believe what you have heard. This ain’t an easy place to live. People warn you when you are new to the
Mark Chandler
The Ease of Trout
where the road descends steeply as it twists like gorgeous wreckage and there is always brightness like
Jeffrey Skemp
And Satan Came Also
A greater threat to a peaceful, civilized community than the outlaw bands that terrorized, plundered, and killed was
Albert McRill
The Number of Heaven and Earth
They stole chickens and slaughtered cows they castrated pigs they cut the tails off piglets they followed deer
John Colburn
Poetry as Machine
You can love a machine and think poetry is not for you. But if you love a machine, you already love poetry. A few
Shaun Perkins
Where the Goddesses Go
In his book The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain theorizes that literacy has a shadow side, that it may have
Shaun Perkins
God Says Yes to Me
I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked her if it was okay to be short and she said
Kaylin Haught
Giving Poetry Another Chance
Salman Rushdie said: “A poet’s work is to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments,
Nathan Brown
Bionic Ankles, Jay Martin, and the Myth of Expertise
Jay Martin had no experts. As a designer of prosthetic limbs, he received a research grant for $300,000 in 2002 and
David Burkus
Whose Names are Unknown
Julia was standing in the yard shading her eyes with her hand, looking at the northern sky. The April sun was
Sanora Babb
Borrowed Notes
In 1939, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath became a best-seller and turned the nation’s attention to the plight
Cortney Stone
Against All Frauds
Oklahoma was born in an era when beliefs about gender roles dictated that politics were dirty and rough and that ladies
Cortney Stone
Nevertheless and Notwithstanding
In the United States Capitol Building’s National Statuary Hall, two statues represent each state. They honor
Grace-Yvette Gemmell
The Ghost Dance Religion Among the Cheyenne
From out of the West had come the word that the Great Spirit was going to right the wrongs visited upon His red
Donald N. Brown
Oklahoma Boyhood
Each time I painted nails Brilliant Blush, Sparkle Silver, I’d land in the bathroom. Larry the Ladle or
Amy Susan Wilson
Terror’s Legacy
Mark Freeman Jr. was just across the Kansas line from his 3,500-acre cattle ranch. It was in the early 1950s when he
Jason Christian
The Governor Fiddled While His Prison Burned
The prison print shop was in a two-story building across from male clothing, and above me on the upper floor was the
Mickey Owens
Youngwolfe Accused
Phyllis Jean Warren was missing for three weeks when she was found strangled in a brush pile 300 yards from her home.
Hunter Howe Cates
Bob Waldrop
Bob Waldrop, a fourth-generation Oklahoman from Frederick, is a purveyor of peace, plants, and pianos. He is
Travis Marak
Joe Marak
Born in 1925 on a small farm in rural Oklahoma, Marak was a child of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and of World
Travis Marak
Bill Crawford
Bill Crawford, aged 90, photographed in Cardin, Oklahoma, in the vacant lot where his home of 66 years once stood. A
Travis Marak
Mr. Doolittle Goes to Washington
Strange as it may seem, during the first half of the 20th century, the conventions held by our two preeminent political
Charles Morrow
Broadway’s Forgotten Man
It’s 1945, and our setting is a Christmas party in Manhattan. The celebrants are show-business professionals
Charles Morrow
Selling ‘Tulsa’ to Tulsans
There’s Tulsa the city, and there’s Tulsa the movie. For a brief spell in the spring of 1949, when the movie
Charles Morrow
Love, Lennie
Like most of our peers, my brother and I were big fans of the TV sitcom The Odd Couple when we were growing up in
Charles Morrow
The Man in the Black Jersey
Thirty years ago, a petite woman with curly blonde hair approached Greg Saunders at a bike race just west of Austin,
Ian Dille
The Silence Teaches
Sitting down to speak with Oklahoma City photographer Yousef Khanfar about his art leads almost inevitably to one
Greg Horton
From One Fire
On an oppressively hot evening last May, David Cornsilk addressed a room of so-called “black Indians” at Gilcrease
Marcos Barbery
John School
On Valentine’s Day 2012, Jarrae Estepp climbed into the passenger seat of a white Ford pick-up. She was five months
Marcos Barbery
The Native Hue of Resolution
The Riverside Indian School is perched on a hill along the Washita River in the wind-whipped town of Anadarko,
Marcos Barbery
Victoria Fattig & Monica Sutter
Daughter/mother Victoria Fattig and Monica Sutter were both inmates at Mabel Bassett Correction Center in McLoud when
Yousef Khanfar