Fifteen Faits Divers on the Tulsa Race Riot
A faits divers is a short news item, usually about three lines; they’re often stories of strange murders or bizarre
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Dogs Playing Poker
A fine October Saturday in 1966, in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. A residential neighborhood within this community of a
Brian Ted Jones
Father of the Brotherhood
As a young man, John Griggs liked to fight. And he was good at it. Short, dark, wiry, and mean, his flair with a punch
Brian Ted Jones
Five Summers and John Steinbeck
"We are lonesome animals. We spend all life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story
Brian Ted Jones
The Fine Line of Drunk Driving
One night early in my teenage years my father and uncle commanded me into the back seat of a pickup truck that belonged
Brian Ted Jones
The New Joads
Part of the work put in by John Steinbeck in preparation for writing The Grapes of Wrath was a series of articles
Brian Ted Jones
Capitol Coercion
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s recent indictment by a grand jury in Travis County, Texas, might seem familiar to the
Brian Ted Jones
We Extend our Condolences
On February 27, 2014, 18-year-old William Rush entered Judge Tom Gillert’s Tulsa County courtroom. He was in
Brian Ted Jones
On the Mystery Train with JD McPherson
Everybody knows Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil at a Mississippi crossroads one fateful midnight and gained
Brian Ted Jones
The Tulsa Race Riot from a Writer’s Perspective
Originally published on the blog The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 on March 18, 2013. It is normal that we look upon
Evan Ramspott
The B Side
Since April is National Poetry Month, we’re pleased to run poems by a pair of younger writers who participated in the
Bryonia Liggins
Inside the Abattoir
Chevideco, the Belgian horse meat conglomerate, touts a single story in its press section: a taste test held at a west
James McGirk
Cherokee Nation’s Constitutional Crisis
Cherokee Nation has what seems to be an unusual fixation with lawyers and writing—at least for an outsider looking
James McGirk
Letter to New York City: On Bohemian Life in the Sooner State
My wife, Amy, a recent graduate from Yale’s painting program, and I, a writer reeling from an unhappy stint as an
James McGirk
Petro State
Between 1910 and 1960, as the population of the city of Tulsa swelled from 18,000 to 261,000, the world was being
James McGirk
Confidence in Culture
The Oklahoma legislature first approved the construction of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in 1994 to
James McGirk
Beauty, Purpose, and Preservation
Kinky hair is usually defined by 4a-4c hair type and is tightly coiled with a zig zag
James McGirk
The Horror in the Ouachita Mountains
This story was made possible in part by our friends at City of Guthrie. Thank you, City of Guthrie, for supporting
James McGirk
Howl for Me
Since April is National Poetry Month, we’re pleased to run poems by a pair of younger writers who participated in the
Nick Weaver
Queer as Folk
& then gay marriage was legal in Oklahoma & it was renamed “Oklahomo” & cowboys went broke
Nick Weaver
Nobel Oklahomans
I know you were all as anxious as I was to see whether Richard Roberts would pull off an upset win for the Nobel Peace
Matthew Crouch
Queen’s Gambit Declined
May 21, 2008. Radisson Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Frank K. Berry U.S. Chess Championship. Two International
Matthew Crouch
Bridging the Ozarks to the Art World
After an impromptu drive around the neighborhoods of Bentonville—where Americana is in full swing and scenes from
Ariana Jakub
ME HEAD: Heisenberg’s Pep Talk to the Brainerd Bears
Do you want to bring shame on Brainerd? Are you afraid to place an absolute, theoretical limit on the combined
David Bowman
Books About Tulsa: A Tour
1. Oklahoma by Harlow, Victor E. This is my mother’s favorite Oklahoma history textbook. It smells like
Ben Lytal
ORIGINAL OKIE: Michael Wallis
Michael Wallis is Oklahoma's most famous connoisseur of Route 66 and the American West. His name has appeared on
Terrence Moore
ME HEAD: Playmate Profiles
PLAYMATE: Friedrich Nietzsche BIRTHDATE: October 15, 1844 BIRTHPLACE: Rocken, Saxony BUST: 42’’ WAIST:
Lauren Sullivan
Letter from Thailand
Bangkok is a city of contrast. If you look up, you see the future; if you look down, you see the past. In the late
Matt Phipps
Letter of Resignation
David Murphy TV Guide, Superstar 7140 S. Lewis Ave Tulsa, OK 74136 October 18, 2000 Dear Mr. Murphy, Due to the
David Desmond
He’s Presentable Now
The following is an excerpt from Me Head: George is a Summer, so there were some major no-no’s right off the bat.
Taylor Russet
There Goes Another Year
What is it about music fans and lists? Music fans that have a need, or perhaps a preoccupation, to let you know about
Scott Booker
Other Lives, and Others
Vince from This Land came by the other day, pulled my head out of the Tulsa music scene clouds, handed me Schulte's
Brian Fontaine
Back, by Popular Demand
2012: One Man's Take on the Year in Pop Music Modern Rock Classic: Tame Impala, Lonerism Every few years in
Doug Schulte
ME HEAD: Dr. Gene’s French Kissing FAQ’s
The following is an excerpt from Me Head: Q: Why is it called “French” kissing and not “Nigerian” kissing or
Dr. Gene Fitzgerald
Bottled Up Inside
So, you want to be a milk maid, eh?” Elmer, the eldest in the 80-and-over club, says to me from his window seat at
Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb
The Spirit of Totem Pole Park
arti ficer n. 1. a skilled craftsman 2. a clever or inventive designer 3. (Military) a serviceman trained in
Tim Brown
The Falling
Where I come from, rain is the same thing as love, Falling rarely, and spoken about even less. Daddy tells me the
Preston Wells
Oklahoma Lacks Phoenixes, Albatrosses
My sadness is heart-achingly Boring And normal; we all feel it: The blue and gold dusk Over a small town. I
Phil Estes
The Forgotten River
From Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany, published October 2012 by Butler Center Books, edited by Jay
Charles Portis
Beyond Barnard
After the backhoes and bulldozers had left, all that was standing were the trees. But if the trees could talk, they’d
Jeremy Bailey
Hello, My Name Is…
“The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” —Diogenes Laertius, 3rd Century Greek
Aaron Cord Siemers
Thinking Big and Dreaming Large
For a moment, try to imagine our city without the Cain’s Ballroom. Now also consider downtown Tulsa without the
Walt Kosty
The Burden of Being Tate
see brady see brady now a ghost of tulsa’s flitting past wandering the old streets without aim ambition or
Walt Kosty
Clea Alsip
Clea Alsip was born and raised in Tulsa and went to Booker T. Washington High School. She received her bachelor's
Deborah Lopez
Weird Al-Chemy
“You don’t know what life before Al was like,” said my longtime co-worker Kevin “Okie” Okey. He’s delivered
Mitch Gilliam
An Odder Science
I pulled up behind Dr. Randy Wymore’s pickup right as he pulled up in front of Sidney Presley’s house. “Sorry I
Mitch Gilliam
Lee Makes the Flowers Grow
West of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, on old Highway 51, past the grounds of the razed Hissom asylum, stand two stoplights.
Mitch Gilliam
Isolation Is the Gift
This story was made possible in part by our friends at City of Guthrie. Thank you, City of Guthrie, for supporting
Mitch Gilliam
‘Til the Clowns Come Home
Passing Oaklawn Cemetery, on our way to Mazzio’s, Michelle made her request: “Mitch, can you take off your hat?”
Mitch Gilliam
They Call Me Assassin
Some places are lonelier than others, and the place he’d found himself on this particular night was the most solitary
Chris Sandel
No One From Here Gets Out Alive
Last week I got the phone call. You know the call I’m talking about: the one that concludes your favorite book and
Chris Sandel
A Year with the Bison
Spring The wallows are full. Egrets range on bison backs --- colors rise
Erin Glanville Brown
The Watchman on the Wall
As an orphan, Billy James Hargis was an outsider from birth. Imagining the first time his adoptive mother saw him in
Stanton Doyle
Dr. and Mrs. Billy James Hargis
This photo is among those in the collection of Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett. The collection of negatives was salvaged
Howard Hopkins
Original Okie: Bob Wills
Bob Wills parades through downtown Tulsa on a September day in 1956. The King of Western Swing celebrates his birthday
Howard Hopkins
Moving on from the Hoax
From The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future by Senator James Inhofe, published by
James Mountain Inhofe
Tormented by Tootlevision
A 7th-grade Clyde Lofton Jr. built a world to himself on the banks of Mingo Creek out behind his south Tulsa
Ray Davis
Ike’s Wounded Knee
Throughout history, American army generals have faced bitter defeats before achieving their greatest military triumphs.
Joe Medina
Ripples in a Lake
Tales of the Dust Bowl years recall an era punctuated by the absence of water. In reality, it was a combination of
Amy Hardberger
1977 Seminole County
me and my best friend k.t. hurtled down chug holed roads in her green Gran Torino, racing almost as fast as our doped
Jeanetta Mish
The Politics of Clout
Even though final votes are still months away from being cast and counted in the 2012 elections, Oklahoma is about to
Jim Myers
Handout Horticulture
From River Republic: The Rise and Fall of America's Rivers by Daniel McCool, published by Columbia University Press and
Daniel McCool
The Destructiveness of Partisanship
From the earliest periods of our nation’s history, thoughtful leaders have worried about the dangers posed by
David L. Boren
A Timeless Conviction
John I. Jenkins is the President of Notre Dame University. Here, he delivers the 2012 Commencement Address to Wesley
John I. Jenkins
The Tulsa Irish
My freshman year roommate was a five-foot-one Korean-American via Seoul, Los Angeles, and New York. She had never
Claire Spears
The Full Nelson’s
When I reached the register to pay for my lunch, I explained to Barry Rogers that I was writing a piece about
Claire Spears
It’ll Be Dammed
From “Dams on the Grand River,” originally published in the Fall 1948 edition of The Chronicles of Oklahoma.
W.R. Holway
Life at the Tower: A Remembrance of Alex Cockburn
The first time I met Alex Cockburn we were staying in The Tower, the beautiful box of light Alex had built on the
Sheryl Chard
Elvis Presley and the Tea Party Nation
I first noticed it in 1973, when I was working at Harrah’s Tahoe, the populist casino that bussed in hundred of white
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Greed Is Good
During the final phase of military conquest of the continent, surviving Indigenous refugees were deposited in Indian
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
A Full-Frontal Assault on Pirate’s Cove
There is a small half-bowl of beachfront on the Pacific Ocean in San Luis Obispo County, California, know to the locals
Ron Honn
Mikey Burnett
Mikey Burnett fought for The Lion’s Den, among the earliest teams to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Brandon Scott
Rooftop Raccoons
A triumvirate of sad-eyed raccoons lounging on the roof of an apartment building in Stillwater benignly
T. Allen Culpepper
Why We Won’t Stop Fighting About Water
The events of the last decade have caused Oklahomans to view water resources in three crucially new ways. These new
Miles Tolbert
Homegrown Paranoia
In June of 2010 I landed in Nairobi, Kenya and was immediately taxied to a mall in Westlands, a posh Nairobi suburb.
Steve Sherman
The Electric Elephant Acid Test
In the spring of 1962, Oklahoma City received a new resident: an adolescent bull elephant named Tusko, brought over
Steve Sherman
Pop Life
Harold Stevenson is a tiny 84-year-old man wearing a knit shirt with a frayed collar. He lives in a log cabin nestled
Steve Sherman
Books, Movies & Rock ‘n Roll: A Conversation with Dana Spiotta
If only Dana Spiotta had an Oklahoma connection, I thought. I had just been invited to guest edit This Land’s
Constance Squires
The Heritage Trees
On a rolling hill, wedged between downtown Tulsa and the mixed residential of Carson Heights, sits a small park with a
Spencer McCoy
Jewel of Denial
There was a time when waste was dumped in the streets of our cities, chamber pots were emptied out windows, and trash
Drew Edmondson
Ferris O’Brien
Ferris O’Brien is an Okie music enthusiast and owner of the independent radio station “The Spy” in Oklahoma
Nathan Poppe
Anthony McDermid
Anthony McDermid is a founding principal at TAP Architecture and has been living in Oklahoma for 35 years. His efforts
Nathan Poppe
Lauren Zuniga
Lauren Zuniga has lived in 60 houses in Oklahoma City. This is most likely attributed to her fear of commitment and
Nathan Poppe
Brian Hearn
Brian Hearn is the film curator at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, which screens more than 300 films a year. In 2006,
Nathan Poppe
Kristen Vails
Kristen Vails is the executive director of the Plaza District in Oklahoma City, a burgeoning artists' community and
Nathan Poppe
Ryan LaCroix
Ryan LaCroix is the operations manager at KOSU Radio and co-hosts the weekly radio program The Oklahoma Rock Show. He
Nathan Poppe
Summons to Tulsa
Edwin spotted them the moment he stepped off the train. There were dozens of folks here to meet the Atlantic and
Louise Farmer Smith
The Trouble with Henry
Mary Popkess marched into the Sand Springs football stadium under a full head of steam. She made straight for the
Anne Barajas Harp
That Tranquil Period
The University of Oklahoma is built on the Permian Redbed Plains. When I arrived, there were only a few buildings of
John Joseph Mathews
Cry Baby
You are the cat most like I was as a girl with a soft coat, fine reflexes, fresh eyes. I sat on many porches,
Jane Vincent Taylor
New Law Makes Local Poet Nervous
Others have book fests, opera and garden expos. We have gun shows. Ammo. Freedom and now more freedom: open
Jane Vincent Taylor
Ball “4,” Take Your Base
The quiet and well-mannered 19-year-old from Commerce, Oklahoma, was on an exponential rise to the top of the
Jacob Bohannon
Forever Home on Mind
I wept into the sea; it did not overflow. (Buddhist meditation) Spread out over a great
Kyle Erickson
N. Scott Momaday
Sterlin Harjo photographs Lawton Native N. Scott Momaday, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with his 1969
Sterlin Harjo
All Dressed Up
I stood in front of my closet. Do I select a t-shirt with a likeness of Captain Malcolm Reynolds of Firefly? Or two
Grace Gordon
The Sawblade Painter
In the morning, he examines her. Though she is nineteen to his thirty-two, Don finds her garish in the clean light.
Whitney Ray
Cargo
What is on the train rolling through my city so important the conductor sounds the whistle every other second from
Chad Reynolds
Commute
A famous architect just passed me. He wore a ponytail and turned the steering wheel with one hand. Maybe he was
Chad Reynolds
The Net Effect
It was hot as hell. And it was July in Tulsa and I was on the wrong side of town. At least that’s what my friends
Renzi Stone
The Buckhorn Inn
That-which-regions is an abiding expanse which, gathering all, opens itself, so that in it openness is
David Bearden