The Myth of Saint Woody
It’s easy to want to idolize Woody Guthrie. The guy was an adventurer, a wandering bard with a soft spot for
Matthew Carney
Filter / Sort
Hard Luck Okie
This poem was recorded by the Library of Congress at a migrant farmer’s camp in California in the late 1930s. Before
Roy Turner
The Wills Connection
My mother, Ruth Elaine McMaster, was born into music. Her grandfather Rufus was the deacon at John Brown University in
Jim Downing
Lasers and Leather Pants
The man with the shaggy hair was the keyboardist, Derek. He led us backstage into a dressing room where a bunch of guys
Olivia Edwardes
Dark Fantasy
During the height of radio drama broadcasts, shows originated from urban areas where technology, actors, writers,
Bret Jones
Gorillas in Our Midst
There are two high schools off of I-35 that are just about the same size. The first is 45 minutes out of downtown
Alexander Yates
Oklahoma Is for Lovers
Imaginary Oklahoma is an ongoing project in which some of today’s most important and influential writers combine
Alexander Yates
Tour of Rwanda
An American racer from TT1 rides just behind a member of the Rwandan national team in Stage 6 of the seven-stage Tour
John Wendle
Housing
House of all day; house on the sea, of doors no one knew how to enter; house of small country and green, green land;
Karen Alayna Thimell
Rules? There Are No Rules.
Editor’s Note: This story is excerpted from Dan’s War on Poverty: A Grassroots Crusade for Social Justice, by Ann
Ann Patton
In This Corner
Fifty years ago, 5-year-old Edward Fite was playing with a cap pistol on a limestone ledge overlooking the Illinois
Ann Patton
In Belgium, There is no (Near) Beer
With as much time on the road as I spend, it’s not unusual to come back home to Tulsa and be asked for vacation
Aric S. Queen
Four Years on the Rack
My father built a shadow box for me and filled it with memories. I often picture what he must have looked like while
Bradford Hill
Redemption Denied
Jorge “George” Aguilar doesn’t seem different than I remembered from a year ago. His tan face is fuzzy on my
Jimmy Carter
Moving Thunder
David Holt is a state senator from Edmond who was instrumental in the relocation of the Thunder NBA basketball team to
David Holt
Back Roads
The explosions are always real. Small wheels turn tighter. These stark prairie towns keep the eyes and bones close
Laura Brandenburg
City of Hope
Kerry Noble was one of the founders of the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord, a cult paramilitary group with
Kerry Noble
Letter from New York
There’s this sports bar in New York City with for-shit food called Stillwater that has been visited for a decade by
Sarah Graalman
Ramblin’ Jack
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott strutted on stage. Not like a pimp, or someone with a chip on his shoulder, but as a man
Sarah Graalman
Letter from New York
If you look at the radar images, hurricanes look like tornadoes on growth hormones, making twisters back home resemble
Sarah Graalman
Burgers with Burkhard Bilger
Burkhard Bilger suffers from an incipient case of wanderlust. After nearly 14 years writing features for the New
Sarah Graalman
The Influence of Two Tulsas
In preparation for my first visit to Tulsa, my potential boss reassured me over the phone, “I know what you’re
Lauren Ross
Café
Luckily, She was there to take his order. Or he wouldn’t have gotten any coffee. Luckily, There was that
Eli Wright
Grace in Broken Arrow
Editor's Note: Names of victims have been changed. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
Kiera Feldman
This Is My Beloved Son
The fall of the first family of televangelism came swiftly. Two Oral Roberts Ministries employees crouched on a desk
Kiera Feldman
Tulsa Revealed
Shantelle Jennings talks about seeing her father and mother in Larry Clark's Tulsa: He’s on the cover.
Shantelle Jennings
Agnes Taylor
It all started with my great-great-great-grandpa, James Taylor, who moved to Big Pasture Indian Territory—now Cotton
Jeremy Charles
Chad Cagle
Chad Cagle is a husband, father of two, pilot, vice president at SemGroup, and one of the top Category 1 racers in the
Jeremy Charles
Tino Tudisco
Tino Tudisco does tailoring and alteration in his shop in the Sinclair Building on Bartlett Square in downtown Tulsa. A
Jeremy Charles
Vicki Roberts
Vicki Roberts is proprietress of Black Mesa Bed & Breakfast, a 1910 native rock ranch house on a working cattle
Jeremy Charles
Rev. G. Calvin McCutchen Sr.
Reverend G. Calvin McCutchen Sr. is pastor emeritus of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Tulsa. After the church was
Jeremy Charles
Kenneth Renberg
In 1935, at age 14, Gunther Renberg emigrated from Germany, changed his name to Kenneth, and settled in Enid, Oklahoma,
Jeremy Charles
Agnes Taylor
Agnes Taylor’s family album is full of hardscrabble farmers, war heroes, and football champions—she’s a
Jeremy Charles
The Making of Leon Russell Road
Before Leon Russell got ahold of it, the building was called the First Evangelical United Brethren Church. Russell and
Lindsey Neal Kuykendall
It was Magic
Seventies’ Tulsa was the era of musical gurus and barefoot mystics. It was the boomers’ golden era and time has
Lindsey Neal Kuykendall
Ford Is Prepared for Rising Gas Prices
Wіth oil рrісеѕ оn thе rise, аutоmаkеrѕ аrе eager tо provide drіvеrѕ wіth fuеl еffісіеnt
Richard Higgs
Dust Bowl Dad
When Joe and I crossed the Oklahoma line, from Texas, still well before dawn, I let out a long sigh of relief. Almost
Richard Higgs
The Oktahutchee Claims One of its Own
“Tell all the people that Alex Posey is out here and about to be drowned and to come out and bring about three or
Richard Higgs
Searching for John Joseph Mathews
He showed his anger in fantastic play of lightning, and thunder that crashed and rolled among the hills; in the wind
Richard Higgs
Where the Elephants Roam
Susie, who was weed-eating along the sanctuary fence line, recognized Barbara Miller Byrd’s SUV when Byrd and her
Richard Higgs
Heroes of Skedee
About eight miles northeast of Pawnee, Oklahoma, is Skedee, a six-block, don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it ghost of a town.
Richard Higgs
Honky-Tonk University
One morning in 1974, not long after his father’s death, Mike Day was sitting in his parents’ Okmulgee living room
Richard Higgs
Trespassing Oklahoma
I. When I heard the shots—two quick bursts of three—I realized I’d lost track of my dog. A pickup about 300
Richard Higgs
The Ballad of Sis Cunningham
In late May 1940, Woody Guthrie was riding high in New York City. Although Guthrie had already made a name for himself
Richard Higgs
First Families
"Pa Taken with Oklahoma Fever" is how my great-grandmother described her father's obsession with the exodus. He'd
Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
The Poster Boy of Rock
It all started at the Dale Clark Lumber Supply store at Utica Square in the fall of 1972. “I saw him when I was
Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
The Boy and the Band
If you were lucky enough to see Levon Helm & the Barn Burners on tour in this region a few years ago, you probably
Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
Four Men Hanging
"The Masons came down in pairs, erect and orderly,” wrote Welborn Hope, “until at the foot their Worshipful Master
Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
The Third Man?
A lot of eyewitnesses believe they spotted a suspect the government never found in the Oklahoma Bombing. Is he out
Gerald Posner
The Making of Longhair Music
One of the benefits—or curses, depending on your viewpoint—of archiving is that, over the years, you accumulate a
Steve Todoroff
The Making of Longhair Music
During the many decades of research for Longhair Music: The Songs & Sessions of Leon Russell, one of my more
Steve Todoroff
Leon’s Lair
I thought my childhood was pretty normal until I started telling people about it. I thought, for instance, it was
Matt O'Meilia
Dancing the Fright Away
We walked into the smoky bar, and there wasn’t a man in sight. Country music played through the speakers, and a
Kerry Cohen
Job Machine
as wages stagnate up store square feet sore from eight days a weak excuse for profit margins measure of time out
Melody Charles
Anthony in Ramallah
I met Anthony in Jerusalem in March 2002, when he was a reporter at the Boston Globe. He, like many journalists and
Timothy Fadek
Government 2.0 in Oklahoma
There’s an app for Shawnee, Oklahoma. On Android-powered smartphones, on iPhone or iPad, or on a mobile web browser
Michael D. Bates
Steps to Nowhere
Just north of downtown Tulsa there is a vast empty area, about a half-mile long by a third of a mile wide. This
Michael D. Bates
Rideshare vs. Car Ownership
Rideshare services like Uber or Lyft are most often seen as a substitute for a taxicab—a safe ride home after a night
Michael D. Bates
Frank Roubedeaux
Frank Roubedeaux takes part in an Otoe-Missouria pow-wow. In 1855, the Otoe-Missouria people were confined to a
Alexis Newton
Mike Turnbaugh
Mike Turnbaugh, taking his turns at Tulsa Glassblowing Studio on Brady Street, delicately manages a 2000-degree piece
Alexis Newton
Doug Rucker
Doug Rucker teaches fourth grade at Tulsa's Eliot Elementary, where he’s been for 20 years. He paints murals under
Alexis Newton
Cardiology
One. Heart melts into ink. Burns in the Arctic eternal night. Melts snow to drips. One. Drip drips down
Nicklaus Faith
Death’s Yellow Door
"We may be indifferent to the death penalty and not declare ourselves either way so long as we have not seen a
Kelly Kurt
Redefining the Liberal Arts
On that fateful night in 1935 when God first promised to heal Dad of tuberculosis, God also spoke to him, albeit
Roberta Roberts Potts
Karma, Oklahoma
As I puzzled over the position of Karma, a bony waitress at a roadside café swept up all my change and explained how
Caleb Puckett
Johnny Rotten
Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, performing in Tulsa. The Cain's Ballroom is the only venue graced by the
Tom Dutton
The Migration
Men had taken back up the much-sung practice of stepping out for smokes and never returning home, and it seemed all
John Brandon
From Eumseong: the Teacher is Not Coming in Today
When you must leave a place you have loved, even if you never called it home, you are grateful that you inherited a
Jennifer Westbrook
Herding Sheep
We picked up Robert last because he lived closest to the highway, my friend following a white car to the small house at
Jennifer Westbrook
Dunk in the Name of Love
Baptism is usually a fairly traditional ceremony. It involves a baptismal, a preacher, and a person who has made a life
Isaiah Sheese
Silence of the Goats
You have to push pretty hard to puncture animal skin. The goat was dead, but its lungs still had breath. I thought I
Spring Houghton
special you’s
you’re too much waist in time. you’ve been renting a room in the wrong house and your bill was late. you’re
Mia Wright
Brett McKay
Brett Mckay is the creator of The Art of Manliness, a Tulsa-based blog that proves to more than 2 million readers each
Paul McEntire
Between the Truth and the World
People said it to me as an aside, as if they didn’t want anyone else to hear. Like they were attending the funeral of
Jeff Kauffman
Original Okie: Jimmy Markham
Musician Jimmy "Junior" Markham is one of the caretakers of the Tulsa
Shane Brown
Robert Hedgecoke
R.L. Hedgecoke, a Cherokee/Scots-Irish/Metis-Canadian/English World War II veteran, lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He grew
Shane Brown
Randall Gabrel
Randall Gabrel moved his oil and gas firm to Woodward, Oklahoma, four years ago to be closer to his mother after his
Shane Brown
Original Okie: Rosetta Funches
Rosetta Funches is the founder and director of the Oklahoma Black Museum and Performing Arts Center in Oklahoma City.
Shane Brown
Rilla Askew
Rilla Askew was born in the San Bois Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a place she's noted for its harshness and
Shane Brown
Allison Hedge Coke
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke lives with her mustangs, dogs, and 92-year-old father in an old rock house just south of
Shane Brown
Irena Kendrick
Irena Kendrick was born February 5, 1976, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She immigrated to Oklahoma, by way of Germany, as
Shane Brown
Taco and Me
Everyone who knew him called him Taco. I didn’t know him. I called him Pat. It was 1997 when I met him. He was a
Collin Hinds
Serving Kagame
On April 30, 2010, a team of lawyers and process servers arrived at the campus of Oklahoma Christian University (OCU)
Collin Hinds
A Brady Heights Christmas Story
Any bride-to-be wants to celebrate her last days of freedom together with her friends. within the future"> at some
Ivan Pickard
That’s Not Funny; You Clowns Don’t Make Me Laugh
The woman in the grocery store on Sunset stopped me in the produce, her claws about my shoulders, to bless me on
Lynn Melnick
Vigil
The light from our candles makes coronas in the mist as a breeze threatens to blow them out. He bought them at the
Matt Hollrah
Small Town, Big Top
It’s not every day that the average Oklahoman gets to see an elephant raise a circus tent. Even photographer Kenneth
Rosie LoVoi
Original Okie: Shane Hood
Lortondale resident Shane Hood is the creative director of HOOD design and sits on the board of the Tulsa Foundation
Shane Bevel
Kevi Luper
Last season, Oral Roberts University basketball star Kevi Luper became the first player in NCAA Division 1 history to
Shane Bevel
Guy Logsdon
Dr. Guy Logsdon is a folklorist, writer, musician and Woody Guthrie historian. He’s known for his articles and
Shane Bevel
Letter from Peru
I listen to Javier’s story as I sit in the back of his taxi while he snakes his way through the thick morning traffic
Philip Reiser
Teaching the Organic
An important, yet often overlooked, dimension of Bruce Goff’s contribution to American architecture was his years
Arn Henderson
Annie Ellicott
Annie Ellicott is a prolific singer, songwriter, and actress in
Ralph Cole
Autobiography
----I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. ----No, I wasn’t. I was born in Salem, Arkansas in 1942. I always say I
Joe Brainard
Sports Illustration: Weekend Warrior
Our first Sports Illustration by Jeremy Luther depicts the downtrodden--but not despairing--TU football
Jeremy Luther
Sports Illustration: What to Wear?
Jeremy Luther presents the fashion dilemmas of two Oklahoma state college football
Jeremy Luther
SPORTS ILLUSTRATION:Betting in Texas Hold ‘Em
The stakes are high, so why is nobody blinking? Texas is holding, with a fancy new TV network and deep stack of chips.
Jeremy Luther
Sports Illustration: Sad Day for Basketball
It's the same old struggle between players and team owners in this monetary
Jeremy Luther
Sports Illustration: Slain Longhorn
In this episode: the eyes of Texas are fixed and
Jeremy Luther
Sports Illustration: A New Dawn for OSU
In this episode: Out of the shadows, over the hump, at last — the monkey off the back. A steep and grueling peak has
Jeremy Luther