Plugging the Brain Drain
Seven years ago, a group of 20- and 30-somethings set out to infuse Tulsa with "a new kind of energy." And they did.
Holly Wall
Filter / Sort
Planet of the Mushrooms
When the tree leaves turn, some folks think of foliage tours. But Oklahoma foodies and chefs look earthward for the
Steve Gerkin
Plagiarism Plagues the Urban Tulsa Weekly
The cartoonist David Simpson, formerly of the alternative publication Urban Tulsa Weekly, has admitted to copying the
This Land
Phillip and Fiawna: Together in Tulsa
“I was blown away,” Phillip recalls the first day he met Fiawna at the now-closed record store, Mooch and Burn.
Rebekah Greiman
Phil Borden Digs This Land
Pictured here is Phil Borden, president of Bason Real Estate Company, reading This Land at The Amish
This Land
Phil and Miranda
Northern Israel, Christmas Eve, 1988. Phil Kaiser, a Tulsa expatriate and soldier in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces),
Joshua Kline
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
Peeling in the Years
On October 3, Britain’s IT1 network aired a documentary, Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, in which 10 women
Thomas Conner
Pawnee’s WPA Bath House
Located one mile north of the city of Pawnee, Oklahoma on Highway 18, this hand-cut native stone structure was built in
Lee Roy Chapman
Past and Future Sound
The first thing I notice upon entering the foyer of the century-old church at 3rd and Trenton is the luminous red and
Joshua Kline
Passing Over
I check my email before going to bed and find a message from my ex-husband with “Sad News” in the subject line. I
Cheryl Pallant
Pairings
The taste of red wine and dark chocolate Swirlin’ together inside my mouth is Like smoke escaping from the
Jenny Sullivan
Outlaws of the Library
I spend my days surrounded by books. A glorious, beautiful, maddening riot of books--hundreds of thousands of them at
Laura Raphael
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
Outlaw Canon
On first glance, much about Bobby BlueJacket: The Tribe, The Joint, The Tulsa Underworld is suspect: the absurd length
Joshua Kline
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
Our Town
Our town typically names streets, schools, sometimes-entire neighborhoods and commercial districts after people who
James O. Goodwin
Our Own Private Afghanistan
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the chapter “Interview with John Millar, Head of the Christian
This Land
Our Own Formulas
The 27th of May, 1949, was a momentous day for Louis “Speedy” Wiley, my grandfather. In the span of 24 hours, he
Apollonia Piña
Our Man in Colonia
The quandary began at check-in. The lady at the ticket counter was convinced Puerto Rico was a different country and I
Russell Cobb
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
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
Original Okie: Wess Young
Wess Young was only four years old when he survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, but has clear memories of it.
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Victor Moreland
Victor Moreland hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he got his start playing professional soccer before coming
This Land
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
Original Okie: Scott Smith
Three years ago, I lived in a dilapidated old yellow house in Crosbie Heights (on the west side of downtown). At the
Michael Cooper
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
Original Okie: Rocky Frisco
He's raced MG's and Mini Coopers, played gigs with the likes of J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton (among dozens of other big
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Ren Barger
Ren Barger stands in what would be a graveyard of bicycle parts to many--but not to her. Barger finds herself in all of
Michael Cooper
ORIGINAL OKIE: Officer Kaiser
Don't let Officer Kaiser's smile fool you. This Belgian Malinois is known on the Idabel Police Department as "the force
Sheilah Bright
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
Original Okie: Mary Beth Babcock
Mary Beth Babcock is ten pounds of Okie enthusiasm in a five-pound bag. She's the entrepreneur behind Dwelling Spaces,
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Lisa Regan
Lisa Regan taught herself metalwork with welding tools borrowed from a mechanic friend with an auto body
This Land
Original Okie: Laurie Keeley
Laurie Keeley calls hers artform "yardistry." She's responsible for the eye-catching landscaping and design work you
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Lauren Lunsford
The occupations of Lauren Lunsford, a.k.a. Rainbow Girl, are nearly as numerous as the colors in her hair. An
This Land
Original Okie: Johnny Polygon
It's been an assiduous two years for Tulsa native Johnny Polygon. After making a name for himself in the local rap
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Jimmy Markham
Musician Jimmy "Junior" Markham is one of the caretakers of the Tulsa
Shane Brown
Original Okie: Jim Economou
The first thing I noticed about Jim Economou is, at the ripe young age of 80, how much energy he has. I spent a couple
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Harold Stevenson
If the pop world had a Walk of Fame, Harold Stevenson would hang a four-story painting over his star. He is known as
This Land
Original Okie: Gwendolyn Ransom
It's a Saturday evening at a Brookside coffee house. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed. I'm chatting with an old friend
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Grace Grothaus
New Orleans-born, South Carolina-raised Grace Grothaus moved to Tulsa only four years ago, but her influence in the
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Gary Busey
Gary Busey is a toothy-grinned character actor who began his career as a percussionist in his Stillwater-based band,
This Land
ORIGINAL OKIE: Erin O’Dowd
Erin O'Dowd is a singer-songwriter from Tulsa who takes her inspiration from nature, history and everyday life. She
This Land
Original Okie: Eric Marshall
Eric Marshall is a tall, open guy. With years of experience working at breweries in America and Europe before he came
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: David Horne
Eccentric street musician David Horne serenades his beloved companion,
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Dan Mayo
Dan Mayo is a painter, photographer, producer and art collector in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this special True Tulsa double
Grant McClintock
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
Original Okie: Benjamin David Lyman
Not too long ago, the Tulsa music scene earned national recognition. Spin Magazine had written about popular local
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Ben Kilgore
Ben Kilgore relaxes as he takes a drag off his cigarette. Life is good. Open for a year now, Shoe Gypsy (a store
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: Andrew Bones
Andrew Bones is a percussionist for several Tulsa-based bands, including The Panda Resistance and
Michael Cooper
Original Okie: “Cajun” Ed Richard
"Cajun" Ed Richard founded the world-famous Cajun restaurant/specialty meat shop Hebert's, where Louisiana natives have
Michael Cooper
Opal Clark Moss
Opal Clark Moss, 101, grew up at the Sand Springs Children’s Home and published her first book at age 76. Last year,
Sheilah Bright
Onehorse, OK, pop. 1,000: Saaaaaaalute
Driving home tonight, I see Loretta Lynn on a casino billboard & take a left turn to
Benjamin Myers
One Long Soundless Scream
Yevgeny Yevtushenko teaches English at the University of Tulsa. His poetry has been translated into 72
Jeff Martin
On the Road: 23 of Oklahoma’s Best Roadside Attractions
By Molly Evans and Tony Beaulieu Whether it's night or day and something unexpected just happened on the road, and
This Land
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
On the Fly
On a cool March evening, we set out a sandwich board that read “SHORT ORDER POEMS 1 FOR $5 FRESHLY TYPED &
Timothy Bradford & Chad Reynolds
Old Toy Trains, Little Toy Tracks
In an unremarkable field north of Route 66 sits a small collection of metal memorabilia, including a cactus, a Martian,
Rhys Martin
Oklahomans in the Spanish-American War
Many of us retain a vivid memory of the stirring days from the sinking of the battleship Maine, February 15, to the
John Alley
Oklahoma’s First State Flag
The Red 46 flag certainly wasn't the first to fly over Oklahoma, but it was our first official state flag. A model
Emma Nicholas
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
Oklahoma’s Oddest Festivals and Other Events
From the slightly strange to the downright bizarre, here are Oklahoma’s weirdest festivals and events. God bless our
This Land
Oklahoma’s First New Media Company
It's official: This Land Press is now Oklahoma's first New Media company, and we've just hired a veritable dream-team
Michael Mason
Oklahoma’s All-Black Towns
Prominently in Kansas, and then principally in Oklahoma, towns founded by black trailblazers swelled in the
Hannibal B. Johnson
Oklahoma: Land of Gore
Sometimes the gore tumbles from the cottonwood trees on the South Canadian River. Those were squirrels that never
Dale Ingram
Oklahoma Revealed!
In the spring of 2009, a cohort of evangelical Southern Baptists under the nom du groupe “The Singing Men of
Denver Nicks
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
Oklahoma Is for Lovers
Imaginary Oklahoma is an ongoing project in which some of today’s most important and influential writers combine
Alexander Yates
Oklahoma Boyhood
Each time I painted nails Brilliant Blush, Sparkle Silver, I’d land in the bathroom. Larry the Ladle or
Amy Susan Wilson
Oklahoma Babylon
The room is dark, despite the noonday sun. Thick curtains have been pulled across the windows. Several people are lined
Joel Vandiver
Okies Smile at Strangers
Part I: New York, 1996 You drop out of college and move to New York, a place you’ve only seen in movies. You
Maya Sloan
Okie Swimmer Defeats World Backstroke Champion
Oklahoma City native David Plummer had swimfans around the country scratching their heads and asking, "Who?" as he
Nathan Gunter
Okie Islam
In late March 1963, field minister Arthur 7-X held a press conference in Oklahoma City. Nation of Islam travelers had
James Murray
Okemah Masonic Lodge (1927-2011)
It was built to be our state headquarters but ended up being home to Okemah’s Freemasons. Now that
Shawna Lewis
Oil Oil Everywhere: Update on Affected Area
The image at left helps you appreciate the extent of the area affected by the BP Oil Spill Geyser. If you relocated
Michael Mason
Of Vice and Men: a Killing
A paved road in rural Oklahoma; on either side, miles of rolling grassland, the grass tall and pale with autumn. My
Gordon Grice
Of Spice and Men: A Century of Ike’s
Like a newspaper, a bowl of chili is a stew of unsavory, raw, ragged elements that boil down into a somewhat
This Land
Of All Places
His mother said it was Oklahoma that was making him nuts, blaming the whole state when the only place he ever went was
Lori Ostlund
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
October Issue Out Soon!
It's punchy this time around! Issue two of This Land will be available for purchase on Monday evening at the Joshua
This Land
Northside House from Larry Clark’s “Tulsa”
A similar exterior shot of this house is featured in Larry Clark's 1971 photobook Tulsa. Located in the Cherokee
Lee Roy Chapman
Norman’s Forgotten Legacy
Project Nim opens September 9 at the Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave. Bob Ingersoll will do question-and-answer
Joshua Kline
Norma Stone (1938-2011)
In a world where it’s all about whom you know, Norma Stone had it all. she made her resume from online resume builder
Shawna Lewis
Nora and Woody Guthrie
Woody and Nora Guthrie in Brooklyn, New York. Summer 1950. Courtesy of Nora
This Land
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
No Train, No Gain
The billboards go up in early November: the flushed cheeks of a Coca-Cola- reminiscent Santa Claus rendered 10 feet
Natasha Ball
No Phones, No Fools, No Frets: The J.J. Behind J.J.’s Gourmet Burger Café
J.J. Conley lounges against the cushions of a private room at Lucky’s. He studies his glass of Syrah and takes a sip.
Steve Gerkin
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
Night Hoops
With tar still sludging our fingers from roofing jobs worked through the heat of day, with scratches down our
Benjamin Myers
Nice River. How Much?
Ecological signs point to a water crisis on the horizon that will make "peak oil" look like a bad case of
This Land
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
New Documentary Details Japan’s Country Music Culture
This Land Films is pleased to announce a new partnership with director James Payne and producer Matt Leach to produce
This Land
Nevertheless and Notwithstanding
In the United States Capitol Building’s National Statuary Hall, two statues represent each state. They honor
Grace-Yvette Gemmell
Nelson Mandela’s Friend in Tulsa
The year 2013 ended with the world mourning for South Africa’s first black president, Nelson “Madiba” Mandela,
J. Kavin Ross
Nearly Empty House
A path is worn smooth in the hardwood floor, heading out the front door. The window above the kitchen sink is cracked
Denis McGilvray
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
N. Scott Momaday
Sterlin Harjo photographs Lawton Native N. Scott Momaday, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with his 1969
Sterlin Harjo
My Uncle Was an Astro Zombie!
My uncle was an astro zombie. I know you don’t believe me. No one does. When I whisper it to my neighbors, their
Dale Ingram
My Mother is a Chicken
My mother’s brothers married odd birds. Frances was a wild-eyed zany with a voice like a trapped cat and a way of
This Land
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