Culture

Ben Sargent’s Loon Star State: Perry’s Cool Glasses

Zoe Leonard’s Camera Obscura Turns Marfa Inside Out and Upside Down

“100 North Nevill Street” features a 6-inch lens, installed in one of the building’s walls, that casts an inverse image of the exterior landscape across the interior of the warehouse-like space. Because the image is a real-time projection of the external environment, ever-changing patterns of light and shadow, not to mention clouds and cars, keep the distorted image in constant motion.

Review: James K. Galbraith Separates Fact from Fairy Tale in Bill White’s America’s Fiscal Constitution

Former Houston Mayor Bill White’s book is the history of an idea. It is an idea with deep roots and continuity, one that continues to drive our budget discourse, and one that informs how most Americans think about deficits and debt. The idea is “fiscal responsibility.”

Cold in July is a Monstrous Mash-Up of Film’s Darkest Genres

Cold in July may not be high art, but it triumphs because of the delight it takes in its own mad energy.

Direct Quote: Sam Allen Keeps the Buffalo Soldier Legacy Alive

Living-history educator Sam Allen shares stories of the black soldiers who fought in America’s Civil War and Indian wars.

Fiction Review: Cristina Henríquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans Complicates the ‘Single Story’ of Latinos in the U.S.

In Texas, at least, Mexican immigration has largely defined the Latino narrative, but Cristina Henríquez’s big-hearted second novel challenges this “single story” by exploring a wide range of Latino experiences.

Tyrant’s Foe: Eddie Canales Is Saving the Lives of Undocumented Immigrants

For saving the lives of undocumented immigrants crossing the border, Eddie Canales is a tyrant’s foe.

Aliens Without Borders: Exploring South Texas’ Intergalactic Attractions

UFO watchers, conspiracy theorists and truth seekers congregate in Del Rio for the town’s first UFO convention.

Imagine There’s No Concrete: Building a Papercrete Revolution in Mason

If mass-produced papercrete blocks gain ICC code approval, they just might change the way we build.

Robert Duvall Rages Against the Dying of the Light in A Night in Old Mexico

Some movies are questions, some are advertisements, some are labyrinths and some are declarations. A Night in Old Mexico is a declaration all the way.