
June 2020 Issue

Features


‘Valentine’ Writer Elizabeth Wetmore’s Texas Roots
The best-selling debut author remembers the Permian Basin home she fled as soon as she could.


How ‘Passage’ Author Justin Cronin Became a Lifelong Catastrophist
Decades of reading about the apocalypse led to the creation of his own series of pandemic novels. Lately, he's been wishing real life didn’t track fiction so closely.

Go-Go’s Bassist Kathy Valentine Remembers the Sounds of 1970s Austin
The Texas native's new memoir offers plenty to listen to.

Five Judges Say Rosa Jimenez Was Wrongly Convicted. So Why Is She Dying in Prison?
First came the sound of someone running hard on the breezeway outside, then a banging on the apartment door. Irene Vera opened it to see her neighbor, twenty-year-old Rosa Jimenez, holding a little boy who lay limp in her arms. “Help me! Help me!” Jimenez cried hysterically in Spanish. The

Should Neiman Marcus Exist?
The inside story of the Dallas-born luxury retailer’s struggle to remain relevant—and solvent.

The Seminal Novel About the 1918 Flu Pandemic Was Written by a Texan
Katherine Anne Porter’s ‘Pale Horse, Pale Rider’ tells the tale of a pandemic she barely survived.
The State

From the Editor, June 2020: “Investing in Talent”
We introduce you to Texas Monthly's newest editorial staff members.


For Years, an East Texas Carpenter Has Been Building a Gothic Contraption of Decks and Spikes in a Historic Square
Not everyone in San Augustine is on board for local artist Gary Brewer's perplexing project, which is three stories high and counting.

The Signs of the Big Bend Are a Sign of the Times
Some were written long ago. Some appeared this year. But whether it’s a sign about snakes or a sign about diesel fried chicken, a simple message seems to mean the most.

Meet the Ocelot Whisperer
Documentarian Ben Masters tracks some of the few Leopardus pardalis that are left in Texas.

The Dr. Fauci of South Texas
Laredo cardiologist Ricardo Cigarroa is on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, making house calls and “dealing hard doses of truth.”

Can the ‘Texas Miracle’ Survive?
With a virus-infected economy and an oil bust to boot, the Texas model is facing an unprecedented crisis.

Recipes From Some of Your Favorite Texas Restaurants
Using five great Texas cookbooks, you can create a coursed meal that will take you across the state, from the comfort of your kitchen.

The Texanist: Will the Pandemic Let Texas Be Texas Once Again?
A sad and anxious time may offer a silver lining.