6 DEC 2021 · The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad’s creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.

4 AUG 2021 · Two Austinites have made it their life's work to document uses for every wild plant in Texas—a project they say could save humanity.

28 JUL 2021 · Katie Nodjimbadem on how she was shaped by her family's unlikely choice to make a home in the Chihuahuan Desert.

21 JUL 2021 · The poet and performer Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton on risking new connections with nature during a year of tragedy.

14 JUL 2021 · Mike Hall tells the story of closing down the legendary Austin club Liberty Lunch in 1999 with a 24-hour performance of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”

7 JUL 2021 · Mimi Swartz remembers her days caring for her father, and the dogs who took care of them both.

30 JUN 2021 · DJ El Dusty traces the origins of the record collection that gave him his signature sound, and is helping to shape the sound of his hometown of Corpus Christi.

23 JUN 2021 · Skip Hollandsworth tracks down the Goree All Girl String Band, whose dreams of leading normal, anonymous lives required them, first, to become country music stars.

16 JUN 2021 · In the debut episode of State of Mind, Texas Monthly's Cat Cardenas tells the story of her grandfather, the often magical tales that he told, and how he built a life in Texas. Read more about the story at texasmonthly.com/stateofmind.

1 JUN 2021 · There’s something different about Texas. But how do you define it without resorting to cliches about cowboys and oilmen? At Texas Monthly, we think the answer is through stories — stories like the ones we’ve been telling for almost 50 years. On State of Mind, you’ll hear those stories from our talented writers and from a wide array of other Texans. Each of them is a window into the experience of life here. Join us each week for a new story about life in the Lone Star State, from the Texas Monthly team behind “Boomtown,” “One by Willie,” and “Tom Brown’s Body.”