Posted on · For the first time, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night (Feb. 28, 2017). Plus the Texas Legislature continued into its eighth week. On this edition of Houston Matters, we convene our weekly political roundup to discuss the those and other political stories happening at the national, state and local […]
Posted on · Chanelle Benz is a Houston resident and author of a collection of short stories called The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead. The stories span genres, time periods and voices. For instance, there's a couple of westerns. There’s a story set in the 16th century and a spy drama, to name a few. […]
Posted on · An acclaimed American author has handpicked three booksellers to receive cash bonuses for their hard work.
Posted on · Among the many authors we interview on Houston Matters, we connect with quite a few of them through Houston's Brazos Bookstore and, in particular, their marketing manager Ben Rybeck. Now, Rybeck has written a book of his own, a novel called The Sadness. Michael Hagerty talked with Rybeck, who says the book's about something different […]
Posted on · Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has thus far insisted that however the city's pension woes are resolved won't include changing from a defined benefits to a defined compensation system. On this edition of Houston Matters, we explore the differences between the two structures. We also consider what each means for city employees and why the mayor […]
Posted on · Letâs, for a moment, slip back into those childhood years. Maybe your toy of choice was Legos or a train set. Now, as an adult would you consider pulling out that train set at the end of a work day to maybe unwind, or does that seem ludicrous? And yet, so many people are doing […]
Posted on · In 1988, Buzz Bissinger uprooted his family and moved to Odessa, Texas, to chronicle the Permian High School Panthers football team in its quest for a state championship. That experience became his acclaimed book, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. Now, after 25 years, a movie and a television series, the […]
Posted on · In September of 2011, severe drought – coupled with a tropical storm – helped fuel a wildfire that destroyed the home of Randy Fritz and his family in the Lost Pines area, about 103 miles northwest of Houston near Bastrop. While neither he, his wife nor his three daughters were hurt in the fire that […]
Posted on · What do megachurches, potholes and wireless networks have in common? The answer is maps. They’re not road maps or weather maps. They’re maps of things like potholes around Lakewood Church. Or maps of Houston’s wireless networks. The work is part of a class at the University of Houston called Creative Mapping that encourages students to […]
Posted on · In 1986, Michael Morton's wife, Christine, was murdered in their home just outside Austin, while he was away at work. Morton quickly became the prime suspect in the case and was eventually convicted of the murder, despite not much physical evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison. Nearly 25 years later, after attorneys from […]
Posted on · Brazos Bookstore‘s Benjamin Rybeck talks about celebrating Banned Books Week, which highlights literary works that are banned from libraries or other institutions for various reasons.
Posted on · This weekend, Houstonâs Brazos Bookstore celebrates its 40th anniversary with a slate of events. As more of us turn to e-books and online booksellers, traditional bricks-and-mortar bookstores have had to adapt. We discuss how indie bookstores in Houston are re-inventing themselves as essentially community centers for readers with Jeremy Ellis of Brazos Bookstore and Valerie […]
Posted on · On this edition of Houston Matters, we talk with Dave Fehling, Houston Public Media’s State Impact reporter for energy and the environment, about concerns related to what are known as “reserve pits” on drilling sites. These pits are dug on the site of a drilling rig and filled with waste that comes out of oil […]