Handmade leather goods are surging in popularity, and Oklahoma has a new generation of leatherworkers helping carry the craft forward. From functional staples like belts and wallets to custom pieces designed to become heirlooms, these makers are putting their own spin on a centuries-old craft.
Andrew Reed owns Harrow and Sickle Design in Oklahoma City. He makes belts, wallets and...
Most people picture a seed bank as a massive underground vault, packed with seeds from around the world and built to safeguard humanity’s food supply. But seed saving also happens much closer to home in public libraries, gardens and communities across Oklahoma.
The distinction between a seed bank and a seed library is important.
“A seed bank is where genetic material...
Modern golf’s exclusivity is changing. There’s a new game on the course, with new demographics teeing up, too.
First Tee, metropolitan Oklahoma City’s youth development organization, empowers youth to learn golf skills while developing character qualities through a life skills curriculum. First Tee has several programs with their School Program integrated into physical education programs. As well, First Tee works...
Passing through the state of Oklahoma, it’s not uncommon to see areas of land on fire. Smoke is often seen from miles away, too. While it may feel alarming to see swaths of the Sooner State ablaze, many of these are prescribed burns; they aren’t set on accident.
“A prescribed burn is when fire is applied to a specific area...
The SoundBar, declares Jay Shanker, is “the best first date in Oklahoma City.”
The listening room in Automobile Alley is a vinyl bar that relies on an inventory of 15,000 records, about 12,000 of which are available for sale.
A listening room, unlike other music venues, is a space designed for focused music listening, where the atmosphere encourages patrons to quiet...
For nearly a decade, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead’s life has been intertwined with the characters in his bestselling Harlem Trilogy, an urban masterpiece which came to a rousing finale with the final installment, Cool Machine, released in July.
Colson Whitehead is the only author to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for consecutive efforts, earning the honor for...
County fairs are a longstanding tradition within the United States. These public events showcase everything from equipment to animals, sports and recreation, and are generally associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. Originating back in the Middle Ages, fairs primarily served a religious or commercial purpose. Around the 1810s, Americans used fairs to meet and discuss crops, livestock and land...
For a little more than 23 years now, Tulsa NPR affiliate KWGS, 89.5 FM, has been the home of my Saturday evening radio program, Swing on This (which also live-streams at publicradiotulsa.org). Basically a Western-swing show, celebrating the genre Bob Wills launched from his Tulsa base back in the early ‘30s, its the playlists have grown over the years...
Firenze in Italian, Florence is also famously called La Culla del Rinascimento, “The Cradle of the Renaissance,” the place where the stars aligned to produce a culture like none other.
The timing could not have been better. It was the 15th century, and merchant ships of many flags were making regular stops at Italy’s seaports, bringing spices, wool, grain...
Fall brings cooler weather, autumn foliage and, unfortunately, respiratory virus season. From now through May, Oklahoma typically sees spikes in influenza, RSV and COVID-19.
According to the CDC, last year’s flu season (2025-2026) was severe, with 390,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths. The previous season (2024-2025) was even worse, with 710,000 hospitalizations and 45,000 deaths.
Douglas Drevets, M.D., Chief of Infectious Diseases...
