Cover Story
Acclaimed Author Bret Anthony Johnston Flips the Page
On the hard, flat cement of Corpus Christi, Bret Anthony Johnston got his first unconventional lessons in what it takes to be a writer. “As a skateboarder, you spend a lot of time on the ground. You are on the ground a lot. You are falling and hurting yourself on the ground constantly,” he says. …
News
UT Head of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Speaks Out
On Monday, the Chronicle spoke with Lisa Moore, who has served since 2023 as the chair of UT-Austin’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department – a department that is now being collapsed with three other programs into a single department. Moore spoke as an individual and not on behalf of any institution. Austin Chronicle: Professors…
The Right-Wingification of UT Continues
Texas Republicans’ efforts to control what is taught at the University of Texas passed another milestone last week, as UT administrators announced that the school will consolidate its highly regarded gender and ethnic studies programs into one new department. UT-Austin President Jim Davis sent a notice to the school community on Feb. 12 that the…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief
Over 100,000 Voucher Applications: Since applications for Texas’ new private school voucher program, Texas Education Freedom Accounts, opened on Feb. 4, over 100,000 students have submitted applications. Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock touts the tally as “the largest launch of a new school choice program” in any state. The $1 billion funding pot is predicted to…
The State Board of Education, and Why It Matters
“Some of the members on the board just don’t understand simple things, like what the study of history is,” Austin’s outgoing State Board of Education representative, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, told the Chronicle. On March 3, Texans living in the State Board of Education’s District 5, which encompasses Travis, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell, Guadalupe, and Blanco counties, will…
I-35 Expansion Threatens Austin’s Only Food Forest
The core group of volunteers at the Festival Beach Food Forest, Austin’s only food and indigenous medicinal plant grove that is always open for the public to forage, have long known that the future expansion of I-35 would impact what they’ve built. But the group didn’t anticipate the construction to branch into the forest itself.…
Music
Music Notes
Pet Sounds Live Thursday 19, Stateside at the Paramount Chris Cron and the rest of this Beach Boys tribute band will, in fact, play “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and the rest of Pet Sounds in its entirety. The group also performs “Surfin’ USA” and more hits from other parts of the Californians’ discography. Verde Verde…
Arts + Culture
Saddle Up for Lunar New Year 2026
Last Tuesday, Feb. 17, was the start of Lunar New Year 2026. This Chinese zodiac cycle restart means we’re now riding the Year of the Fire Horse into rapid change, intensity, and general big-energy business. But beyond the heat coming with this equine time, LNY represents a time to gather with friends and family, and…
Don’t Get Too Deep With Urinetown
A challenge for you: While reading this article, don’t think about peeing. No crossing your legs at the thought of running bathwater or gushing waterfalls. After all, that’s what the citizens in Tony Award-winning Urinetown (the musical; Urinetown the town is different) constantly do. In their odd little world, peeing is a privilege, tightly controlled…
Screens
How to Make a Killing Review: Greedy for Revenge
When Glen Powell donned a murderers’ row of faces for Hit Man, the first point of comparison was the beautifully twisted classic British black comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets. In it, Alec Guinness played eight members of a British aristocratic family, all of whom were assassinated by a disowned twig on the family tree. It…
Food
Fish Shop Finds Its Anchor
One of my least favorite phrases is “I’ll course it all out for you.” I have been burned by this promise more times than I can count, usually resulting in hot and cold dishes colliding or a salad landing 10 seconds before the entrée. I am, temperamentally, closer to Sally Albright than I would like…
Columns
Austin FC Keeping Expectations in Check as New Season Begins
As a fresh Major League Soccer regular season kicks off this weekend, so does a season of hope for the league’s 30 fan bases. And while the intensity of that hope may vary from market to market, the fact remains that, for the moment, every team in the league is undefeated. Hell, Austin FC fans…
A Thirtysomething Stoner’s Perfect Austin Weekend
You’re going to want to start your weekend on a Thursday evening. Thursday is the new Friday, everyone knows that. If you can secure a remote work day on Friday, even better. The “return to office” crowd can argue all they want, but hybrid work is the future and you can’t convince me otherwise. The…
Op-Ed: Make Arguments Make Sense Again
The day I realized I was a victim of domestic violence was the day that I posted about it online. After describing my situation on a forum, others responded with the vocabulary to articulate what was happening to me: abuse. For the first time, I was able to break through the confusion and identify the…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Pink noise can reduce your REM sleep by 19 minutes, according to a recent report in the journal Sleep. If you get a kidney transplant, surgeons leave in place your original kidney. Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock is based on the classic game rock-paper-scissors, but includes two additional gestures. Lizard is formed by making a sock puppet mouth and Spock…
The Luv Doc: Not Hearing What She Said
Dear Luv Doc, My girlfriend was giving me a ride back from the gym on Wednesday because my car was in the shop. We were stopped at a long light, so I was looking at Instagram on my phone. She said something I didn’t hear so I told her I didn’t hear her and I…
Feedback: February 20, 2026
Hidden Costs Dear Editor, Austinites pay a lot more taxes toward debt than reported in your article “A New Bond Election Is Now an ‘If,’ Not a ‘When,'” [News, Feb. 13]. The city of Austin is ranked sixth in the country in per-capita debt for pensions and retirees’ medical insurance. And that borrowing is at a high,…
Day Trips: Texas Historical Markers
Texas historical markers give us snippets of history that help tie people, places, and events to local history. You won’t find these stories in school history books. Marshall, in northeast Texas, was once a major transportation hub and has lots of historical markers to its credit, including being the “Birthplace of Boogie-Woogie Music.” Following the…
Qmmunity: Magic 8 Ball Moment
Reader, I’m shaking my snot-filled head around like a Magic 8 Ball trying to figure out a good opening line. Wouldn’t you know it, but nothing’s coming up! So please take my sincerest wish that you are healthy-ish, happy-ish, and having a nice time-ish as the best welcome I can manage. By the time you…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Big bright transitions are at hand: from thrashing around in the educational mire to celebrating your sweet escape; from wrangling with shadows and ghosts to greeting new allies; from messing around with interesting but confounding chaos to seizing fresh opportunities to shine and thrive. Hallelujah! What explains this exhilarating shift? The…
