Catch It, Like a Simien
KU basketball sensation and NBA star Wayne Simien Jr. has always had another sport, handed down from generation to generation If you’ve spent much time near the waters around Lawrence, Kansas, then you might have come across three young brothers fishing together. And if you know fishing, you’ll recognize the […]
Bob Dole in Donkey Land
A Republican loyalist and a rare Democratic stronghold in his home state of Kansas created a fraught but enduring partnership. Bob Dole: Soldier, Statesman, and American. Illustration by Torren Thomas. Photography in this article by Carter Gaskins. Archival photography courtesy Library of Congress. The Institute By Elizabeth Walters Upon entering […]
It’s Not a (Beep! Beep!) Poet (and it doesn’t know it)
Tom Averill examines what poetry reveals about the potential and the limitations of AI text bots.
Beep Baseball’s Ambassador
Beep Baseball’s Ambassador from summer 2023 edition of Topeka Magazine. Read by Haines Eason.
Vintage Base Ball
Topeka Westerns play base ball according to 1860s rules, outfits and equipment Story by Tom Averill | Photography by Nick Krug | From the summer 2023 edition of Topeka Magazine Thus the attraction of the game in its earliest days [1840–1850] was first the novelty and exhilaration of play; second […]
Sarah Henning Camps with Monsters in Her Latest YA Novel
Sarah Henning’s latest young adult novel, Monster Camp (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023), follows 11-year-old Sylvie Shaw’s life-defining adventure during the summer before seventh grade. Drawn to the supernatural as an avid costume role-player (a LARPer), Sylvie frequently adopts a vampire persona with the help of stick-on fangs […]
Taste & Unity
Story by Nathan Pettengill | Photography by Bill Stephens and Nick Krug The Black-Owned Restaurants and Food Trucks Celebration Highlights a New Wave of Community Entrepreneurs At Lace’s parking lot on 29th Street, a line has formed outside of JLG Mexi-Q’s food truck as people get off work on and […]
The Gary Davis Collection
Even in the age of digital photography, most families will collectively own some photo albums, scrapbooks or boxes filled with loose photographs from the family’s past. These family collections might have great sentimental and personal value, but are less often a matter of historical record—unless you are Gary Davis. Davis’ […]
‘A Love Letter to My Discipline’
Dr. Jennifer Raff discusses her new book, Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, and its call to address and correct past racist practices and harmful conclusions in the field of genetics and anthropological research applied to the settlement of North America.
The Very Little & The Very Last
For families in Lawrence, Kansas, with children under 5, life remains in a pandemic limbo until vaccinations are finally approved for the youngest age groups
See Douglas County
Our tribute to the parks and green spaces of Douglas County, Kansas. Ten artists pay homage to a favorite natural site with illustrations reminiscent of the iconic 1930s WPA National Park poster series. These posters are included in the 2022 Douglas County Newcomers Guide released by Sunflower Publishing, home of […]
SEE TOPEKA
Our tribute to the parks and green spaces of Topeka, Kansas. Thirteen Topeka artists select natural areas meaningful to them and pay homage with works echoing the style of the iconic 1930s WPA National Parks posters I love rivers. I love the Kansas River in particular. I go across the […]
Mask up, Kansas!
We are proud that the winter editions of our three core Kansas city/regional magazines all feature face masks on the cover image. Masks are fabulous … and can save lives. Let’s care for one another this coming winter season.
Patriotic Dissent
Drawing on a tradition of dissent and service, combat veteran Danny Sjursen calls for a new approach to American military policy Story by Will Haynes / Photography by Jason Dailey There was a time, not so long ago,” Danny Sjursen remembers, “when I didn’t expect to make it to thirty.” […]
The State You Leave Us
THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS IS CHANGING KANSAS AS WE KNOW IT AND UPENDING MY GENERATION’S ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT A FUTURE IN OUR HOME STATE. For over 40 years, more than double my lifetime, the annual Prairie Festival at the Land Institute near Salina has celebrated the research station’s mission of developing […]
See Lawrence: Parks and Green Spaces
The community’s parks and green spaces are at the heart of the city’s geographical layout and historical identity To explore and honor Lawrence’s public parks and green spaces, we asked several Lawrence artists to envision a location in the spirit of the National Parks “See America” posters commissioned in the […]
Megan Phelps-Roper on her families, new and old
Megan Phelps-Roper talks about leaving her family at Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church, and starting a new one free of hate.
Islamic John Brown and Other Heroes of Kansastan
For Kansas Day, here’s our interview with author Farooq Ahmed about his creative literary recasting of his home state Imagine a steampunk Kansas settled by Islamic pioneers who erect mosques at the heart of each community, have already abolished (or at least seem to have contained) slavery, but continue to […]
Lost in Focus
The artwork of Lana Grove Story by Darin M. White from the winter 2019 edition of Lawrence Magazine Some things just come naturally. This is how Lana Grove describes her love of art, something she remembers from her first days growing up on the West Coast. Here, drawing and painting […]
Namaaaaaaaaste! Goat Yoga
Story by Michelle R. Terry | Photographs by Bill Stephens When Jeni and Benjamin Moore purchased their rural homestead in southeast Topeka, their initial plan was to convert it into a state-of-the-art horse boarding and training facility. This was a natural choice that played to the strengths of Jeni, a […]
Ad Astra, Lady Bearica
Former Lawrence residence Lady Bearica Andrews returns to visit the town she credits as being “formative” to her growth
Preserving Stauffer’s Marsh
The Potomac Valley Audubon Society works to keep Stauffer’s Marsh a beautiful and balanced home for native wildlife. Story by Mary Heath Photography by Steve Whysall Often unnoticed by those driving along Back Creek Valley Road in Berkeley County, the serene meadows and wetlands that make up Stauffer’s Marsh Preserve […]
Meet Our Matriarch
Though not commonly recognized in local history, Hester Zane played an important role for Eudora the city and for Eudora the daughter. Story and Photography by Cindy Higgins If you are a Eudora resident, then you probably recognize the landmark sculpture at the corner of 9th and main streets showing […]
Air Dwane
Longtime Eudora resident Dwane Richardson takes his high-flying hobby above the city. Story by Seth Jones Photography by Nick Krug If you have lived in Eudora at any time over the past 15 years, chances are you have spotted a unique aircraft flying overhead. It’s a powered-parachute craft, most often […]
"A Natural Feeling"
Joan Martin has retired from her medical profession, but she has never parted with her work as an artist. Story by Marsha Henry Goff Photography by Brain Goodman Art has been important to Joan Martin for as long as she can remember. And as long as she remembers goes back […]
"How Steep a Hill"
The latest in our series of personal letters from local residents brings the story of a young professional rebuilding his postconviction career in spite of stigma and discrimination. Story by: Gordon A. Smith with Leah Sewell Photography by: Nick Krug I am an ex-felon. I spent seven years in federal […]
The Aliens of James Gunn
A Lawrence author and science-fiction legend explores the human element of bringing in the aliens. Story by: Carolyn Kaberline Illustrations by Torrence Thomas Without any warning, they appear on Earth and launch an attack. After all, that’s what aliens do again and again in science fiction. But the aliens in […]
Mario's Second Miracle
In Lawrence, Mario Chalmers will forever be remembered for “Mario’s Miracle” during the 2008 NCAA Championship game. Story by: Kate Blatherwick Picket Photography by: Larry Harwood, Jason Dailey and Nick Krug That amazing three-point shot sent the University of Kansas men’s basketball squad into an overtime victory and left a […]