May 1, 2010

In the inaugural issue of This Land, we feature an exclusive story by Randy Roberts Potts, Oral Roberts’ grandson, on growing up gay in the televangelist’s family. Some highlights from this issue: THE WEATHER: From 2002 to 2006, Brian Byrne’s deadpan delivery of the daily weather report on KWGS, the University of Tulsa’s public radio station, earned him a cult following of listeners. THE CHET BAKER OF YALE, OKLAHOMA: Joe O’Shansky never gave Chet Baker a listen, despite admiring his musical peers, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU: Randy Roberts Potts, grandson of Oral Roberts, details “growing up gay” in a family of Christian evangelists. PLUS: “Past and Future Sound: Two Pillars of Tulsa Music History Revisited” by Joshua Kline “Letter from London” by Sarah Brown “Severe Storm Watch” by Rivka Galchen “Jubilee City: A Memoir at Full Speed” by Jeff Martin “Nice River, How Much?” by Matthew Crouch “Oklahoma’s All-Black Towns” by Hannibal B. Johnson “The Building Downtown” by Michael Mason Also featuring illustrations by Dennis Leach and Peter Bedgood, with photography by Michael Cooper, Dennis Leach and Rebekah Greiman.