Texas stories, told well. Some of them true.
Stories From Texas collects the state's tall talk, its history and its family memories, told by host W.F. Strong with a dry grin. One episode strings together favorite lines about Texas from Davy Crockett to Larry McMurtry, and another remembers his mother, who bought her first computer at 88.
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Stories From Texas runs on the conviction that the state is worth talking about, and that a good Texas story can stand a little stretching. W.F. Strong is the host. His manner is conversational, dry and affectionate, with a storyteller's feel for where the laugh goes. He signs off with a line that works as both joke and disclaimer: there are many fine stories to tell, and some of them are true. The episode called 'Quotes' shows the method best. Strong strings together his favorite lines about Texas and comments on them as he goes. He suspects that Davy Crockett's famous remark, made after losing a bid for Congress in Tennessee, originally had a y'all in it that grammatical purity later scrubbed out. He passes along a tall tale in which a baby born in Texarkana as a wagon crossed into the state would be in third grade by El Paso, then asks that nobody write in to correct the arithmetic. Conrad Hilton, who bought his first hotel in Cisco, gets a turn on the vastness of the place. Larry McMurtry gets the more sobering one, tracing big Texan dreams back to isolated immigrant families on the staked plains. 'Mom' trades the wisecracks for something closer. It is a portrait of Mary B. Strong, who lived to 101 and five months and advised that the way to reach 100 was to reach 99 and then be very, very careful. She bought her first computer at 88. When arthritis stopped her typing, she dictated her emails. She mowed her own lawn until 85, and said that if she could be 18 for a day she would run a Galveston beach until she ran out of island. The jokes survive, but the piece is about grit. Strong does not keep the stage to himself. For a student edition he asked 30 students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for their Texas stories and chose five. One follows Texans waiting on Blue Bell deliveries, some of them driving to San Antonio to stock up, and another calls South Texas summers 'let's lock ourselves in a room and eat sunblock together' hot. In an edition he bills as the long-form program, British historian and BBC broadcaster Dan Snow recalls picking up a bit of the two-step and argues that San Antonio's missions are older than most big UK cities. He also credits Texans with preserving and celebrating history that may be only 150 years old. For the voice, start with 'Quotes'. For the heart, start with 'Mom'.
Made for: Suits a listener who enjoys Texas history told with a raised eyebrow, likes a good quotation and a tall tale, and doesn't mind a turn toward family memory.
What sets it apart: Its range runs from a British historian's outside view to a student's account of South Texas heat to a son's portrait of his mother. A host whose sign-off admits only some of the stories are true holds it all together.
Dr. W. F. Strong, a communications professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, brings bits of Texas lore and history for Texans and non-Texans alike.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Dan Snow and W.F. Strong use the Alamo to explore place, memory, and the pull of Texas history.
A walk around the Alamo opens into an engaging conversation between W.F. Strong and British historian Dan Snow about why Texas history still carries such force.
Five student voices make Texas folklore, food, heat, and history feel like a brisk regional scrapbook.
Stories From Texas: Student Edition makes a compact program feel like a bright regional sampler, moving through Texas folklore, local habits, food loyalties, heat, and state history. Five University of Texas Rio Grande Valley students share stories selected by W.F.
Black Hills history, told on location.
Vegas history with a barstool pulse.
Connecticut history with national echoes.
Texas history, sourced and road-tested.
Maine history, widened through public talks.
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