Editor's letter 10/16/19

Against all logic, it is—somehow—the middle of October. Here at TTV headquarters, we’re celebrating the end of the hottest summer in recorded history by biking to work, dressing like we mean it and ceremoniously switching our beer orders from session IPAs to boozy imperial stouts. Accordingly, our office playlists have gone from glitzy art-pop and trap bangers to wistful folk ballads and introspective songs of longing and despair. 

“We’re all losing our leaves and becoming more withdrawn, so we can bloom and blossom in the spring.” That’s from a local woman named Bridget, a dedicated mom and business owner here in Tulsa who happens to also be a practicing witch. She talked to reporter Cydney Baron about Samhain, the witches’ new year beginning Oct. 31, when she says the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest and most permeable.

In this issue—our 20th of the year—you’ll learn about how Tulsans like Bridget celebrate the season of the witch. Then we’ve got a debut feature from Alexandra Robinson about the gender politics of alt-spirituality and its appeal to Millennials looking for answers during this bleak moment in world history, which is darker and more disturbing than any Halloween ghoul or ghost story. Robinson talked to local psychics and tarot practitioners about their craft and its peculiar resurgence in American youth culture. 

We’ve also got a story on cover illustrator Stephanie Bayles, who sat down for a chat with TTV assistant editor Blayklee Freed about her spook-driven aesthetic and taste for the macabre. After that, digital editor Kyra Bruce takes you to the most haunted sites in the city, guided by the folks at Tulsa Spirit Tours whose mission to give locals a good scare intersects with a responsibility to stare head-on at the uglier aspects of our history. We’ve also got the rundown on a few of the best fall menu items in Tulsa, from precious farm-to-table fare to pumpkin-spice gas station pretzels.      

Also inside: Dream Action Oklahoma celebrates 10 years of fighting for immigrant rights; a new play at Heller Theatre investigates the Osage Murders; resident columnist Barry Friedman takes the stage with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow; a hunky celebrity chef fights for sustainable seafood; and State Poet Laureate Jeanetta Calhoun Mish talks writing the heartland before her appearance at the Nimrod Conference for Readers & Writers on Oct. 18–19. Plus a big fat music section featuring interviews with Beau Jennings, Steve Gunn and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.  

That should hold you over for now. This issue is on stands an extra week, so don’t read it all at once. Until we meet again, remember to tip handsomely and call your mom.