Arts and Entertainment
How to keep your jack-o’-lantern from turning into moldy, maggoty mush before Halloween
For many Americans, pumpkins mean that fall is here. In anticipation, coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores start their pumpkin flavor promotions in late August, a month before autumn officially begins. And shoppers start buying fresh decorative winter produce, such as pumpkins and turban squash, in the hot, sultry days of late summer. But these fruits — […]
At Topeka Gun & Knife Show, cruel ironies fester amid aisles of weapons
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Tim Bascom directs the Kansas Book Festival and is the author of two memoirs, two collections of essays, and a novel. Rain is falling, but 50 to 60 […]
Kansas doesn’t have a brand while New York does? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Here’s a three-word response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ claim last week that Kansas doesn’t have a brand. Sunflowers, tornadoes and abolitionists. Here are a few more, for the sake of completeness. Bison, chili with cinnamon rolls, and the “Wizard of Oz.” With that out of the way, it’s worth asking why the […]
‘We’re live, we’re local’: Kansas Public Radio marks 70 years on the air
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Dave Kendall served as producer and host of the “Sunflower Journeys” series on public television for its first 27 seasons and continues to produce documentary videos through […]
Kansas celebrates victories in football, our morally fraught national pastime
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. I wrote this column once on Thursday. I flailed around […]
These five Kansas State Fair foods sustained and entertained Reflector staff this weekend
When I arrived at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson on Saturday morning with the Kansas Reflector crew, I moved backward and forward in time. Backward because every summer my mother would drag my unenthusiastic preteen and teenage self to county fairs. I remembered the pungent smell of sheds overflowing with goats and sheep, cows […]
American women looked to Elizabeth II as inspiration in 1953 — that sentiment never faded
In the spring of 1953, women from across the United States traveled to Britain — for many, it was their first time abroad. The impetus for the trip was Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, held in Westminster Abbey on a rainy June 2 of that year. Among those making the journey were Peggy Webber, who traveled all […]
Summoning inspiration from solitary, Kansas native wins PEN America prison writing award
TOPEKA — Alex Tretbar scratched Lou Reed lyrics into the concrete “rhomboid exoskeleton” of an Oregon jail’s solitary confinement hole, then found the strength to write about it. “Some people work very hard,” the song goes, “but still they never get it right.” Tretbar, a Wichita native and University of Kansas graduate, references the experience […]
The Truman celebrates five years of bringing music, community to Kansas City
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Lucie Krisman has reported on beats that include local government, business, and arts and culture. In September 2017, the site of a former auto parts shop […]
Early signs — and concerns — of how sports gambling apps will market to Kansans
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Thursday’s announcement that sports betting will begin Sept. 1 in […]
Kansas plans Sept. 1 ‘soft launch’ of sports wagering for start of football season
TOPEKA — Sports wagering in Kansas will launch Sept. 1, state officials said Thursday, allowing bets to be placed at the start of football season. Lawmakers in April passed legislation to greenlight sports wagering in the state under the administration of the Kansas Lottery. The action was estimated to generate revenues of up to $10 […]
With profound vote on reproductive rights, RePRO.Film tells stories that connect and shake us
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Whitni Carlson is a freelance writer based in Wichita. Do stories inspire activism? Lela Meadow-Conner, founder of Mama.Film and co-founder of its daughter organization, rePRO, believes […]