TulsaPeople Magazine

Hear TulsaPeople's Musings columnist Connie Cronley read her October piece, plus a farewell from host Blayklee Freed.

Read more: Any fool can do it

Hear from hip-hop aficionado Steph Simon as Dreamland Festival approaches, as well as his latest projects with his own music and teaching young artists at McLain High School.

Hear a rundown of October's features, plus an inside look at Host Blayklee Freed's story on local artist Trueson Daugherty's events that promote community and creativity.

Read more:

• Urban playground: There’s so much to do and see downtown. Here are some TulsaPeople editor favorites
• Troubled waters: Testing shows extremely high levels of bacteria and the fish population is decreasing in the Arkansas River as the City eyes Labor Day 2024 opening for Zink Dam
• The new Tulsa tone: Get to know a new generation of musicians
• A visit with Patrick Gordon: A painter of consistent habits, a man of contrasts and change
• Social sculpture: In-home art experience comes to T-Town

We're looking forward to the fair and have some details on music and other live performances. Plus, Connie reads "Hello, I must be going."

Read more:

• What the ale: Heirloom Rustic Ale's Morning Devotion is beer of the week
• Tulsa 10: Sept. 25 - Oct. 1
• Awesome rides, food and fun: A guide to Tulsa State Fair, Sept. 28 – Oct. 8

In addition to an overview of September's issue honoring Tulsa women, hear how the queen bee at Roark Farms operates her hive, courtesy of handler Michael Roark and reporter Tiffany Howard.

• Power players: Meet the women shaping Tulsa's public relations landscape
• A century of civic engagement: League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Tulsa celebrates 100 years
• Picture perfect: Gathering Place photo contest
• Legends: JoAnn Gilford, education trailblazer
• Bee-hind the scenes: Local honey farm produces a robust product lineup

As summer winds down, we look ahead to a season of shows at local venues. Connie Cronley reads "Another letter to a niece (who hates her neighbors)."

More from this episode:

• Weathering the storms: TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist on fighting for her students and the future of public education
• City on stage: There’s a wealth of talent in this year’s performing arts guide
• Scenes from a Mercury Lounge Bluegrass Brunch featuring Johnny Mullenax Band
• Music listings

Host Blayklee Freed talks with Features Editor Tim Landes to discuss his multiple interviews with local educators. Plus, career-ready programs have been building students' skills and preparing them for a robust future.

• Weathering the storms: TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist on fighting for her students and the future of public education
• Skills to build on: How 4 local high schools prepare students for careers after graduation
• City on stage: There’s a wealth of talent in this year’s performing arts guide
• In session: A look at summer programming at Tulsa Dream Center locations
• Coffee with: Rebecka Peterson, National Teacher of the Year

Local comedian Evan Hughes performs around Tulsa and hosts monthly shows that he curates with comics of all skill levels. Hughes is performing this weekend at Blue Whale Comedy Festival. Plus, Connie Cronley reads her July column. 

• Tulsa 10
• Blue Whale schedule
• Goodnight Sun by Connie Cronley

Photo by Ferrell Dixon Jr / ASLUT

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes. 

After more than 100 episodes over the past four years it's time to go About Town. 
On this episode Tim and About Town host Blayklee Freed talk about the future of this podcast channel and all the exciting things to come in the biweekly episodes of About Town that will run 10-15 minutes an episode. 

We also reflect on the five years of Tulsa Talks and discuss some of the highlights. 

All the podcast episodes will remain here and at TulsaPeople.com/Podcast. 

We might be back later with more special episodes of Tulsa Talks. In the meantime, Tim will continue making appearances on random episodes of About Town. 

So stay subscribed, buckle up and get ready to go About Town. 

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes.

Business is getting back to normal around Tulsa after the devastating effects of the June 17 storm that left me, some coworkers and thousands of other Tulsans without power for nearly a week. It was hot, but we made it… unlike way too many trees. 

So this episode is dropping a week late and it’s a different format than usual.

I’ve been doing a lot of online content this year. Lots of concert photo galleries and some reviews, plus Q&A and photo galleries with local creatives. Plus our team publishes updated music listings, a weekly rundown of things to do, a beer of the week and more. We’re staying busy.

We have so many talented artists in this town, and I want to spend time with as many of them as possible. I love learning their stories and having the opportunity to share a part of it with our readers. Plus often there are lessons we can learn and use in our own endeavors.

As I continue to evolve in my work, I’ve been spending a lot more time working on my photography. It’s been a lifelong hobby, and a part of my jobs for over a decade. Most of it is photojournalism, which means capturing moments. I’ve been pushing myself to do more portraits, which pushes me out of my comfort zone. I’m getting better at it, and excited to keep chasing it as I move toward video, finally.

The film industry is exploding in Tulsa, and it’s inspiring to see so many creatives growing their styles here in Tulsa. Many are homegrown, but some are coming here to learn and make movies.

I recently went for a walk and talk with filmmaker Brea Mullen, a Tulsa transplant who didn’t go to film school and is grinding it out and learning as she goes and loving every second of it.

Her documentary Oklahoma Underground will premiere locally as part of the upcoming Circle Cinema Film Festival.

Read the Q&A with Brea.

Back in late May, I went for a Turkey Mountain hike with Branjae.

We covered a whole lot in this Q&A

She discussed how she took a break from music to take care of her mental health, and now she’s back and ready to roll out new music and more.

What didn’t make the cut in print is her thoughts on the local music and creative scene in 2023.

While she did take a break from most her musical duties, she did perform at the legendary Apollo Theater in NYC. I had to ask her about that experience.

And now since things got twisted, turned and thrown across Tulsa, I’m going to leave you with Connie Cronley reading her June column. This would normally appear on our About Town episodes, but even our podcast schedule felt the effects of the derecho.

Also congrats to Connie for her recent awards from the Great Plains Journalism Awards as well as the Oklahoma Press Association. She’s one of the best writers in the state and more than worthy of these awards.

Take us on your road trip, Connie. 

Tulsa interdisciplinary artist Koda Miles opens her first solo exhibition this week at Positive Space Tulsa.

Titled “Caught Up,” the body of work Miles has on display includes 3D sculpture works and acrylic paintings.

Read more:

• Art opening this week: “Caught Up” by Koda Miles at Positive Space Tulsa
• Positively different: New gallery doubles as space for women creatives to feel accepted and heard
• Born for the role: New Juneteenth coordinator continues a family legacy
• What the Ale: Nook Brewing Co.'s Blood Orange Wheat is the beer of the week
• Tulsa 10: June 12-18
• Tulsa Music Listings

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes. 

After nearly four decades of being a photographer and a decade of writing about beer for Tulsa World, Tom Gilbert now contributes beer of the week stories and photo galleries here at TulsaPeople, and I couldn't be more excited. He's someone I've looked up to for a long time, so I was thrilled he agreed to chat with me about his life passions of photography and beer. 

Tom takes us back to his teenage years in Saudi Arabia when and where  he learned about home brewing and fell in love with taking pictures. He returned home to Broken Arrow, went to college and then started at Tulsa World in the mid-late 1980s, where he worked until December of 2022. 

We talk about the evolutions of photography and journalism and he shares his thoughts on where he thinks the industry is going.

We start and close talking about the always growing and evolving Tulsa beer scene. Cheers!

Celebrations need not end when Saint Francis Tulsa Tough races do. Host Blayklee Freed talks with co-founders of Flywheel, Phil Kaiser and Scott Carr, ahead of Big Ride and Big Bite, the organization's June 10 events in downtown Tulsa.  

• Introducing Flywheel Presents: Big Bite, Tulsa's newest food festival on June 10 (sponsored editorial)
• June's calendar of events
• Scenes from Saint Francis Tulsa Tough 2022
• GoFundMe: Tyler's Recovery by CLIFFDIVER

Columnist Connie Cronley reads her May column, which you can read at the link below.

Read more: ‘So,’ I said ... 

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes.  

Long before I returned to journalism, I worked for my tribe, Cherokee Nation, for a decade. It was there I helped do media relations for Cherokee Casinos and Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. It was in that role I learned about the importance of the art. We’re storytellers because up until Sequoyah created the syllabary, the only way to share history was through stories and art. Even with the written language this continues. Over the last 15 years, Cherokee Nation has invested heavily in art. It’s actually a Cherokee Nation law that every construction project must incorporate art into the budget.  

That’s not the case for Muscogee Nation. When the tribe acquired the Cancer Treatment Center and turned it into Council Oak Comprehensive Healthcare, they inherited a massive new facility that would help revolutionize health care for the tribe and open its doors for all area tribal citizens. The team behind the hospital saw an opportunity to not only provide medical treatment, but also help folks heal through art.  

Under the curation of Osage Nation citizen Julie O’Keefe, who had helped Bacone College with their Acee Blue Eagle Collection, the tribe purchased and commissioned art from over 30 artists, which has resulted in dozens of pieces of art of all kinds hanging throughout the hospital campus, including some from Yatika Fields and outside in the courtyard, where Kenneth Johnson is creating his largest sculpture to date.  

I wrote about this for a feature that is in our May issue of the magazine. I love this story, but due to space limitations I couldn’t share all I wanted to from the artists. This is often the case, sadly. Ask any journalist about the content piled on the cutting room floor and they might cry. That said, I realized I had an opportunity to share more from the artists on how important this project has been to them.  

Something else that sometimes happens is an interview opportunity comes up after the story goes to press. In this case, hospital officials purchased a painting from legendary Muscogee Nation artist Dana Tiger. She calls the painting her masterpiece. When I learned the tribe had purchased the painting, I jumped at the chance to head down the turnpike to Muskogee to visit with Dana about her art.  

First up is Yatika Fields, who is a Muscogee Nation citizen and Cherokee and Osage. He’s also a Tulsa Artist Fellow. The health care center acquired many of his paintings and commissioned him to paint his largest to date. He talks about how important it is, but also how there’s also the need for more public walls to showcase Native art.  

Second is Kenneth Johnson is a sculptor, who resides in Santa Fe. He’s logged many miles driving back and forth to work on his courtyard installation, which it turns out has been a family affair.  

I close with Dana Tiger, who I recently spent time with in her Muskogee studio, where she beamed with pride as she showed me her children’s artwork, which continues a family tradition that began with her late father.  

Dana was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1999, but she hasn’t let that slow her down. It means a lot that she took the time to talk to me, and I’m thrilled to share it with you on this episode. A note: you might notice cameos by one or two of her studio cats during the conversation. 

Reeder's Auto and Tire is a tried and true Tulsa business with a global presence on social media. Host Blayklee Freed visits the local destination and explores candy and treats with Cheryl Reeder and Mary Hatheway, two members of the Reeders' trusty team.

• Read more from the Summer Fun Guide.
• Best of the fests: Summer festival guide
• What the Ale: Rapture Brewing’s Shadow Cabinet is the beer of the week
• Tulsa Music Listings

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes.

On this episode a conversation with Meg Gould, who has been very busy since joining Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture in January.

She discusses her background in television production and how she's excited to oversee Tulsa FMAC after most recently working for Dallas Film. Gould discusses her recent trips to Sundance and South by Southwest to promote Tulsa artists, and she talks about the need for more filming locations across town as productions continue to happen. This and much more.

Learn more about her in this article from our May issue.

Tulsa FMAC website is here.
Tulsa Creativity Database is here. 

Tulsa's Luchadores are gearing up for Cindo de Mayo. Host Blayklee Freed talks to one of the wrestlers ahead of the annual showdown May 5 outside of Elote. 

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes.

On this episode we're back on the road for an afternoon at Coal Creek in Glenpool, where Blue Thumb Volunteer Coordinator Cheryl Cheadle met me to discuss her and the nonprofit's work in monitoring Tulsa County creeks and streams, and why it's so important.

Learn more about the organization in this April TulsaPeople article and/or visit Blue Thumb's website to learn more. 

Hear Connie Cronley's April column: Letter to a niece who doesn’t like her friends anymore.