May 1, 2014

In this issue, RJ Young teams up with the Roughnecks, Jonathan Gaboury challenges pick-up trucks, Blake Bailey remembers a brother behaving badly, Nicole Callihan and Jim Tolan treat us with their verses, and Karin C. Davidson takes us on a ride (metaphorically, of course).

THE SOUL OF THE GAME: The Tulsa Roughnecks once brought soccer glory to Tulsa. But the team folded in 1984. Now, 30 years later, as soccer is capturing the hearts of more Americans, there are two clubs looking to bring the sport back to town in a professional capacity. Who will win the fight for Tulsa’s soccer soul? By RJ Young.

LIFE AMONG THE PICK-UPS: A Canadian turned Oklahoman tries to navigate the terrifying, truck-riddled streets of Stillwater—on bicycle. By Jonathan Gaboury.

JUSTA FEW BEERS: In The Splendid Things We Planned, Blake Bailey gives a darkly humorous account of growing up with an older brother, Scott, who’s an addict. In this excerpt, Scott takes a drug-fueled drive off the roof of his parents’ Oklahoma City home.

POETRY: New work by Nicole Callihan and Jim Tolan.

SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP: An unlikely hitchhiker catches a ride with a wanderer heading home. New fiction by Karin C. Davidson.

ORIGINAL OKIE: Victor Moreland hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he got his start playing professional soccer before coming to Oklahoma to be one of the first players for the Tulsa Roughnecks.