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The original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad’s creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was partly a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.

Two Austinites have made it their life's work to document uses for every wild plant in Texas—a project they say could save humanity.

Katie Nodjimbadem on how she was shaped by her family's unlikely choice to make a home in the Chihuahuan Desert.

The poet and performer Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton on risking new connections with nature during a year of tragedy.

Mike Hall tells the story of closing down the legendary Austin club Liberty Lunch in 1999 with a 24-hour performance of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”

Mimi Swartz remembers her days caring for her father, and the dogs who took care of them both.

DJ El Dusty traces the origins of the record collection that gave him his signature sound, and is helping to shape the sound of his hometown of Corpus Christi.

Skip Hollandsworth tracks down the Goree All Girl String Band, whose dreams of leading normal, anonymous lives required them, first, to become country music stars.

In the debut episode of State of Mind, Texas Monthly's Cat Cardenas tells the story of her grandfather, the often magical tales that he told, and how he built a life in Texas. Read more about the story at texasmonthly.com/stateofmind.

There’s something different about Texas. But how do you define it without resorting to cliches about cowboys and oilmen? At Texas Monthly, we think the answer is through stories — stories like the ones we’ve been telling for almost 50 years. On State of Mind, you’ll hear those stories from our talented writers and from a wide array of other Texans. Each of them is a window into the experience of life here. Join us each week for a new story about life in the Lone Star State, from the Texas Monthly team behind “Boomtown,” “One by Willie,” and “Tom Brown’s Body.”