FORT DAVIS — Texas journalist Joe Holley will present his latest book Native Texan: Stories from Deep in the Heart, a collection of columns originally published in The Houston Chronicle, at 11 a.m. this Saturday, December 14, at the Jeff Davis County Library.

Published in July, Native Texan is a compilation of 30 stories culled from around 400 columns Holley has written about unique people, places and histories throughout the Lone Star State. Titles include Texans Who Dropped Out of the History Books (or Were Never There to Begin With); E.E. Townsend, the Young Man in the Big Bend Who Came to No Good End; and A Brush with Bonnie and Clyde’s Getaway Drivers. 

Some of the columns focus on Holley’s personal experiences as a native Texan — he grew up in Waco, and now owns a house in Marathon. His dog, Buddy, after Buddy Holly, who was adopted from Grand Compansions in Fort Davis, dons the book’s illustrated cover.

In addition to working as a journalist and author, he also served a stint as a speechwriter for Gov. Ann Richards. 

For years Holley wrote a “Native Texan” column weekly for The Chronicle in addition to editorials on political issues like gun control. In 2022, he was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for their series of editorials on Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen. Hometown Texas, a book he authored in collaboration with Houston photographer Peter Brown, which included an initial selection of “Native Texan” columns, came out in 2017. 

Holley said there’s never been a lack of material for his columns given the state’s size. His curiosity to investigate — sometimes accompanied by “a prickly feeling on the back of your neck, like, ‘Hey, this is a story,’” — came from a variety of sources, from eavesdropping in Dairy Queen dining rooms to calls and emails. 

“It usually involved either going to some small town — or even stories out of places like Houston or Austin or San Antonio. Stories about people, interesting, unusual, people, about place, and usually about the past, how history affects who we are and the places where we live,” Holley said. “When all three of those come together, that usually makes for the best columns.” 

Holley will give brief remarks and read from the book on Saturday, then be available for questions and book signing. Books will be available for purchase. The event is free to attend. 

For more information, contact the library at (432) 426 -3802.