The Wild Texas Newsletter

Welcome to the first-ever Wild Texas newsletter! I’m Olivia, the editor-in-chief at The Barbed Wire. First and foremost, I want to thank you on behalf of myself and our entire team for your time and attention. You are one of 355 people who are receiving our inaugural newsletter. Without you, The Barbed Wire crew would simply be screaming into the abyss, and we know that. Welcome to our weird and wonderful corner of the internet — I hope we do you proud. 

This week, we’ve written, edited, and illustrated a delicious mix of serious journalism, heart-wrenching essays, and thoughtful analysis for you. Below, you’ll find highlighted stories — our best and most-read from this chaotic first week — on everything from football and abortion rights to video games and the Texas attorney general. Let’s get into it.

Writer and poet Sarah Orman penned this powerful, vulnerable, and exceptional essay about her abortion and then her journey into motherhood. Her thoughtful long-form story handles the complexity of Texas womanhood with intentionality and thoughtfulness, and she’s not afraid to share — and then revisit — some complicated truths. It’s one of my favorite pieces I’ve read this year, and I’m incredibly grateful to Sarah for trusting us with it.

After My Abortion, My Next OB-GYN Called Pregnant Women ‘Host Organisms.’

Dr. Mikeal Love helped lawmakers and the Texas attorney general enact some of the state's harshest restrictions on abortion. After years of imagining a run-in with my retired doctor, I finally called him.

By Sarah Orman

On a slow afternoon in the summer of 2019, I took my laptop outside to work in a sunroom, the only place in my small house where I can be separated from my husband and children by a sliding glass door. I was perusing my inbox when an email from the Texas Freedom Network caught my eye. The email was intended to warn me about a monster: an extremist anti-abortion OB-GYN. 

It was July in Austin, and the sunroom was not air-conditioned, but as I clicked on a link in the email I felt a chill. The page opened to a Houston Chronicle article, and my jaw dropped like Wile E. Coyote, duped by Roadrunner yet again. The alleged monster was my OB-GYN of almost a decade, Dr. Mikeal Love.

Also this week, senior editor Brian Gaar reported this killer piece about the most successful crowdfunding project of all time, which continues to raise millions of dollars and somehow hasn’t been released after nearly thirteen years of development.

Contributor Chris O’Connell’s first piece for us lays out why Texans fans are madly in love with C.J. Stroud and how other athletes can follow his footsteps. It helps to be great at what you do and give back to your community.

If you’re more interested in quick bites, here are some of our top headlines from this week that will enrage you, entertain you, or delight you. Pick your pleasure.

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