by Tom Koob The big oak tree had lived for years, easily over a hundred years. The tree grew well in an agreeable spot. The trunk was over three feet across; its black bark wrinkled and gnarled with lumpy burls, evidence of broken limbs and injuries. The oak had one very thick limb jutting straight…
by Clint Lacy and Joshua Heston. Original art by Curtis Copeland. “There are no black panthers in Missouri. It is a myth like Bigfoot.” — Michael Flaten Years ago at my grandmother’s house, I discovered an old high school yearbook. Thumbing through the pages, I found my uncle’s senior photo with the usual details of…
Plague Child’s Doctor by Joshua Heston “Fourteen-year-old Cyrus Thatcher already knows he’s a freak and his father hates him. But when his beloved baby sister disappears and the townspeople won’t help, Cyrus must choose to take matters into his own self-doubting hands. Set in rural Missouri of 1924, The Plague Child’s Doctor is a…
Peace Church Ghosts by Joshua Heston The road winds north of Joplin, across the creek and up the hill. To the right, Peace Church Cemetery spreads into the little valley, shaded here and there by imposing oaks. Always-green spider grass is bright in the afternoon sun. Yucca abounds and, despite the hard work of preservation…
The Outlander by Michelle Waters I am an Outlander Who lives on a high hill Overlooking a man-made lake That once was a rapidly rushing river Along whose banks the Ozarks Bluff Dwellers and the Osage and then Delaware Hunted, fished, and created shelter For their families Where their children ran freely While red-tailed foxes…
Josh’s StateoftheOzarks Picks 2016 The memories of a past year. Of the many photos I took as editor of StateoftheOzarks, these are my favorites. Most aren’t very fancy. Few are particularly edited. But they are a montage of my life’s last 12 months. As a writer, I do, naturally, have a lot to say about…