Finally, this wild year is winding down. Here are some reflections from the Pickup crew about how it’s gone for us:
Alicia Chesser:
At the close of a year in which I’ve been hunched over a laptop five days a week, writing probably tens of thousands of words and editing even more, my posture is garbage and my glasses prescription needs a serious update. Have I aged a decade? Yes, but who hasn’t in 2025? Was it worth it? Yes, full stop.
First off, Tulsa’s response to The Pickup has been beyond amazing. We built this thing because we thought it had been way too long since Tulsa had a place for truly independent journalism—writing that shook us awake, made us laugh, and asked real questions about this city. Turns out, you agree, and you’ve turned out with your subscription dollars to get us going. That means the world, not just to Matt and Zack and me but to the writers who have worked so hard to bring you all these personal, thoughtful, funny, one-of-one Tulsa stories this year.
Working with these writers—the ones I knew long before we started, and the ones that I’ve just met this year—has been a highlight of the year for me: hearing their pitches, shaping assignments, walking with them through the process of reporting stories, then moving together through the sometimes uncomfortable editing gauntlet. From Russell Cobb’s “Nasty Newspapers” series, to Shadi Nadri’s piece about taxidermy, to Ryan Anderson’s journey into Saturday Scribe, to Todd Woodlan’s report on house-based shows, to Ellen Ray’s Sacred Harp adventure, to Mitch Gilliam’s epic profile of Josh Fadem, to Zack’s beautiful in-depth explorations of local cultural heroes—and so many more—it’s been a huge pleasure to help shepherd these stories to the finish line. Big thanks to all the writers I worked with for their trust and good spirits.
I’m grateful too for the trust of everyone who’s talked with me for a story, engaged with a review (critical or otherwise), reached out with a wacky idea, or said “yeah, why not?” when approached out of nowhere to contribute to The Pickup. As far as my own stories, I especially loved putting together a reflection on Bill Rabon, thinking through the legacy of James Watts, building out the history of Pony Coffee, and writing about so, so, so many arts events across the city.
It’s been amazing to watch The Pickup grow within this community of creative thinkers and doers: people who are trying to live better, be better neighbors, and make this a better place to be. Thanks to all y’all who believe in what we’re doing and are showing up to be part of and support this work!
Z.B. Reeves:
The first year of The Pickup was 2025, a year that was perfectly normal and fine! We started this thing in January, so I’ve been watching this horrifying year unfold from our office in Kendall-Whittier. If you placed a Timelapse on me for the full year, you’d see me lowering and heightening my stand-up desk, eating breakfast burritos from Braum’s, negotiating with my dog Lady to shut the fuck up when another dog walks by, typing at my computer, watering my 6-foot banana leaf fig tree, and typing on my computer even more. That, in the midst of one of the craziest years in recent memory.
For a guy who grew up in a really small town, it’s exciting to be part of writing that takes on a city as complex and interesting as Tulsa is. I was especially proud to edit some really cool pieces, like Becky Carman’s experience destroying her nasal passages in an effort to connect to her heritage, Mark Brown’s exploration of a family recipe, John Paul Brammer’s foray into Legends Tower, and Henry Roanhorse Gray’s profile of LGBTQ gun clubs in Tulsa.
It’s also been cool to profile some really interesting people, like Max Comer of @airplanefactswithmax, Sean Stanton of Oak Tree Books, and Tyler Thrasher. In between big projects like that, I’ve gotten to write and publish tons of reviews, stories, and a little bit of breaking news.
Getting to practice my editing with such great writers has made me a much better writer, just like working with Matt has made me a better journalist, and working with Alicia has made me a better editor. I’m incredibly lucky to be around all these ideas and stories.
Thank you, reader, for coming along this crazy journey with us. I’ll be taking the longest nap anyone’s ever taken, but I’ll see you next year, when certainly more things will happen that will make us say, “2026: what a crazy year!” Until then, love on your families, kiss your dogs, and go outside. See you next year.
Matt Carney:
So basically I’ve been in improv mode for over a year now. Standing up a new business and media brand involves a lot of just saying “yes,” and figuring out the particulars later, whether you know enough to navigate them or not. Yes, I can sell an advertising sponsorship. Yes, we should investigate the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. Yes, I should sign that paperwork for our worker’s compensation insurance policy.
I have a tendency to overanalyze and so all this improv has made for a challenging, difficult year that drew me far out of my comfort zone. Reflecting on it all — I wouldn’t change a thing. This year’s been the wildest, most rewarding professional experience of my life.
We brought back a legacy publishing brand in This Land, wrote a ton of great stories (difficult to pick a favorite but outside of what was previously mentioned I’m proud of Alicia’s exceedingly warm profile of Pony Coffee, Zack’s treatment of The Stupid Boulders and Katie Wiehe and my collaboration examining the overlap between data centers and bitcoin mines) and built a supportive network of smart contributors and highly engaged subscribers.
Looking ahead to year two, I’m excited to keep building on these initial gains, and bringing more great stories to your inbox each week. Saying “yes” got us here. Why stop now?
