We’re On Sale!

Modernity’s getting weird, people. 

By that I don’t mean to say there are especially weird things happening around us, though there clearly are. 

What I’m getting at is that it feels weird to be alive now, in this specific moment, more so than any moment I can remember. Cultural institutions that have held American society together since World War II are burning down. Our customs and social behaviors change with each new software update. Generative AI is clogging up the pipes. Consensus reality largely depends on your tech platform of choice. And the further we get from the COVID-19 pandemic, the clearer it seems to me that it marked the end of an old way of life. We’re in the early stages of something new.  

If this message resounds with you, I strongly recommend Ari Aster’s new film Eddington, which I regard as both a serious examination of this moment and the defining western of the Trump era. (Depending on your point of view, you might also find it uproariously funny.) But even more strongly, I recommend joining my colleagues and I at The Pickup as we try to build something for this new moment here in Tulsa. 

What is that something? Well, to be perfectly honest, we’ve been figuring it out along the way. Coming from a background in mainstream journalism, I knew we couldn’t chain The Pickup to a traditional media business model dependent on advertising and a high volume of content with a short shelf life. The ability for any one media outlet to create a mainstream, consensus reality is long behind us. 

I’ll admit it took me a long time to get over my sadness for the decline of familiar institutions like the daily newspaper, fact-checked, printed and delivered to your doorstep. But things started to get exciting again when we began asking questions like “Well, what could we be doing with journalism instead?” 

The Pickup has been our answer to that question, and so far we’ve been able to talk frankly about everything from our city’s history with inequality and white supremacy to the challenges of dating and who’s got the best Okie burger (I’m a Bill’s man, myself). We’ve also had the honor of returning timeless This Land stories back to circulation, finding the unknown stories within the known stories and reviewing local culture with honesty and precision. 

We’re also particularly proud to be giving local writers the encouragement and space to write about whatever’s on their minds, because more often than not, it tends to be pretty interesting:

What all these stories share is a desire to know ourselves and our city better, whether you're new to Tulsa or a salty local. If you're into that project, then please consider subscribing to The Pickup today.

I realize that I’ve buried the lede here, but we’re on sale. For this month only, you can subscribe at our Red Dirt or Sunday Paper tier for the low price of $1 for your first month. We’re calling it Test Drive The Pickup.

And to do you one better—we’re going to raffle off prizes for new subscribers all month long, headlined by a gift card for a staycation at Brut Hotel valued at $250. Keep an eye on our Instagram account, where we’ll announce 24-hour windows where you can win other hyperlocal raffle prizes as well, including: 

• Brewery Tour and Tasting for 10 at Heirloom Rustic Ales
• A Concert Tix and Merch Bundle from Horton Records
• Gift bags from the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center
• Gift cards to the This Land Store where you can purchase our fantastic corduroy branded hats
• Brut Hotel's Locals Only Vinyl Collection
• A 10 Class Package from Temple of Dance
• Assorted Pickup swag
• Your lawn mowed by me, Matt Carney, editor-in-chief of The Pickup¹

Here's proof that I, a guy who takes his lawn seriously, will actually come to your house and mow your lawn:

We've also got a lot of terrific new Tulsa stories (and even a major OKC story, too!) coming for you later this month, so stay tuned. Carney out!