Where the hell are we going? How are we getting there? Who are we going with? And: is it going to be any fun? Key questions to ask about pretty much any endeavor—and especially about living together in Tulsa.
This city is undergoing a renaissance, so it’s said. More and more, it’s shedding its “flyover country” reputation and growing into an indisputable cultural destination.
But, IYKYK: it’s always been that. You just have to know where to look. If you’ve been following us at Root, you know that knowing where to look is something our writers have excelled at for years.
And the more something picks up speed, the more important it becomes to pay attention to the details.
Since This Land paused its editorial production in 2016 and The Tulsa Voice ended its print run in 2019, Tulsans looking for strong takes on the city have scattered far and wide: Reddit, Facebook food groups, Root’s newsletters and social accounts. It’s been a long time since Tulsa had a full-fledged publication where readers could find robust, independent commentary, storytelling, arts coverage and perspective-driven journalism about what happens here.
We built The Pickup to be just that: a hangout, a conversation-starter, a place to know Tulsa better and feel more connected to the city.
What do we cover?
We publish stories that inspire action, pique interest and help readers understand and connect with Tulsa better, whether we’re covering the local effects of climate change or how Indigenous artists are bringing forth new ideas about tribal sovereignty. In a typical week you may read an honest, cutting review of a new restaurant, an opinion column about what it’s like for a young person to break into an old Tulsa industry, bits of lore from the city’s history, or just our picks for how and where to spend your weekend.
We’re not a place for breaking news alerts or Tulsa boosterism. We are a place for feature stories, public affairs commentary, reviews, enterprise journalism, columns, guides, deep dives into niche oddities and takes on Tulsa life you won’t get anywhere else. In the tradition of This Land, and with plenty of alt-weekly energy in our DNA, we offer alternatives to mainstream narratives about why this city is the way it is—and informed views on what might make it better for more people. We’re not idealists about Tulsa. But we’re not cynics, either.
With budgets for arts coverage being slashed in newsrooms across the nation, readers are looking for other sources for savvy writing about the creativity shaping the life of their cities. As one of six cities in the Online Journalism Project’s nationwide arts writing initiative, Tulsa now has a robust team of writers covering local arts and culture events through The Pickup. Every week, we’ll bring you strong takes and ground-level detail about what Tulsa’s creators are up to—so you can engage with their work more deeply and make informed choices about what to attend yourself.
Speaking of events: there are lots of other places in town to find event calendars, so we’re sunsetting that part of our project so we can focus on serving Tulsa in a bigger, bolder way. As we’ve done for years in our Root newsletters, we’ll keep pointing you to the most interesting “under the radar” things happening in the city—and we’ll back up why we think they’re interesting. We’ll help you build itineraries for First Fridays, long weekends or just a walk around Kendall Whittier. We’ll share tips on everyday concerns like how to buy a house, where to find that hot sauce you tried that one time and how to navigate Tulsa’s seemingly neverending traffic hellscapes.
Expect to see new posts nearly every weekday, ranging from news roundups to reviews to service journalism. You’ll also find longform stories from This Land that bring depth and context to our current experience of the city. From time to time we’ll bring back This Land writers to revisit their old stories, too. Has the Gathering Place delivered on its promises? How has evangelical religion shifted in Tulsa since Kiera Feldman reported on the fall of Oral Roberts Ministries? “Progress” in Tulsa is a slippery thing to track, but the depth and heft of This Land’s work will help us do it.
Who’s writing for The Pickup?
It’s nice when non-Tulsans say nice things about Tulsa. We’re more interested in what people who live here have to say about it.
Our writers are Tulsans who give a damn about the city, know what they’re talking about, and have a perspective that goes beyond just celebrating everything. Because of the wide range of topics in our coverage, we want to empower local writers to dig into their expertise, whether it’s in queer-femme performance art, red dirt country music, social justice work or—as we’ve learned from living in Oklahoma—something that exists perfectly at the intersection of those things.
We’ll publish neighborhood experts from all corners of the city, writers and photographers spanning ages, genders and ethnic groups, seasoned Tulsans and emerging Tulsans reshaping the city. We aspire for The Pickup to serve Tulsans of all backgrounds, so we’ll cover well beyond the cultural nucleus of downtown. Get in touch with us at pitches@thepickup.com.
Is The Pickup actually local and independent?
It absolutely is. Born from two established Tulsa media brands, Root and This Land Press, The Pickup is conceived, designed, built, staffed, written and edited by Tulsans. Our subscriber-driven model means we’re not beholden to a nonprofit board or the predilections of philanthropy. We’re 100% locally owned and operated, and over 95% of our business expenses go to local people and businesses.
All of which means we’re free to shape our own editorial vision. Tulsa wants to be taken seriously on a national scale? Great! Let’s take it seriously. Which doesn’t mean we won’t have a good time here. Quite the opposite. Tulsans have a particular kind of humor, somewhere between “unhinged” and “gallows,” and you’ll find that in our stories for sure.
Like that (frankly legendary) truck you saw when you clicked on this post, The Pickup is down to earth. Practical. Helpful. Great lines. Self-aware. Comfortable at The Colony and the literary salon. Easy to use. Room for everybody. Not obsessed with the newest, the latest, the hottest. Not boring, either. A solid way to get around with your buds. And frequently hanging out at QT.
