Welcome to Gwen Howerton's website!

I'm a journalist based in Houston, Texas. I currently work for Chron.com,
an online-only publication that's a sister site of the Houston Chronicle.

I realized I need a portfolio website and I thought it would be a fun project to make one myself,
so consider this a super duper work in progress. The more you come back, the cooler it will look! Maybe. :)

My work explores the weird quirks that make Texas such a strange, dynamic place to live.

Stuff I write about:

LGBTQ+ Texans
People moving to Texas, and how they're changing the fabric of the state
Stories that challenge stereotypes about Texans
The ways that Texas and our state's culture show up in unexpected places
Features about weirdos, local characters and freaks
Cultural criticism and the occasional personal essay

Here are a few stories I've written recently that I'm particularly proud of:

In 'Office Space,' Texas' suburban hellscape is a character all its own 6.18.25
In Old Texas Town, Germans cosplay as cowboys. They're being forced out. 11.25.25
How LGBTQ+ Texans spend the holidays when going home is off-limits 11.26.25
Joe Rogan's friends followed him to Texas. They all seem to hate it. 7.28.25
There's no Houston serial killer. But there's a reason you think there is. 9.27.25
Porn had a bad day at the Supreme Court. But Texas didn't have a good one. 1.16.25

You can read all of my work here!

I've appeared all over, including:

BBC's Front Row!
Houston Public Media!
KXAN, Austin's NBC affiliate!
Popula!
OutSmart Magazine!
Baseball Prospectus' 2026 Annual!

Wow, very cool. How can I keep up with you?

I'm so glad you asked. You can follow me on socials here:

Bluesky
X, The Everything App
Instagram
Got a story tip? Find me on Signal @kissphoria.57, or email me at Gwen.Howerton@hearst.com

When I'm not working, I do photography as a hobby. You can see my photos on film and digital on my photography Instagram.

I also enjoy biking, playing video games, and spending time with my girlfriend and our two cats.

This website was made by Gwen Howerton and is hosted for free on Neocities.