Articles > Missourians > Famous

Eight Seconds

By Jeremy Goldmeier

DUSTIN HALL EARNS his paycheck eight seconds at a time. Think that sounds easy? Ask his coworker: two thousand pounds of bucking, snorting rage. Making a living as a professional bull rider has its perks—plenty of downtime, exotic travel, and hearty prizes for placing at an event. But for those eight pivotal seconds, it’s the least desirable position in the world of sports: hanging on tight as a wild bea…... Read more >

Missouri's First Poet Laureate

By Scott Spilky   As the state’s first poet laureate, Ashland native Walter Bargen has crisscrossed the state speaking, reading his work, and championing the power of words to move the imagination.   “Poems are more relevant than they have ever been,” he says.   Walter, the award-winning author of eleven books, has been writing for nearly thirty years. His work has appeared in more than one hundre…... Read more >

Twain's Ammunition

By Roberta Moores   Missouri boasts movers and shakers in American political, literary, and cultural history. However, only one figure represents all three: Samuel Clemens, whose pen name, Mark Twain, has taken on mythical proportions. Columbia will be fortunate on April 29 to receive a return visit, of sorts, from Twain, in actor Hal Holbrook’s one-man show at a performance in the University Concert Series at Jesse Hall. In a 20…... Read more >

Educated Hillbilly Hippies

Ozark Mountain Daredevils invite an encore By Kenny Knauer   “If You Wanna get to Heaven, you got to raise a little Hell!” The opening notes of this familiar song floated out over the packed auditorium in the Gillioz Theatre at Springfield. Many longtime Daredevils fans in the audience said they thought they had indeed “gone to Heaven.” This song was more than just a regional favorite; it hit Billboard Magazin…... Read more >