Joe Holley has been the “Native Texan” columnist for the Houston Chronicle since 2013. A native Texan himself–from Waco–he’s been an editorial-page-editor in San Diego, California, a contributor to Texas Monthly, a speechwriter for Governor Ann Richards, a staff writer for the Washington Post, and an editorial writer for the Chronicle from 2012 to 2017. He was a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist for a series of editorials on gun control and the Texas gun culture. He is the author of six books, including Hometown Texas, a collection of his weekly “Native Texan” columns; Hurricane Season: The Unforgettable Story of the Houston Astros and the Resilience of a City; and Sutherland Springs: God, Guns, and Hope in a Texas Town. The book explores the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2017.