Philip Gulley

Says Gulley, “A decade ago, I created the little town of Harmony, Indiana, filled it with Quakers, and sent them a pastor named Sam Gardner to see what would happen. The series of novels had a good run, but I wanted to dabble in theology and pursued that genre of writing for a while. I missed Sam and the Harmony crowd, though, and decided to see what they had been up to in the intervening years.”

As near as I can figure, I’ve eaten out at least 10,000 times. By the time you’ve done something that many times, you’re a professional.

This year, we’re not leaving Indiana. The little woman and I will head to our farm in Orange County, where the people are humble, the landscape inviting, the snakes few and modest in size, and nothing untoward ever happens.

Including one of Indiana’s biggest cons, a complicated woman in her final days, a reality-TV hilljack, the crafty governor-elect, a big-deal farmer, the coupling of an actress and a corn-fed rocker, and more.

Let us call Indiana’s prohibition against gay marriage what it is: a spiteful effort to deny one group a blessing another group enjoys.

For those who dream of taking the plunge, a guide to buying your Indiana lake home. Plus, a primer on renting, for those just testing the waters—featuring Wawasee, Monroe, Michigan, Tippecanoe, Patoka, and more.

There’s an art to motorcycle negotiation. One must strike the perfect balance between indifference and slight interest.

From The Libertine to Recess and Oakleys to Bluebeard, Korean to Latin and sushi to steak, our critics choose the cream of Indy’s dining crop.