Aaron Parsley, Senior Editor, Arts & Entertainment, Texas Monthly: Writing About My Family and the Flood
About the Program:
Writing About My Family and the Flood
Aaron Parsley will discuss his career in journalism and writing the most important story of his life, "Where the River Took Us," which appeared on the cover of Texas Monthly's August 2025 issue. The harrowing account of what happened to Aaron and his family during the July 4 flood in Kerr County was written, edited, fact-checked, photographed, and published online less than a week after the disaster. Written under trying circumstances, the deeply personal essay became the most widely read story in the history of Texas Monthly and made the magazine a 2026 National Magazine Awards finalist in the feature writing category. Aaron has continued working on projects related to the July 4 flood and its aftermath, including an upcoming podcast that will debut ahead of the first anniversary of the event that changed his life.
Aaron Parsley is a senior editor at Texas Monthly, covering culture, entertainment, and history in the Lone Star State. He’s edited stories on music legends like Willie Nelson, Beyoncé, and Johnny Canales, as well as relevant pop culture like King of the Hill, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Saturday Night Live.
Before joining Texas Monthly in May 2024, Aaron worked as a writer, reporter, and editor for two decades at various news sites, including People, where he covered Hollywood, politics, crime, and other topics. As senior news editor for human interest, he routinely ran coverage of natural disasters, working with writers to find tales of loss, survival, and heroism amid chaos, and to tell vivid, emotional stories with sensitivity and care.
On July 4, 2025, Aaron was at the center of one of the most consequential news events of the year—a deadly flash flood in the Texas Hill Country that killed more than 130 people, including Aaron’s nephew, Clay Parisher. Through trauma and grief and with the support of his family, Aaron wrote about their harrowing experience in a first-hand account that was published online within days of the flood and later appeared on the cover of Texas Monthly. It became the most-read story in the magazine’s 53-year history and made Texas Monthly a finalist in the Feature Writing category for the 61st Annual National Magazine Awards.
Aaron grew up in Austin, spent sixteen years in New York City, and returned to his hometown in 2019. Five months after surviving the July 4 flood, Aaron and his husband, artist Patrick Kelleher, moved to Lockhart, Texas, with their cat, Sebastian.
Agenda:
6:45am - Coffee & Networking
7:10am - Breakfast Buffet
7:25am - Introductions & Announcements
7:50am - Speaker Introduction
8:20am - Q&A
8:30am - Leave inspired or curious!
