Ep. 39: San Francisco Diaries: writer Hiya Swanhuyser on the secret past of...
Writer Hiya Swanhuyser is writing a book about a lost piece of San Francisco history, the Montgomery Block building, which stood where the Transamerica Pyramid stands today. It was there for 107 years,...
View ArticleEp. 40: Na’amen Gobert Tilahun on the magic of the late night metro ride
Na'amen Gobert Tilahun is a writer whose craft spans multiple genres. The follow up to his 2016 novel, The Root, is The tree, which is coming out later this year. You can find him at naamentilahun.com....
View ArticleEp. 41: San Francisco Diaries: Designer Steve Pepple finds a secret door
An unmarked door at a SOMA diner turned out to be a portal that led to a mysterious place, as storyteller Steve Pepple discovers one evening. Steve is a designer at OpenGov, where his work aims to make...
View ArticleEp. 42 Comedian Ronn Vigh on practicing zen on Muni
This episode features Ronn Vigh, whose attitude and wit earned him a comparison to a young Joan Rivers by SF Weekly. A yoga instructor, Ronn puts his teachings of compassion and letting go (and working...
View ArticleEp 43. Baruch Porras-Hernandez on taking a friend on her first Muni ride
This week's story is from our reigning Muni Haiku champion, Baruch Porras-Hernandez! You can see him at Muni Diaries Live on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Elbo Room. Tickets are at...
View ArticleEp. 44: Sexual folklorist Dixie De La Tour on the magic of the telepersonals
Dixie De La Tour is the founder of Bawdy Storytelling (“The Moth for Pervs,” per LA Weekly), America’s Original Sex+Storytelling series featuring Real People & Rockstars sharing their bona fide...
View ArticleEp. 45: Meet Irene Tu, Muni celebrity
Comedian Irene Tu was a Muni celebrity last year and turned her friends into last-minute paparazzo to chase that fame. Irene Tu is a Chicago-born, San Francisco-based stand-up comedian, actor, and...
View ArticleEp. 46: The Shard, The Tissue, an Affair: from writer Andrew Lam
When a poet lands in San Francisco, even our city may not be enough to make this love affair last. Today's podcast is from Vietnamese American author Andrew Lam. He was the web editor of New America...
View ArticleEp. 47: Broke-Ass Stuart learns his SF ABC's
Who gave you your first "San Francisco education"? In this episode, Broke-Ass Stuart shares the story of living in a house on Golden Gate where his housemates were artist, thinkers, and some of Burning...
View ArticleEp. 48: Comedian Tirumari Jothi finds his way on Muni
In this podcast episode, comedian Tirumari Jothi loses his way on Muni, but a stranger's conversation helps him find his way. Tirumari has been performing comedy for six years, with stand-up as his...
View ArticleEp. 49: Steve Pepple advocates for the BMW experience in San Francisco
Steve Pepple is on the board of San Francisco Transit Riders, a rider-supported group for world-class transit in San Francisco. He works as a designer at OpenGov, where his goal is making cities more...
View ArticleEp. 50: San Francisco Diaries: Vivian Ho and her pigeon housemates
You may know storyteller Vivian Ho as the criminal justice reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle since 2011. She's reported on the Mario Woods shooting, the San Francisco Police Department,...
View ArticleEp. 51: San Francisco Diaries: Anna Pulley on taking a date to a fertility...
Love comes in all forms, and in San Francisco, you'll encounter love and relationship rituals you never imagined possible. Today's episode comes from writer Anna Pulley. She is the author of The...
View ArticleEp. 52: Alexandria Love's not-quite love story with a bonus transit twist
Alexandria Love is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and writer from Oakland. She's performed at some of the best venues in California, including Tommy T's, The San Jose Improv, and Cobb's Comedy Club....
View ArticleEp. 53 San Francisco Diaries: Bob Collins on the transformation of a super...
In this episode, architect and long-time SF resident Bob Collins recalls transforming his super tiny apartment and how, in the process, he discovers the real reasons why he calls San Francisco home....
View ArticleEp. 54: Comedian Dominique Gelin on the best pickup lines on public transit
What do you do when you meet a smug pickup artist on public transit? Storyteller Dominique Gelin is a comedian in Oakland, and she says she offers strong opinions on stupid things, -isms, and assholes....
View ArticleEp 55: San Francisco Diaries: The Polk Street Pizza Lady
Andrea Carla Michaels says that she has never done something two days in a row, but a commitment to her neighborhood led to her new identity. Two years ago she found her calling as "Pizza Lady" and you...
View ArticleEp. 56: SF Chief Attorney Matt Gonzalez on keeping one eye open on Muni
Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, has a packed schedule these days, which is why we were even more delighted to have him as a part of Muni Diaries Live in...
View ArticleEp. 57: Senait Hailemariam on being 21 on Muni
Storyteller Senait Hailemariam uses her time on the K/T train to tell her mom about her life as a twenty-something: it's the only form of therapy she can afford, she says. One day, she encounters a...
View ArticleEp. 58: Reporter Vivian Ho on the ONE thing you shouldn't do on BART
Reporter Vivian Ho has worked for the San Francisco Chronicle since 2011, covering criminal justice and breaking news. She reported on the Mario Woods shooting, the San Francisco Police Department,...
View ArticleEp. 59: Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight: 2 reporters, 1 transit system, 60...
No one's can-do spirit (and tolerance for municipal mishaps) is stronger than that of tenacious journalists. Enter San Francisco Chronicle reporters Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub with a...
View ArticleEp. 60: Nato Green on being raised on Pride in San Francisco
Nato Green is an organizer, writer, and comedian in the Bay Area. The East Bay Express sums him up as, “a San Francisco-raised father, union organizer, gastronome, bibliophile, and political...
View ArticleEp. 61: Jeremy Fish's seriously San Francisco story about a Silly Pink Bunny
Some of you may remember Silly Pink Bunny, a sculpture by local artist Jeremy Fish, which held court in the Lower Haight until 2013. Jeremy joins us on the podcast today to tell the story, in his own...
View ArticleEp. 62: Gwen Carmen pursues citizen justice on Muni
This San Francisco teacher survived cancer, taught hundreds of middle school kids, so you bet she wasn't going to let a creeper on the bus get off easy. Gwen Carmen told this story at Muni Diaries...
View ArticleEp. 63: Molly Martin explores international relations on the 14-Mission
It wouldn't be a cross-town Muni line if manspreading, drinking, and unintentional, impromptu history lessons didn't factor in somewhere, right? Today's storyteller, Molly Martin, is a tradeswoman and...
View ArticleEp. 64: Judson True on interviewing Joan Didion after 9/11
When City Arts and Lectures call you to be the backup for your favorite writer, you clear your calendar right away. In this episode, storyteller Judson True recalls that one fortunate phone call in...
View ArticleEp. 65: How Thea Selby makes sure there's always 'Love in the Lower Haight'
Storyteller Thea Selby has lived in the Lower Haight since 1999. She's a mom, a member of the City College of San Francisco's Board of Trustees, and, as you'll learn in this episode, a tireless...
View ArticleEp 66: San Francisco Diaries: Louis Evans and the most unexpected day in a...
In this episode, storyteller Louis Evans shares a story of one seemingly uneventful day when he was leaving the underground parking lot at Civic Center, only to find out that there's an active shooter...
View ArticleEp. 67: Muni Haiku Battle: Alexandria Love vs. Jessica Cohen
If you’ve been to our live shows, you know the highlight of every show is The Muni Haiku Battle. It’s a Muni-themed poetry throw down and we’ve had some pretty intense battle on stage of the 5-7-5...
View ArticleEp. 68: San Francisco Diaries: How BFF.fm's Rollover Easy crew made Herb Caen...
Today’s story is from Luke and Chris, who you might know as Sequoia and the Early Bird on the radio show, Rollover Easy on BFF.FM. Rollover Easy is a morning radio show that has a "healthy dose of...
View ArticleEp. 69: Borderlands Bookstore's secret voodo basement
Borderlands Books and Borderlands Cafe is a gem in the city: a bookstore and cafe that specializes in new and used science fiction, fantasy, and horror. If you've been around these parts 10 or more...
View ArticleEp. 70: Baruch Porras-Hernandez on giving San Francisco a second chance
Storyteller Baruch Porras-Hernandez is a writer, performer, host, storyteller, and regular KQED community events host based in San Francisco. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow in Poetry and regularly...
View ArticleEp. 71: Irene McCalphin on taking up space on public transit
Storyteller Irene McCalphin has often experienced the invasion of personal space on public transit, but this one time she decided enough was enough, and she was going to take up the space she deserves....
View ArticleEp. 72: Nuala Sawyer on the worst year in San Francisco
Storyteller Nuala Sawyer was having a terrible year in San Francisco. One of those times in your life when you just think things couldn't get any worse. Then, a man on Muni shared a vulnerable moment...
View ArticleEp. 73: Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books
Green Apple Books is one of the most beloved bookstores in San Francisco, and a mainstay on Clement Street (and now also in the Inner Sunset). Founded in 1967, the bookstore is now owned by three of...
View ArticleEp. 74: Meaghan Mitchell on finding a life lesson from a Muni driver
Meaghan Mitchell is a native San Franciscan and news editor at Hoodline, which you can imagine gives her tons of local cred. Meaghan shares a story of one really hard day at school and how it brought...
View ArticleEp. 75: Gwen Carmen on saying good by to Aretha Franklin
Gwen Carmen is a storyteller, cancer survivor, and a long time teacher of the San Francisco Unified School District. In this episode, Gwen tells a story about taking BART to see one of Aretha...
View ArticleEp. 76: The Elbo Room's Matt Shapiro finds Satan's leather jacket
Matt Shapiro is a musician and the co-owner of the Elbo Room in Oakland. After initially working at the Elbo Room for years as its manager and booker, Matt and co-owner Erik Cantor purchased the bar in...
View ArticleEp. 77: Two SF Chronicle reporters on how they fell in love with San...
Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight are long time San Francisco Chronicle reporters who have seen it all. But it took riding every Muni line in one day for them to remember why they love it here so much....
View ArticleEp. 78: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan's surprising reunion at the Castro Safeway
Growing up nerdy is not easy anywhere, especially in Alabama. Storyteller Dhaya Lakshminarayanan thought she'd left those teenage memories behind when she moved to San Francisco. But one day, she...
View ArticleEp. 79: Comedian Sureni Weerasekera talk about one hot topic on BART
Sureni Weerasekera is a Sri Lankan-born, San Diego-raised, & San Francisco-based stand up comedian, actor and writer. In this story, told at Muni Diaries Live at Rickshaw Stop, Sureni shares a...
View ArticleEp. 80: SF Chronicle artist George McCalman documents life on the bus
Artist George McCalman shares a story of how he came to be illustrating strangers on Muni, inspired by growing up on the New York subway system. This in turn helped inspired his Observed column in the...
View ArticleEp. 81: Kathleen Auterio breaks the rules in a Muni holdup
When the bus came to a halt, storyteller Kathleen Auterio noticed a familiar face from her Mission neighborhood. What happened next will keep you on the edge of your seat. This story was recorded at...
View ArticleEp 82: San Francisco Diaries: The residents of "Camp Folsom" share their own...
San Francisco has been a place where many young transplants found their own identity and voice. In today's episode, storyteller Colin Daly shares the tale of a house on Folsom Street where he and his...
View ArticleEp. 83: Ady Lady on how her Muni ride went "from piss to bliss"
Ady Lady is a writer, performer, and all around funny person who's been described as wildly funny by The San Francisco Examiner. She's written and performed two solo shows: Sara Jane Tried to Shoot the...
View ArticleEp. 84: Celebrating Pride: artist Kurt Schwartzmann on how Muni provided refuge
This weekend is Pride weekend, and we are highlighting stories from our LGBTQ community. Today’s story is from Kurt Schwartzmann. Kurt is an artist, printmaker, and photographer. In 2006, he lost all...
View ArticleEp. 85: San Francisco Diaries: A "Millennial expert" on who gets to define...
Smiley Poswolsky quit his D.C. government job and left his suit-wearing days behind in order to become a writer in San Francisco. A few years in, he found himself realizing that some of the things he...
View ArticleEp. 86: San Francisco Diaries: Who gets to define this city? Listeners sound...
Our previous episode featured Smiley Poswolsky, a self-described Millennial workplace expert who quit his stuffy Washington, D.C. job to become a writer in San Francisco. His story about personal...
View ArticleEp. 87: San Francisco Diaries: Justina Wu on the consequence of assumptions
Do you often wish you said something to someone who was acting inconsiderate or rude, and you spend days thinking about what you should have said? In this episode, our storyteller didn't hold back and...
View ArticleEp. 88: How a high school student found herself...on Muni
Muni is the through line in this week's podcast story from Simone Herkl Felton, a senior at Lowell High School in San Francisco. Simone has lived here all her life and takes the 23-Monterey to go to...
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