Happy New Year, Muni Diaries fam! We've got stories from our November live show, exciting in-person podcasting events, and more already queued up for you in 2024. Here's a sneak peek of what's on deck. A heartfelt thanks from all of us at Muni Diaries to everyone who shared your Muni stories with us in 2023, sent us your bus photos, tuned in to the podcast, attended our live shows and art market, and helped us celebrate 15 years of Muni Diaries. Have a Muni story you'd like us to feature in 2024? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Muni Diaries

Ep. 149: A Look Ahead to 2024

Tanea Lunsford Lynx, an artist and educator, joined us at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023 to perform her poem, I Used to Live Here, a piece evoking the magic of relatives living a mere Muni ride away, the otherworldly dimension between West Portal and Van Ness stations, and the soothing something about 24-hour Church Street Safeway light. She was one of the San Francisco-born-and-raised artists featured in Muni Raised Me, an exhibit exploring what truly public transit means to those who depend on it—and are ultimately shaped by it. You might remember Tanea from Muni Diaries podcast Eps. 140 and 141, when she brought her students to Muni Raised Me to perform original poetry about everyone's favorite school bus. And don't forget to check out Muni Raised Me co-curator Meymey Lee in Ep. 144.

Ep. 148: Tanea Lunsford Lynx "Used to Live Here"

Have you been to the Legion of Honor at night? We haven't. And we definitely won't be going after this story. Muni operator and Muni Haiku Battle champion Mc Allen reminds us of what can go bump (and wrong) on a late-night run. Originally shared at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023, it's the perfect accompaniment to the seasonal festivities.  Mc will be back at the Muni Diaries Live 15th anniversary show on Nov. 2, 2023, to battle for the title of Muni Haiku champion. Get your tickets today!

Ep. 147: Serious spooky szn scaries at the Legion of Honor

Jill Sutherlin didn't set out to become the caretaker of a beloved Mission barbershop, but life is funny that way. Her story takes us and The Refinery Grooming Club through the pandemic, the ups and downs of recovery, and the sacred spaces we cultivate for our communities. Jill performed this story at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023. Hear stories like these and more at the Muni Diaries Live 15th anniversary show on Nov. 2, 2023 at Rickshaw Stop. Get your tickets today! Photo by Emily Huston.

Ep. 146: A leather jockstrap and a dream—how a Mission barbershop kept on keeping on

What lies beneath the streets of San Francisco? In some cases, the history of how those streets and infrastructure we know and love (or at least use and tolerate) came to be. San Francisco’s Forgotten Cemeteries: A Buried History, the newest book from local author Beth Winegarner, is out now. Beth stopped by the podcast to discuss the role the city's dead have on infrastructure (which includes public transit, as you'll learn in this episode), early NIMBY antics, and our civic responsibility to residents who've passed on. Beth is a journalist, author, essayist and pop culture critic who has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The San Francisco Examiner—where she first met Muni Diaries cofounder Tara Ramroop. She is the author of several books, including Sacred Sonoma, Beloved, The Columbine Effect: How Five Teen Pastimes Got Caught in the Crossfire and Why Teens are Taking Them Back, and Tenacity: Heavy Metal in the Middle East and Africa.  Check out more of Beth's work at bethwinegarner.com.

Ep. 145: The enduring impact of 'Forgotten Cemeteries' on San Francisco

 Muni is San Francisco's deep end: immediate and immersive exposure to strangers, testing our tolerance for other people's music, aromas, food, volume, attitude, or public habits. Meymey Lee, a born-and-raised San Franciscan, was exposed to all of it since they were a baby. At Muni Diaries Live in April 2023, they shared how Muni not only spawned a best-friendship, but also an unwavering sense of civic pride and community. 

Ep. 144: How a life lived on Muni evolved into a life of civic duty

Storyteller Adrianna Tan is an enthusiastic bus rider who has ridden buses in more than 30 countries worldwide. But when she finally moves to San Francisco five years ago, she quickly finds out that in many ways, our Muni is not like all the rest. This story was recorded at Muni Diaries Live in April, 2023 at Rickshaw Stop. If you have your own Muni tale to share on our podcast, pitch your story by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Ep. 143: A seasoned international bus rider tackles Muni

We first got to know storyteller Kurt Schwartzmann when he shared the story of how Muni and Muni drivers gave him shelter while he was homeless. He went on to become a professional artist, with a series of paintings dedicated to Muni drivers. In this episode, he shares the story of searching for a long lost Muni operator. You can find Kurt's art at Yellow Line Art. To pitch your own Muni story, write to us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. And don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with your friends! Photo by Emily Huston

Ep. 142: Finding a long lost Muni operator

Last time, we heard from Tanea Lunsford Lynx, one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me: a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring what Muni means to the people who grow up riding it. An educator, Tanea brought their students to the show and we were lucky enough to experience some of their own original spoken-word artistry. We had so much material, we invite you to join us for Part 2. As ever, we're inspired by this next generation of folks that draw from Muni to create, contribute, and build community with one another.

Ep 141: Life on the school bus (Part 2)

Tanea Lunsford Lynx is Chair of the Spoken Arts Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me, a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring a central question: What does Muni mean to the people who grow up riding it? Tanea brought their students to the Muni Raised Me exhibit to perform their own original poetry about Muni in a guerrilla-style spoken word show, and we had the privilege of sitting in to listen and record.

Ep. 140: Life on the school bus from (and for) those in the know

In today's episode, public transit advocate, designer, and illustrator Chris Arvin shares the dramatic story of how Muni became the first public transit system in a major U.S. city.  Complaining about the bus might be San Francisco's unofficial favorite pastime, but few know about the true origins of our transit system. You can find Chris at @chrisarvinsf on Twitter, and you can also shop their transit-themed merch at transit.supply.

Ep. 139: Muni's dramatic origin story

Sheila McElroy has spent her professional life studying, writing about, and talking about place: how our sense of it grounds us in history and provides context for how we see, move around, and make sense of the world. In this story, told at Muni Diaries Live in November 2022, Sheila digs into her own personal sense of place and the role it plays in her journey.

Ep. 138: The great loves of Sheila McElroy's life

What would make you take off your headphones on the bus to talk to a stranger? In this episode, storyteller Alex Randall shares how he started talking to his fellow riders, and how these "Muni chats" changed the way he looks at our city. Alex takes the 38 Geary often and he likes all things San Francisco: history, sports, art, politics, and public transit. You can find him at @ArtrepreneurSF on both Instagram and Twitter.

Ep. 137: When small talk pays off on Muni

How often do you ask yourself, "What would you do if this happened to you on Muni?" Storyteller Keli Dailey explores that very difficult question on stage at Muni Diaries Live, where she shared a tale about an unexpected turn of events on the bus. Keli is an award-winning journalist, performer and educator. ​She teaches media classes at the University of San Francisco, Saint Mary's College of California and Mills College, where she also leads the Communication program. She says that she believes in the power of comedy to communicate news, and that's something we can definitely identify with here at Muni Diaries headquarters. Got a story to tell on the podcast? Email us a short pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com!  

Ep. 136: Asking the tough questions on Muni

Storyteller Ilyse Magy has hella Muni bonafides: she was the first paid “staff member” of San Francisco Transit Riders, where she helped pressure city officials to actually ride the bus. But one Halloween evening, when Ilyse found herself evangelizing the value of public transit, the Muni gods had other plans. You can see even more Muni (and SF!) goodies at the Muni Diaries Art Market this Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at 80 Albion, from noon to 4pm! 

Ep. 135: Leading the flock of Muni converts on Halloween

The Muni Diaries podcast is where you'll hear true stories that happened on public transportation in San Francisco and the Bay Area, presented by the editors of MuniDiaries.com. Since our launch in 2008, we've gathered stories from more than 4,000 transit riders. To submit your own story, or read more bus tales, visit MuniDiaries.com.

hubhopper

Muni Diaries

hubhopper