Podcasts about muni diaries

Meaghan Mitchell returned to the Muni Diaries stage at our "Thank You, Driver" show with a loving tribute to her dad, 35-year Muni veteran Ronald Mitchell. She shares what it was like being raised by a Muni driver in '90s San Francisco, and what makes Muni more than a transit agency—and then invites Ronald to join her on stage.  Meaghan and Ronald remind us that our Muni operators are human, that they have families, and that they're on the front lines of our city's biggest challenges every day. And they ask us to keep on loving and riding Muni: as Ronald says, "There's nothing like the Municipal Railway." Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of our true stories from everyday bus riders! Have a Muni story you'd like to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Back in March 2024, Muni Diaries had the pleasure of attending the Night of Ideas, a program organized by the San Francisco Public Library. This installment paid homage to our favorite transit system, and we'd be remiss if we didn't tap into the wealth of Muni-riffic experiences (good, bad, great, somewhere in between) for our popup story booth.  It was a huge success. We collected so many stories, which we've curated for your listening enjoyment. This is the second in our series from that evening; hit up Ep. 152 for Part 1, Everyday Heroes on the Bus.

Kristee Ono knows her fellow 6 Haight-Parnassus riders well — even though they're technically strangers. When she decided to write about one of them for the Muni Diaries Live Haiku Battle, she had no idea he was local transit icon Kurt Schwartzmann. Kristee tells the heartwarming story of what followed, and how two beloved Muni Diaries storytellers went from strangers on the bus to cherished friends. Photo by Emily Huston

It's not every day you're swept off your feet by a handsome stranger on the subway. But when Baruch Porras-Hernandez rides Muni, anything can happen. We were thrilled to have Baruch back on the Muni Diaries Live stage in November with the story of a fleeting romance from his past, and the unexpected turn it takes. Baruch is a writer, performer, and standup comedian who's done storytelling shows all over California. He's won the Moth in LA, headlined at About Last Night, is a three-time winner of Best of Bawdy, and won first place at Oakland's Story Showdown. You can hear more stories from Baruch on the Muni Diaries podcast in Episode 43 and Episode 70. Have a Muni story you'd to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. Photo by Emily Huston

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.

What do you notice out the window from your seat on BART, or Muni, or the Golden Gate Ferry? When you ride public transit, you're free to look around, and looking around can tell you a lot about where you live. We talk about the breathtaking vistas and hidden histories revealed to us through the windows of public transit and how what we see – or don't see – shapes our connection to the Bay Area. Guests: Vincent Woo, filmmaker. Woo is the creator and director of "Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride" Liam O'Donoghue, host and producer, East Bay Yesterday Mey Lee, co-curator, Muni Raised Me exhibit - at SOMA Arts earlier this year. Sarah Katz-Hyman, editor, Muni Diaries

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.

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.

What do you notice out the window from your seat on BART, or Muni, or the Golden Gate Ferry? When you ride public transit, you're free to look around, and looking around can tell you a lot about where you live. We talk about the breathtaking vistas and hidden histories revealed to us through the windows of public transit, and how what we see – or don't see – shapes our connection to the Bay Area. Guests: Vincent Woo, filmmaker, Woo is the creator and director of "Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride" Liam O'Donoghue, host and producer, East Bay Yesterday Mey Lee , co-curator, "Muni Raised Me" exhibit featured at SOMA Arts earlier this year. Working on another "Muni Raised Me" exhibition for later this year. Sarah Katz-Hyman, editor, Muni Diaries

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!  

Here at Muni Diaries headquarters, we don't often talk about ourselves because, after all, Muni Diaries is about your stories. But every once in a while, something happens that still makes us go, "I can't believe that went down." So today, cofounders Tara and Eugenia are sharing the story of how, in 2010, they came across a particular Muni shelter that they're still looking for to this day. Oh, and by the way, you DO have tickets to Muni Diaries Live this Thursday (Nov. 3), right? Head to MuniDiaries.com or this Eventbrite link, and use the listeners-only discount code PODCAST to get yours soon!

You might have seen these two awesome people who joined the Muni Diaries crew earlier this year, and in today's episode, you'll get to know more about our new editors, Kat Siegal and Sarah Katz-Hyman.  If you are a part of the local Transit Twitter community, you are probably already familiar with their names (and witty tweets), and today they'll share what makes them so passionate about San Francisco. We've always admired Kat and Sarah's deep knowledge of public transit, their local activism, and their love for this city. You'll meet Kat and Sarah live at our next Muni Diaries Live show on Nov. 3, 2022! Use the code PODCAST to get a listeners-only discount to the show. See you there!

San Francisco native and San Francisco Standard journalist Meaghan Mitchell takes the stage, sharing this life-changing experience from her youth at a 22-Fillmore stop.  A reminder that stories on Muni Diaries can range from sweet and quirky, to weird and funny, to powerful, at times uncomfortable, and personal. tw: violence against women

Here at Muni Diaries HQ, we usually end the year with a fun and lighthearted “Top Most WTF Moments of the Year” type of countdown. But in 2020…where do we even start? As shelter-in-place became a more permanent fixture of our lives, documenting life in San Francisco, especially via commute tales, took on a different meaning. We saw the uphill battle faced by so many small businesses and venues (like our beloved Rickshaw Stop), and the struggles of essential workers, particularly Muni operators and first responders—many of whom relied on Muni to get around. We’re grateful that we could help share those stories. So here are some highly memorable moments from your commuter tales, in this Dumpster fire of a year. As always, Muni Diaries is made entirely of stories by San Franciscans like yourselves. Our inbox is always open for your tales: email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. Thumbnail photo by @jack.kerouac.alley on Instagram.

Jeff moved to San Francisco in 2000 largely because of the city's music, art, history, and vibrant culture. His journey into storytelling began in 2008 when he co-founded Muni Diaries. He produced biannual live storytelling shows starting in 2009, and in 2016, launched his very own podcast, Storied: San Francisco.His goal for Storied: San Francisco podcast is to share what it is about this place—the people, the places, the stories—that makes it so special. Jeff believes in community, and sees Storied as a way for us all to get to know our neighbors.#RealCityAmbassadors #RCA #StoriedSanFrancisco #Podcasts #SanFrancisco #Frisco

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Rachel Swan was reporting on the anti-panhandling ordinance last year when she met rapper Tone Oliver, whose story became symbolic of how this ordinance can impact artists like him. You can follow her reporting at the San Francisco Chronicle website or on Twitter @rachelswan. Don't forget to subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast to keep up with more first-person stories about life in San Francisco. And if you have your own story to contribute, email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Total SF invites our Muni Diaries friends Tara Ramroop and Eugenia Chien to talk about our last Muni rides before the pandemic, our hopes for Muni's future and pick the Muni lines we miss the most. Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight also talk with Ramroop and Chien about the sounds of Muni, and the underrated joys of the 36 Teresita and the 39 Coit. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, rider Tara got to do something that most bus passengers never get to do. This story is read by Muni Diaries reader Amanda Staight.  

Muni Diaries reader Amanda Staight shares why she misses the bus, and after this many months of sheltering in place, we bet you feel the same. Amanda is a lover of neighborhoods, communities and casual conversations. She collects and tells stories as a passion and occupation. Her favorite seat on the bus is next to the rear door, up the little steps in the back. If you have your own Muni tale or sentiment to share, or a pandemic tale of San Francisco living, we want to hear from you! Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. 

Today's episode features a story submitted by Muni rider Wil, who seized a moment of connection on Muni. This story is read by Muni Diaries reader Dayne Watai. In the last few weeks we have all been re-examining social justice in our communities and our place in it - we've had some healthy debate on our social media about whether Muni should be used to transport police and protestors, and the role of public transit in race and class. Follow us @munidiaries on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to chime in. We'll continue these conversations while also bringing you stories of everyday San Franciscans, as we always do. If you have a story to share, our inbox is open for your pitch. Email us at muni.diaries.sf@Gmail.com.   

We like to say that Muni is San Francisco's living room, and you never know where a conversation with a fellow bus rider will lead. In today's episode, rider Timo shares a story about the time when someone on the bus asked him why he was wearing his yarmulke.  Muni Diaries is made of stories by everyday San Franciscans, and in these times, your stories are more important than ever! We will continue to publish stories from our archive and hope this takes some stress off of your day while sheltering in place. Photo by @jjinsf on Twitter.

In these times when most of your fellow bus riders are looking at their phone and have headphones on, reader Teresa submitted a story of how a group of women banded together when they saw another woman in a bad situation.  Muni Diaries is made of your stories. If you have a tale to share, email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. 

Today's story is from Molly Martin, a long-time activist and Bernal Heights resident. She was an organizer of Occupy Bernal, which saved many homes in the neighborhood from foreclosure. Molly is also a tradeswomen activist and is working on a book about the history of women construction workers in the Bay Area. Her story takes us back to 1973 San Francisco. Subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast so you don't miss a minute of our new episodes! Muni Diaries Live is back on Nov. 2, 2019 at Rickshaw Stop. Go to MuniDiaries.com to get tickets.  If you have a San Francisco story to pitch, email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.   

Peter B Clarke is a DJ, music producer, and live performer. He's part of MNMLFUN, a DJ group in San Francisco, editorial specialist at Dubset Media, and a podcast producer at Muni Diaries. Peter B Clarke Social:Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y6gv6lkySoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/peterbclarke MNMLFUN:Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y5md8g8tSoundcloud: https://tinyurl.com/y34vxfwg Muni Diaries Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/y2xe5yd2 If you'd like an easy way to listen to new episodes and be notified of new episodes, follow us here:VEM Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/y37ur338VEM iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/y2vr7lvqVEM Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yddjof58VEM Soundcloud: https://tinyurl.com/y2yfs7o4VEM Stitcher: http://tinyurl.com/yy6cbaubVEM Podbean: https://scottbrio.podbean.com/Periscope: https://www.pscp.tv/ScottBrio/ Halcyon, San Francisco: http://www.halcyon-sf.com/main/

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 President and From Piss to Bliss. She says she actually started writing From Piss to Bliss in a desperate attempt to maintain a state of love while riding Muni.  This story was recorded at Muni Diaries Live at Rickshaw Stop in April, 2019.  If you liked what you heard on the Muni Diaries podcast, don't forget to rate our podcast on iTunes and share it with your friends. Follow us @munidiaries on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to stay up to date on the latest entry in our collective online journal.

A crossover episode of The Big Event and San Francisco City Insider podcasts, recorded live on May 16, 2019, at the Betabrand Podcast Theater in the Mission District. San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub and San Francisco columnist Heather Knight interview BFF.fm online radio founder Amanda Guest, The Nocturnists podcast host Dr. Emily Silverman and Muni Diaries co-hosts Tara Ramroop and Eugenia Chien.   Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks on the album "Community." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A crossover episode of The Big Event and San Francisco City Insider podcasts, recorded live on May 16, 2019, at the Betabrand Podcast Theater in the Mission District. San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub and San Francisco columnist Heather Knight interview BFF.fm online radio founder Amanda Guest, The Nocturnists podcast host Dr. Emily Silverman and Muni Diaries co-hosts Tara Ramroop and Eugenia Chien. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks on the album "Community." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. Kathleen was born in Boston but has called San Francisco home for 19 years. She is a heavy metal and horror movie fanatic, and has told stories at The Moth Grandslam, Risk, Porchlight and many more events in the bay. Subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast so you don't miss an episode of true and hilarious Muni tales! And rate us on iTunes; we want to know what you think!   

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 with her that changed her perspective. Nuala is the news editor at SF Weekly. She writes about a little bit of everything: City Hall, the courts, homelessness, immigration, housing, crime and of course, transportation. You can follow her on Twitter at @TheBestNuala, or hear her on Rollover Easy Thursday mornings at bff.fm. If you have a story to share on and off the bus, we want to know! You can submit your own diary to the Muni Diaries podcast by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com, or tag us @munidiaries on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. 

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. As co-founder and massage therapist of A Sovereign Embodiment Healing Collective and Board-member of the Body Political, Irene blends magic with massage, storytelling and performance art to liberate, heal and reclaim space for marginalized community.  They’re currently working on a book and facilitating the creation a healing and retreat space for queer femmes in Grass Valley, CA. You can find her writing on MammyIsDead.com. You can also see Irene's first Muni Diaries entry involving a burrito as deterrent for pickup artists. Got your own Muni or San Francisco story to contribute? Email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com! And remember to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode!

It's our 15th birthday and we're putting on a killer storytelling show to celebrate! BACK IN THE DAY will feature true tales from a stellar assortment of humans including: Muni Diaries founder Eugenia Chien Lawyer, activist, and artist Matt Gonzalez Bartender and writer Ginger Murray Master bookbinder Dominic Riley Writer and contributor to The New Yorker, Vice, and The Guardian, Carvell Wallace Writer, performer Cintra Wilson Musical Guest Sonny Smith with your emcees Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick

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 sparkplug.” Nato wrote for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FX. Nato's story takes us back in time to 1990s San Francisco, which was still finding its progressiveness. In this episode, he recalls an act of courage by one of his high school classmates at a time when coming out was even more complicated than today. You should definitely check out Nato's new album, The Whiteness Album, and follow him on Twitter @natogreen. If you liked what you heard today, please support Muni Diaries on Patreon and help us keep telling stories from everyday San Franciscans! You can find us on Patreon.com/munidiaries. 

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 2017. Matt took us back to the 2003 mayoral election—in which he was neck and neck with current Lt. Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and why riding the bus as a politician in a highly contested race means you gotta always keep one eye open. Liked what you heard today? Share the Muni Diaries podcast with your friends and review us on iTunes! And we can't do this without your stories. You can submit your own slice of life in San Francisco by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.   

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 sexual exploits, live onstage. In this episode, she reaches back in time to those bad old days without Tinder, and you have to call the telepersonals to find Mr. Right/Mr. Right Now.  If you enjoyed the Muni Diaries podcast, please share our podcast and rate it in iTunes so people can find it! And if you have your own story to tell, pitch your story at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. 

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 munidiarieslive18.eventbrite.com Baruch tells a story of taking a visiting friend on her first Muni ride, promising that nothing will go wrong. And if you've been on Muni at all, you know that's a hard promise to keep. Baruch Porras-Hernandez is a Pushcart Prize nominated writer, performer and standup comedian, named one of the 13 Top Bay Area Writers to Watch in 2016 by 7×7 Magazine in San Francisco. He’s been featured in Writers with Drinks, has performed several times with Radar Productions, LitQuake, and is a winner of Literary Death Match, Write Club, The Moth, and of course, Muni Diaries. 

Buzzfeed Books Editor Isaac Fitzgerald proves a universal fact: stories happen on public transit in any city. In this Muni Diaries live performance, he shares the story of falling in love with a girl (and getting over it quickly) with the aid of a few heroic acts on the D.C. Metro.

It's been 24 hours since the chaos that was the Oscars and we have all survived. Erin Lim, host of the Bitch Talk Podcast and Jeff Hunt, co-host of the Muni Diaries join me in a rousing discussion of all the Moonlight madness and La La Land ba-ba-backlash. Plus, we throw massive shade at Casey Affleck and manage to spend a good amount of time talking about more important things like the '80s made-for-TV movie Kate's Secret starring the legendary Meredith Baxter-Birney.  

Erin & Producer Char are joined by guest Co-Host, fellow broadcaster Nicole Grigg... they welcome to the program Jeff Hunt + Eugenia Chien, Co-Founders of the website and social media movement Muni Diaries... tune in as they knock back a few drinks and share the randomness that is #SFMuniSupport the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 & 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

Erin & Producer Char are joined by guest Co-Host, fellow broadcaster Nicole Grigg... they welcome to the program Jeff Hunt & Eugenia Chien, Co-Founders of the website and social media movement Muni Diaries... tune in as they knock back a few drinks and share the randomness that is #SFMuni