ISO: One special Muni driver for Kurt Schwartzmann

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Profile of a man with an eyepatch and colorful jacket telling a story into a microphone on a stage

In 2019, storyteller Kurt Schwartzmann told what is still one of my favorite Muni Diaries Live stories about being unhoused and reliant on the kindness of strangers, namely Muni drivers, for temporary warm shelter. In the thick of the pandemic, when we needed it most, he repaid the city with love. That is, he collaborated with artist Deirdre Weinberg on one of the famed Hearts of San Francisco. We had him back at Muni Diaries Live in April, as he is still looking for one Muni operator in particular. Maybe you can help him?

Here’s Kurt:

Check out his work at www.YellowLineArt.com and follow him on Instagram @yellow_line_art.

Photo: Emily Huston

Category: Muni Diaries Live, Muni Diaries Live Shows Tags:

Life on the school bus from (and for) those in the know

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By school bus, we obviously mean Muni.

We’ve gotten our share of “teens on the bus” stories, but it is a special treat hearing from young folks themselves—thoughtful, civic-minded people who are inspired by public transit to participate and create.

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.

It warms our hearts to see the next generation keeping it transit-oriented. Muni Diaries Live alum Hayden Miller helped navigate a Muni bus in real-time (for real, listen to his story) and articulates his thoughts at SFMTA Board meetings on the state of transit—all while in high school. And we know a new crop of engaged Muni riders, like Tanea’s students, are coming up alongside him.

Lucky us: There was so much inspiring material, we curated it into a two-part series.

Part 1: Tanea shares their perspective on the exhibit and spoken-word event, plus some student performances

Part 2: More student performances!

Photo: Kat Siegal at Muni Raised Me event

Category: Aww: Cute on Muni Tags:

Sheila McElroy left her heart in San Francisco (among other lovely places)

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Sheila McElroy on stage at Muni Diaries Live, telling a story

IYKYK: San Francisco doesn’t leave us that easily, even when we leave it. Katie Havercamp and LeBron James the cat (yep) learned it bigtime firsthand, and I’d bet that many people you know have strong feelings on the topic.

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 takes us through her personal sense of place and the role it, especially San Francisco, plays in her journey.

Listen up:

If you didn’t even know we had a podcast until you saw this post, or until an obviously excellent friend with great taste sent it your way, don’t forget to subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast so you don’t miss another minute of these real-life tales from on and around the bus. We’re on all your favorite podcast-listening apps.

Photo: Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: ,

Asking the tough questions on Muni

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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.

Listen to her story:

Got a story to tell on the podcast? Email us a short pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Photo: Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: ,

Why Mister Boston’s Muni community is no match for leukemia

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As a Muni operator, Mister Boston, AKA Mike Delia, has seen it all. He’s piloted many of the crosstown lines we know and love, he has been assaulted twice in the name of doing so, and he even had someone try to steal his streetcar once.

You might also know him via the limited-edition trading cards bearing his image and stats—that’s actually how we first became acquainted with him ourselves. At Muni Diaries Live this month, we welcomed him, in full Muni regalia, to share his journey as operator, trading card legend, and leukemia survivor, all of which have brought him even closer to his community of San Franciscans.

Originally from Massachusetts with an accent to match, he was bitten early by the transit bug thanks to his father, who was also a transit operator. He was recently named 2022 Muni Operator of the Year by the San Francisco Transit Riders Union.

Listen to his story:

No holiday gathering, gift-giving list, or treat yo’self season would be complete without strong San Francisco representation. We’re excited to bring you the Muni Diaries Art Market: a market featuring 10 local artisans showcasing their wares. Come see us, Muni Diaries Live alums Transit Supply and Yellow Line Art—and more!—from 12-4p, Saturday, Dec. 3 at 80 Albion Street in the Mission.

Photo: Emily Huston
Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: , ,

Searching for one long lost Muni shelter

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We don’t often talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff at Muni Diaries because we are really about your stories. But occasionally something happens at Muni Diaries headquarters that just makes us go, “I can’t believe that happened.” 

One of the great things about running Muni Diaries is that we get to try any and all ideas, and along the way we met really great people who also have fun and wacky ideas. Sometimes those fun and wacky ideas turn into a whole another thing altogether. And in this case, one idea to incorporate a Muni shelter into our art show with photographer Julie Michelle turned into a battle for the heart and soul of San Francisco.

In today’s podcast, Tara and I dive into our archives to share the backstory of how we came to briefly own a Muni shelter, and why we are still searching for it today.

Listen to our story:

Speaking of fun, we’re super excited to bring you the fall Muni Diaries Live show to the stage at Rickshaw Stop this Thursday, Nov. 3! You have tickets, right?

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs, Muni Diaries Live Tags: , ,
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