Dewayne Deams was born and raised in San Francisco and caught the transit bug early. You might say it’s in his blood: his great-grandfather Curtis E. Green was the General Manager of Muni—the first Black GM of a major U.S. transit agency—and both of his parents worked for Muni, too. But despite his own deep knowledge and love of Muni, Dewayne was determined to take the track less traveled. In this first installment from our Wayfinding Show in April, Dewayne shares how he learned to embrace his l...
Aug 04, 2025•22 min
This is the final installment from our pop-up story booth at the San Francisco Public Libary's 2024 Night of Ideas! In this episode, we share a selection of bite-sized stories from everyday Muni riders about whimsical transit rides they've taken in our beloved San Francisco. Check out Part 1—Everyday Heroes on the Bus (ep. 152) and Part 2—The Friends We Made along the Way (ep. 155) for more short stories from that evening. And if you have your own whimsical bus story to share, be sure to follow ...
May 27, 2025•13 min
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. A...
Mar 05, 2025•23 min
Getting stuck on a stalled Muni train is every rider's worst nightmare. But what's it like being one of the mechanics with the daunting task of getting that train and its frustrated riders moving again? Rory O'Neill understands both sides of that coin. He spent many years working as a mechanic on the mobile response unit and the emergency response unit for Muni's light rail fleet—and he's also an every-day Muni rider. Now the supervisor of the Maintenance Training Department, Rory joined us at M...
Jan 27, 2025•14 min
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 evenin...
Oct 21, 2024•12 min
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
Jul 22, 2024•15 min
Veteran operator Charles Haletky walks us through the highs of "pure, exquisite joy of public humiliation" and the lows of, well...the lowest you can imagine. He reminds us that, as someone who trains the next generation of operators, he needs to be cruel on occasion—not to be kind, but for the greater good.
May 28, 2024•22 min
This is the first part in a series showcasing short Muni stories we collected from attendees at the Night of Ideas at the San Francisco Public Library on March 2, 2024. In this episode we focus on everyday heroes on the bus: situations where a small gesture or act of kindness by a transit rider or operator turned a tense situation around, made someone feel seen or appreciated, or just brightened their day.
Apr 02, 2024•12 min
Where most people see a desolate street, Katy Birnbaum sees a celebration and the regeneration of community waiting to happen. But it didn't start out that way. Katy grew up in a car-dependent suburb where the streets isolated her and her family. In this story from our November 2023 live show, Katy shares how moving to San Francisco transformed her relationship to streets, how Muni connected her to the things most important to her, and how she decided to give back. Katy is the founder of Into Th...
Feb 06, 2024•16 min
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...
Jan 17, 2024•22 min
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...
Dec 29, 2023•6 min
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...
Oct 31, 2023•14 min
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 !...
Oct 19, 2023•22 min•Ep. 147
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....
Oct 06, 2023•26 min•Ep. 146
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...
Sep 05, 2023•29 min
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.
Jul 17, 2023•18 min
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....
Jun 17, 2023•10 min
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 ...
May 23, 2023•19 min
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...
Apr 27, 2023•20 min
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....
Apr 11, 2023•17 min
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.
Feb 22, 2023•24 min
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.
Jan 25, 2023•14 min
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.
Jan 10, 2023•17 min•Ep. 137
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...
Dec 13, 2022•15 min
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!
Nov 29, 2022•16 min•Ep. 135
Many of you might know Mike Delia better as Mr. Boston, an operator on the F-Market and an impressive list of standard lines across town. Hailing from Massachusetts, he got bit by the transit bug when he was just 5 years old, riding the bus with his father, who was also an operator. You can often find him wearing his distinctive operator's cap on the F line, perhaps even on Car No. 1059 -- painted in his hometown Boston livery. At Muni Diaries Live last month, Mike shared the story of his journe...
Nov 22, 2022•20 min•Ep. 134
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 MuniDi...
Nov 01, 2022•22 min
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, an...
Oct 26, 2022•32 min
If you live in San Francisco for any length of time, you can't not know Broke-Ass Stuart . Stuart Schuffman (and his team of writers) have been writing about San Francisco for two decades now, and he is celebrating the occasion on Oct. 13 with a big 20th Anniversary Party. We took the opportunity to chat with Stuart to find out what he thinks is going better in San Francisco since he started, how he's grown his Patreon in challenging economic times, and some behind-the-scenes stories from two de...
Oct 11, 2022•24 min•Ep. 131
Comedian Becca Henry say she is San Francisco born, raised by wolves, and got her start on stage performing comedic burlesque before buying new bras and making her way into standup. In today's episode, she recounts one wild evening on BART on New Year's Eve before she was heading to a performance. You can find Becca on Instagram @beehenry. Or, if you're in New York City, she's on the schedule doing comedy at The Grisly Pear in Greenwich Village.
Sep 26, 2022•12 min
