I Don’t Believe in God, but That Doesn’t Mean I’m Faithless
This is what you do at 25: you sit in a room full of strangers and friends and ask yourself earth-shattering, existential questions after one beer....
EssayA collection of 51 posts
Meet Monroe the Gardener: From Homeless to SRO
I’d met Monroe at Episcopal Community Services’ Tuesday breakfast support group for homeless seniors....
These Are the Faces of San Francisco’s Homelessness Crisis
The greatest power of the photograph is its ability to pause time. Things that we would not dare stare at for more than a fleeting moment are made still by the shutter — frozen in a moment, forever, compelling us to return to them again and again....
Sleeping with a Gentrifier
A few weeks ago, I moved to the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco — the bright-orange yolk at the center of our gentrification-eviction debate — for the second time....
I Met God at the Berkeley Post Office
I was in line to buy a stamped envelope. The first of the month had come and gone, and I needed to mail my rent....
An Encounter with My Comic Book Hero
I couldn’t fucking believe it. My favorite cartoonist, Ron Crowes, was going to be in town to promote his new book, Crippling Void, which follows the lives and times of the Three Stooges....
After Orlando: The Routine of Terror
The arc of terror is easy to plot. It starts with fire....
This Week in The Bold Italic: Latina Identities, the Economics of Self-Pleasure, and Craigslist Nightmares
A week of stories on Latina identity, the economics of self-pleasure, and the enduring strangeness of Craigslist....
Financial Planning for Married Same-Sex Couples
When the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across all 50 states last June, the historic ruling was celebrated by social media feeds with the hashtag “Love Wins.” And while the notion of all-inclusive love is certainly something to rejoice over, the institution of marriage is…...
Growing Up Latina (But Not Mexican) in SF
When Latino culture is boiled down to one identity...
What Makes a San Franciscan?
San Francisco has always been a city full of transients. For many years, people have flocked here for the promise of Silicon Valley gold, vegan sushi and/or yogi enlightenment....
Saying Goodbye to (My) San Francisco
I’m on the 45, shitty coffee in hand, looking out at the fog that threatens to make every hair on my head a frizzled, wiry tendril, and I’m thinking, “God, I used to love you.” It’s a tender thought — not the hostile…...