When I was 19 years old and trying to explain to my then-10 year old brother what I was studying at college, I said “It’s what Tintin does.” Now, not everyday of work as a journalist feels like canoeing on the Amazon River or dodging giant apes on a Scottish

BY DENA ROD What started as grief and loss over Iranians fighting for their freedom shifted into gratitude. I was a US citizen. That gave me an untold privilege that has always echoed throughout my entire life.  When traveling to Iran became an impossibility rather than a high-stakes travel goal, I

As 2024 winds down, we’re reflecting on another incredible year of sharing the stories, art, culture, and nightlife that make the Bay Area so unique. BrokeAssStuart.com wouldn’t be what it is without you—our community of readers, supporters, and believers in independent media. This year, instead of asking you to join Patreon

As the world gets hotter and hotter each year, tides rising quick enough to make Kevin Costner’s Waterworld-ass head spin, it’s hard to see any silver linings. That’s because there aren’t any silver linings. Not sure Joan Didion could write a wry yet deeply insightful essay out of all the

Long ago, it was common for members of the Yurok Tribe to catch 50 salmon per day in the Klamath River east of Crescent City near the tiny town of Klamath, population 850. These days, it’s rare for the Indigenous people of Northern California to get seven. But after the

The shadow of the Beat generation is long, and, just like when Karl the Fog descends, some think they may never see the light again. Yes, there was the hotspot of literary activity in the early aughts. But many feel the writing scene is dead, and that’s not so bad

There are a bazillion ways to spend a pleasant day in the City by the Bay. You could meet up with the surfers at Queer Surf, best for the beginners rather than venturing into the froth at Ocean Beach on their own. The radiant jewel neighborhood Bernal Heights is worth

There’s a text Baydestrians need to consult on how to parse Big Media narratives from what’s really going on in their backyards. Outside of our own blinders-guarded lives in the Bay Area, not to mention the United States or Eurocentrism broadly, we can forget that for many throughout the world

The organizational landscape in the Bay Area can get a person down. There are enormous issues to overcome: The state is mandating our city to build 82,000 new units, our city government stands behind ineffective officials rather than local transit, and small-minded techies flame local writers as they opine about