My apologies to those who have tried to contact me over the last several weeks. I had a medical emergency that prevented me from carrying out my duties as editor.
From the Editor: Life Can Change in an Instant
‘Overtures and Undertows’: Murakami Exhibition Suggests the Real Monsters Are People
Murakami has blurred the boundaries of high and low art. His newest exhibition at the Asian Art Museum (AAM) in San Francisco, called “Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People – Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego” (Sept. 15-Feb. 12, 2024), demonstrates that his 82-foot, super-detailed, story-telling painting, created especially for this – his first-ever Bay Area exhibition – is consumed alongside the instantly recognizable, multicolor smiling flower motif, which visitors rabidly purchase in many forms (including as a stuffy-style pillow) at the museum gift shop.
California Common Cause Wants to Hear From You About Local Newspapers
We know local news – truly local and community-driven news – is vital to the health of our local communities and our democracy. And we believe there are things we can do together to protect and transform it.
‘Business Profile’: Coffee at California Kahve, by John Oppenheimer
Molly is the owner of California Kahve. She started her version of this coffee shop in 2021 with a passion to excel at serving drinks with the finest and freshest ingredients.
‘Photos of the Month’: October 2023
Photos from our readers.
‘Cooking Together’: Let’s Make Sheera for Diwali
One simple sweet my mother made on Diwali morning has left me with deep and fond memories. It is called Sheera – also known as simple Halwa in some parts of India. Sheera is often served as prasadam (gods leftovers) to the attendees of Hindu temples after a worship ceremony.
Roy Tahtinen’s ‘HeartSFound’ Photographs Are Love Letters to San Francisco
Roy Tahtinen conceived of his current photographic series on Valentine’s Day in 2016, when he made “an unintentional pivot” while collecting stones at Ocean Beach.
Award-Winning Filmmaking Partners Tell Stories That Need to Be Told
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, co-directing, co-producing and co-writing partners since 1978, are promoting their latest documentary, “Música!” during the fall film festival circuit. Despite winning Oscars, Emmys and a Grammy, creating and releasing new work never gets old.
Osher Lifelong Learning Serving Older Adults for 20 Years
If you are 50 years old or older and looking to make new friends and/or kick your brain into a higher gear, now is an excellent time to get acquainted with one of the Bay Area’s treasures, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State.
Press Release: Third Annual ‘Great Hauntway’ Planned for Oct. 29
The Friends of Great Highway Park has announced the return of The Great Hauntway, San Francisco’s largest car-free Halloween trick-or-treating event. The Great Hauntway is a free, family-friendly community Halloween event featuring more than a mile of trick-or-treating, kids’ activities and live music from Carry Nation. The Great Hauntway will take place on Sunday, Oct. 29, 1-4 p.m on the scenic Upper Great Highway between Judah and Taraval streets.
Letter to the Editor: Peering Into SF’s Future
Let us peer into San Francisco’s future. While mutual funds might warn that “past performance is no guarantee of future results,” one can predict how things will progress in our area by looking at the way such matters have gone in the past.
Botanical Garden’s Flower Piano Event Draws 65,000 Music Lovers to GG Park
From Sept. 8 to 12, Flower Piano came back for its eighth annual appearance. Hosted by the Gardens of Golden Gate Park (GGGP) and organized by Sunset Piano, the event celebrated the diversity of music in all its forms.
Photos: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2023
The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival started in 2001 in Golden Gate Park and has grown to three full days of music on six stages drawing hundreds of thousands of fans. The festival is a gift to the City from the late philanthropist Warren Hellman and is free to attend.
First-Ever Sunset Night Market an Overwhelming Success
Irving Street between 20th and 23rd avenues was packed with people for more than five hours on Sept. 15 at the first-ever Sunset Night Market. The event was the brainchild of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio who saw the crowds at the night market in Taipei, the home of his husband’s family, and initiated a similar event in the Sunset.
‘Then and Now’: Lower Great Highway at Vicente Street
Comparison photos of Lower Great Highway at Vicente St. roughly 95 years apart.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 