This week: The SF Columbarium, tulip season, Silicon Valley repair cafes, Marin dad punk band, and an Iranian-American fashion line. Plus: finding unique SF trees, connecting with deceased loved ones, and author Kate Schatz’s new novel focusing on the fight for women’s rights in 1960s SF.

Where the city keeps its ghosts

When you step inside the San Francisco Columbarium, the noise of Geary Boulevard fades into a kind of quiet museum of lives once lived. The 1898 structure is one of the last surviving pieces of San Francisco’s old cemetery system, after most burial grounds were cleared and moved to Colma in the early 1900s.

Inside the copper-domed building, thousands of niches hold urns alongside personal mementos — photographs, letters, trinkets — turning the walls into a patchwork of family memory. The Richmond District landmark is open to visitors daily from sunrise to sunset. — GhoulHost/City Days

Trees near you

San Francisco tree fans have a handy way to spot notable specimens around the city. This map of landmark trees, which works on mobile, displays nearby rare or historic trees wherever you are.

The map inspires users to discover unusual trees hidden in spots they might otherwise walk past. — SF Tree Guy/Instagram

Calls into the wind

Near Ocean Beach, a small booth known as the Heaven Phone invites people to speak to loved ones who’ve passed on. Visitors drop a stone into a tube, lift the receiver, and look through a butterfly-shaped window toward the sea while the wind carries their words.

The installation sits at the ocean’s edge near Ortega Street, offering a brief, personal pause along the beach. — Whimsy Soul/Instagram

Dadpunk in the minivan lane

A group of Marin fathers has turned the daily chaos of parenting into a scrappy punk project called Le Minivans. Frontman Matt Swanson — who once played in Oakland dream-pop band Minipop — writes many of the songs while waiting in school pickup lines, turning routine domestic moments into fast, cathartic riffs.

The band formed in 2018 with four other local dads, leaning into what they call “dad punk,” where the stakes are low and the material comes straight from everyday life. Le Minivans will be performing Saturday evening, March 7 at Smiley's Schooner Saloon in Bolinas. — Marin Independent Journal

Second life for small things

Instead of throwing away broken appliances or torn clothing, some Bay Area residents are heading to pop-up repair events where volunteers take a crack at fixing them on the spot. Repair Café Silicon Valley sets up at libraries and community centers, pairing visitors with experienced “fixers” who troubleshoot everything from hair dryers to ripped seams.

Each person can bring two items, and most repairs wrap up in about half an hour once a station opens. Upcoming gatherings include March 14 at Willow Glen Community Center in San Jose, March 29 at Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, and April 26 at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto. — Bay Area Toddler Explorer/Instagram

Tulips by the windmill

Spring color is spreading across the lawn at Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, beside the park’s historic Dutch windmill, where thousands of tulips are reaching their peak this month. The small garden sits near the western edge of Golden Gate Park and fills with bright rows of blooms each March, many planted from bulbs sent by Dutch growers.

Just steps away, the towering Dutch Windmill — built in 1902 to pump water for the park — still anchors the landscape after its restoration decades ago. — Secret San Francisco

Threads of freedom

Bay Area siblings Kristin Vartan and filmmaker Sean Ansari Vartan carry a family story shaped by exile. Their mother fled Iran as a teenager after the Iranian Revolution, when strict dress codes and public expression tightened under the new regime. One keepsake remains — a prom dress sewn by their grandmother that Kristin still wears today.

The pair channel that history into their creative project, Style Speaks, exploring how clothing and movement tell personal stories. Their work reflects both grief for those still living under repression and gratitude for the freedom to create here. — KPIX

Letters never sent

In her new novel, author Kate Schatz of Rad Women fame visits 1968 San Francisco, where a high school senior’s brief brush with the Fillmore’s counterculture leads to an unplanned pregnancy and a quiet exile to a private maternity home. Where the Girls Were, from The Dial Press, draws on Schatz’s own family history and the thousands of young women who were sent away under a veil of secrecy before Roe and reliable birth control were widely accessible.

Through clipped letters and institutional rules, the novel traces the tension between the tumultuous time period — assassinations, anti-war protests, the Summer of Love — and the rigid expectations still governing “good girls” at home. — KQED

Top image: Kate Schatz/Instagram

Previously: Field Notes: ‘Run’ Club Comedy, Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle,’ and Black History on the Pacific

In an ironic twist indicative of our times, authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin-Pritchard were about to go on stage to discuss their new kids’ book The Day the Books Disappeared at a San Ramon elementary school when they were told not to mention banned or queer books.

As KRON4 reports, the authors say their visit to Country Club Elementary School in the East Bay city of San Ramon on October 17 was cut short when they were told at the last minute by school officials that they couldn’t talk about certain themes in their presentation, which addressed scenarios surrounding the banning of books, including “uncomfortable historical truths, race or racism, and diverse family structures.”

As the site Book Riot explains, the authors frame the concept of book-banning in an age-appropriate manner in the book using individual preferences as an example. The main character uses his newfound ability at making books disappear to get rid of books on topics he doesn’t find interesting, and before he knows it, even the books he likes start disappearing.

Per Book Riot, the authors’ presentation consisted of 45 slides that mainly featured pages from the book along with a few informational graphics about books that have been banned nationwide.

When the authors refused to censor their presentation, they were asked to leave. ​​“Our book was literally written because of book banning; we could not leave that out of our presentation,” Ho told KRON4.

The school district released a statement saying the students who were attending the program — ages four to nine — were too young to understand the concept of book-banning. Per KRON4, the district claims that they contacted the authors’ management with the request in advance, which the authors dispute.

“We were not asked to adjust for younger audiences despite what the district statement says. They told us not to talk about book bans or mention queer books. We did not choose to leave, we were told to leave when we wouldn’t agree not to talk about book bans or mention gay books,” said Ho.

“Caroline was like this is completely out of our integrity like, we won’t be changing our presentation if we’re giving the presentation,” Ho added.

Book Riot notes that there’s an active chapter of Moms For Liberty in Contra Costa County where San Ramon is located, which puts political pressure on public schools and libraries to censor topics on race, sexuality, and gender. The outlet also writes that in 2023, a high school in San Ramon received backlash for including in its library the book Gender Queer and other LGBTQ+ themed books, along with various books by and about Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, which SFist covered at the time.

“Book banning is real, it’s happening everywhere, it’s happening in California,” Kusin-Pritchard told KRON4.

Image: ‘The Day the Books Disappeared’

Related: San Ramon Parents Want To Jump On The Public School Book-Banning Bandwagon

In this week’s Field Notes: A 4-year-old meets 1,000 dogs, kids get a free tree book, and Sutro Baths summons ghosts. There's opera for Dolores Huerta, Deaf-led dance, an inclusive art fair, rooftop skating, coastal wineries with views, and a Novato Eames museum in the works.

A boy, a teacher, and 1,000 dogs

At Santa Cruz’s Pleasure Point, 4-year-old Quinn Drake is on a mission to meet 1,000 dogs before kindergarten — with help from his devoted day care teacher.

Armed with treats and a notebook, the pair spend weekends logging canine names and spreading joy. — NBC Bay Area

Free tree guide helps kids explore Bay Area forests

The Peninsula Open Space Trust has released a free Tree Explorer’s Handbook to help kids connect with nature. Designed for print or mobile, it includes bark rubbings, tree ID tips, and notes on the wildlife trees support.

POST’s Zionne Fox calls trees an accessible entry point for fostering curiosity. — KGO

Rituals, raves & ghost stories at sutro baths

The crumbling tunnel near San Francisco’s Sutro Baths has inspired ghost stories and satanic panic since the '80s. Once a quarry access route, it’s now a canvas for graffiti, a backdrop for punk shows and raves, and a magnet for occult rumors — none verified, but the energy still lingers.

Hikers still stumble upon candle stubs and burned-out circles of salt. Whether it’s urban myth or a low-profile ritual site, the place practically dares you to look over your shoulder. — SFGate

Literary rebels and psych rock with Pat Thomas

Historian and longtime Bay Area music producer Pat Thomas brings his dual passions home next week. He'll be launching his new anthology Evergreen Review: Dispatches from the Literary Underground (1957–1973) at Clio’s in Oakland on August 4, then performing with his 1990s-era improv psych band Mushroom at the Make Out Room on August 5.

The book highlights the influence of Grove Press’s countercultural literary magazine and its boundary-pushing contributors, including William Burroughs and Amiri Baraka. — Mission Local

Dolores Huerta gets her own opera, and she’s attending Saturday night

West Edge Opera in Berkeley kicks off its season with Dolores, a world premiere inspired by labor icon Dolores Huerta and the 1965 Delano Grape Strike.

The new work — by composer Nicolas Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch — spotlights Huerta’s early organizing years and her partnership with figures like Cesar Chavez and Larry Itliong. Huerta herself is expected to attend tonight’s opening night, August 2, at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center. Runs through August 16. — Oaklandside

Bay Area’s Deaf Dance Festival brings bold new work and global talent

Now in its 13th year, the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival brings together Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists from around the world — Botswana to Bogota, Jamaica to the Bay. Led by Oakland-based dancer and choreographer Antoine Hunter (Purple Fire Crow), the festival runs August 6–10 with performances and workshops in SF and Berkeley.

It’s a rare space where Deaf artists can fully express themselves, both onstage and behind the scenes, supported by Deaf-led production and layered accessibility — from sign language in multiple languages to audio descriptions and vibrating seats. — 48 Hills

New art fair to spotlight neurodivergent artists

Creativity Explored is launching a new national art fair in downtown SF next January. Funded by a $100K grant from the Svane Family Foundation, the Creativity Explored x Open Invitational will bring together neurodivergent artists from across the country during San Francisco Art Week 2026.

Admission will be free, and booth fees waived. The project expands the cultural conversation around who gets exhibited and collected, and strengthens SF’s role as a leader in inclusive art. — SF Chronicle

Mid-century Novato landmark to become Eames Design Museum

A quirky 1960s-era building once home to publisher McGraw Hill — and later Birkenstock — is being transformed into a new art and design museum by the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity. The 88-acre Novato property will celebrate Charles and Ray Eames, the mid-century design legends behind the iconic molded chair and more.

With architecture from the firm behind SF’s de Young Museum, plans include showcasing emerging artists as well. The current Eames space in Richmond has a 1,000-person waitlist — and the Institute hopes this new site will become a world-class destination. There’s no timeline yet, but the purchase price was $36 million. — SFist

Rooftop roller rink brings summer skating to Market Street

Skate under the stars at SVN West’s rooftop rink, open Thursdays–Sundays through mid-September. With views of the San Francisco skyline, themed 21+ nights (like disco, hip-hop, and Bay Area beats), and kid-friendly events (like Character Day), there's something for everyone.

Tickets include skate rentals, and season passes offer unlimited access and food discounts. — Bucketlisters

Wine with a view

If you’ve ever wanted to sip pinot while watching waves crash below you, this roundup delivers. From redwood-flanked patios in Jenner (Fort Ross Vineyard) to Highway 1 breezes in San Simeon (Hearst Ranch Winery), these five California wineries pair coastal views with chardonnay, rosé, and even pinotage.

You can just drop in — or, if you’re the plan-ahead type, book food pairings or guided hikes between sips. — 7x7

Top Image via West Edge Opera House

Previously: Field Notes: Possums, Pixies, Plays, and Power Tools

San Francisco author Kate Folk is releasing a new book, Sky Daddy, which deals with the taboo subject of objectophilia set against the backdrop of SFO and Silicon Valley. The main character, an online content moderator, gets her thrills via AirTrain rides around SFO, fantasizing about encounters with aircraft.

KQED notes that Sky Daddy balances dark humor with an empathetic look at objectophila, an obsessive-compulsive disorder in which someone forms a romantic or sexual attraction to inanimate objects, such as buildings, vehicles, or furniture.

Its unique premise, as detailed by Kirkus Reviews, provides a deeper look into a rare mental health disorder and how it intersects with the under-appreciated job of online content moderation, in which underpaid workers are exposed to relentless traumatic online content.

Sky Daddy is scheduled for release on April 8 through Random House.

Update: This post was revised to include information about objectophilia.

Image: Good Reads

Sifting through the Mark Twain Papers and Project at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library, one scholar struck literary gold, or at least enough raw material to turn into something of value: A set of 16 pages of notes detailing a fairy tale that Twain reportedly told as a story to his daughters one night in Paris in 1879. Twain, the titan of American letters whose picaresque novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains his best-known work, was apparently a prolific bedtime storyteller, though this is the only tale he seems to have recorded.

On Friday, publisher Doubleday Books for Young Readers announced it had acquired the story, discovered in 2011, which the AP reports has been adapted into an 11-chapter, 152-page illustrated book by Philip and Erin Stead, the prize-wining children's writer/illustrator duo known for their work A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The Steads will reportedly frame their expansion of the original story as "Told to me by my friend, Mark Twain."

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, Twain's tale of a boy who speaks to animals to save a prince, is scheduled for a September 26 release. That date, the Guardian observes, is significant as it marks the 150th anniversary of the first volume Twain published, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches (1867).

“To publish a new Twain story is an incredible literary event," Frances Gilbert, who edited the new book, tells the Guardian. "When I first got the chance to read this unpublished story, I couldn’t believe what I was holding.”

Setting aside the book's merit, I think it's fair to wager that the publisher will make quite the event of its release. Dr. Seuss’s What Pet Should I Get, a slim book posthumously discovered and then published last year, might serve as one example of what to expect: It sold 200,000 copies in just a week in the US, and though it wasn't received as Seuss's best, it was still gobbled up by fans.

Related: Beat Scholars And Historians Rejoice As Lost 18-Page Neal Cassady Letter Is Discovered Intact In Oakland

Do you live at 891 Post, 620 Eddy, 1155 Leavenworth, or 20 Dashiell Hammett? If you do, you're walking the hallowed halls of one of Dashiell Hammett's apartments. But there's nary a neighborhood without notable literary significance in San Francisco, as illustrated by this informative interactive literary map assembled by The Chronicle.

The maps spans the Bay Area and details such literary factoids like Jack London's birth (in a house that was located at 615 Third Street in San Francisco) and grisly deaths (science fiction writer Robert Duncan Milne was run over by a cable car while drunkenly crossing the street at Market and Montgomery). Toggle over to the "Passages" section of the map for a lovely collection of Bay Area literary mentions, from The Joy Luck Club to The Kite Runner to (ahem, Fremont) to Divisadero:

"I come from Divisadero Street. Divisadero, from the Spanish word for 'division,' the street that at one time was the dividing line between San Francisco and the fields of the Presidio. Or it might derive from the word 'divisar', meaning 'to gaze at something from a distance.' "

Absent is the memorable first paragraph of Hunter S. Thomson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, which we'll include here, just for kicks:

January '73

Dawn is coming up in San Francisco now: 6:09 AM. I can hear the rumble of early morning buses under my window at the Seal Rock Inn ... out here at the far end of Geary Street: This is the end of the line, for buses and everything else, the western edge of America. From my desk I can see the dark jagged hump of "Seal Rock" looming out of the ocean in the grey morning light. About 200 seals have been barking out there most of the night. Staying in this place with the windows open is like living next to a dog pound.

Get your literary fix for the day over at The Chronicle's map, which also includes a list of independent bookstores, local authors working today, and upcoming Litquake events.

[Chron]

We were jazzed about Quiet Lightning's submission-based lit reading series when it debuted in the Conservatory of Flowers a few months back. Tonight, the local literary concern collides with LitQuake for the final installment of their reading series in the Conservatory, and promises writing of all forms, read in a unique setting without unnecessary author banter.

After tonight's show, the materials will be presented as a book with artwork by Mary Behm-Steinberg. Behm-Steinberg's work will be on display in the conservatory tonight along with visual art from de Young Artist Fellow Todd T. Brown.

As for libations, Lagunitas will be sponsoring the beers at $3 a pop.

Conservatory of Flowers, 100 John F Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate Park
Doors at 7 p.m., Show at 8 p.m. sharp
$5 suggested cover, but we're told no one is turned away for being too broke.
[Details]

If lit readings sound too serious for you, you might also check out the free comedy happy hour at Cafe Royale in Nob Hill or the return of comedy at El Rio if you're in the Mission tonight.

Tonight in Golden Gate Park, the folks from local literary concern Quiet Lightning will host the first of three monthly Greenhouse Effect beer-and-literature events in the always lovely Conservatory of Flowers. The event promises a "performance" of works from issue 29 of Quiet Lightning's monthly lit rag sparkle + blink and $3 Lagunitas for the thirsty scriveners in the audience.

Conservatory doors open at 6:30 p.m. and readings begin at 7:30 sharp. In addition to cheap beer, photos will be taken by local photographer Ian Tuttle, music will be played by Salon97 and art will be displayed by Cameron Forsley. The organizers recommend attendees dress in white and/or pink for the occasion and part of the show will step outside of the conservatory, so you may want bring along a light jacket.

Cover is a $5 donation, although we understand that no one will be turned away for having too little. If you can't make it tonight, Quiet Lightning will hold a similar event for the release of the September and October issues of sparkle + blink, and the issue will be available online for free after the event.

[Event Details]
[Facebook Event]
[Conservatory of Flowers]

Get your 1920s on at a speakeasy party in the Mission care of the fine scribes at Litquake. Hear excerpts of biting authors read by some of your favorite Bay Area writers, including Robin Ekiss (Tallulah Bankhead), Isaac Fitzgerald (Robert Benchley), Josh Mohr (Sinclair Lewis), Eddie Muller (Dashiell Hammett), and Sarah Fran Wisby (Dorothy Parker).

You can also look forward to jazz-era cocktails, real-life jazz stylings from pianist J. Raoul Brody and singer Laurie Amat, a Thin Man movie marathon, New Yorker-style caricaturist available to draw your portraits. And more. Tickets are $15.

Litquake Speakeasy at Public Works (161 Erie), S.F.

LECTURE: Jonah Lehrer of Wired Magazine and Radio Lab fame will be be talking about his latest book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, which shatters the myths of muses and “creative types” and argues that creativity is instead a variety of distinct thought processes that anyone can learn to use effectively, presented by City Arts & Lectures and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. (8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue)

LITERARY: Litquake presents its 2nd annual Regreturature, featuring members of the acclaimed San Francisco Writers’ Grotto including Katie Crouch, Heather Donohue, Isaac Fitzgerald, Jeff Greenwald, Rachel Levin, James Nestor, Todd Oppenheimer, Caroline Paul, and Mary Roach, who will "sheepishly read works they may now regret, from fiction to nonfiction, blogs, journalism, opinion pieces, even diary entries. Emceed by Litquake co-founder Jack Boulware, with the piano stylings of J. Raoul Brody. (7 p.m., Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street)

MUSIC: Tonight's installment of the monthly Penny Arcade music showcase hosted by Raul Sanchez will feature The Aerosols, Vows, David Dondero, Pancho-San, and Upstairs Downstairs. (8 to 11 p.m., Make Out Room, 3225 22nd Street)

Jeffrey Eugenides, Susan Orlean, James Ellroy, Mary Roach, Ishmael Reed, Adam Mansbach, Jane Smiley, Chris Adrian, Thomas McGuane, Christopher Moore, Daniel Woodrell, Deepak Chopra, Cyra McFadden, and Guillermo Gomez-Peña are just a few of the authors scheduled to read at this year's Litquake Festival. "Er, like, what's Litquake," you derp? Well, Litquake is the city's annual festival of literature devoted to the printed word. Lots of words. Dangerous words.

However, Litquake is best known for their boozy Litcrawl, proving to be the festival's most anticipated event, which boasts 75 venues "hosting readings in three phases in the Mission" with many bar stops along the way.

Here's a list of some of your favorite authors scheduled to perform, many of them making their Litquake debut.

• Donnell Alexander - Journalist and author part of the Afro Surrealism movement (Litquake debut)
• Chris Adrian - Author of The Great Night and pediatric oncologist
• Brian Christian - Poet and author of The Most Human Human (Litquake debut)
• Catherine Coulter - Thriller and suspense author of 65 novels, 59 of which have made it to The New York Times bestseller list (Litquake debut) Note: this appearance is scheduled but still to be confirmed
• James Ellroy - Master of noir in-conversation with Janis Cooke Newman
• Jefferey Eugenides - Author of the The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex and the upcoming The Marriage Plot (Litquake debut)
• Christa Faust - Mystery “Neo pulp” author (Litquake debut)
• Julia Glass - Author of Three Junes and The World Whole World Over; and I See You Everywhere (Litquake debut)
• Guillermo Gómez-Peña - Author and performance artist
• Sara Gran - Crime and thriller author (Litquake debut)
• Andrew Sean Greer - Author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli and The Story of a Marriage
• Daniel Handler - Author who also moonlights as Lemony Snicket when the mood suits
• Chuck Klosterman - Nationally known essayist with a bent for pop culture and consulting editor for Grantland.com (Litquake debut)
• Jillian Lauren - Former stripper and escort who ultimately fled her life in the harem of the Prince of Brunai and wrote the memoir, Some Girls: My Life in a Harem
• Adam Mansbach - Fiction writer responsible for Go the Fuck To Sleep among other more literary works
• Cyra McFadden - Beloved Bay Area author, columnist and satirist who first came to prominence in the late 70s with The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County (Litquake debut)
• Marc Maron - Comedian and Broadcaster live on stage
• Tom McGuane - Novelist, screenwriter and essayist in conversation with Litquake cofounder Jack Boulware (Litquake debut)
• Christopher Moore - Author and satirist
• Alejandro Murguia - Poet, short story writer and teacher at SF State and two time American Book Award winner
• Susan Orlean - New Yorker writer and author of The Orchid Thief (Litquake debut)
• Mary Roach - Author deservedly known for her one-word titles such as Stiff, Spook and Bonk
• Ishmael Reed - Recipient of the 2011 Barbary Coast Award
• Karen Russell - New Yorker “ 20 Under 40” alum and author of the collection Swamplandia (Litquake debut) Note: appearance is scheduled but still to be confirmed
• Melanie Rae Thon - Noted American author’s work will be part of Stories on Stage (Litquake debut)
• Dan Woodrell - Author who elevated “rural noir” to the status of literature with his novel Winter’s Bone (Litquake Debut)

Litquake runs from October 7-15.

PHOTOGRAPHY: After this month, cult-favorite Kodachrome slide film, which stopped being manufactured in 2009, will no longer be processed (which brings a fat tear to this photography-loving contributor's eye). RayKo Photo Center celebrates the glorious and richly colorful life of Kodachrome with a juried exhibition featuring images by 23 different artists from across the country. It truly is the end of an era. (Sigh.) If you have any undeveloped Kodachrome film sitting around, get it processed at Dwayne's Photo by 12/30/2010.

6 to 8 p.m. // RayKo Photo Center (428 Third St) // free

EROTIC: Tonight's installment of Naked Girls Reading commemorates the 7th Annual International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers. Readers include special guests Annie Sprinkle and Sadie Lune, featuring literature written by sex workers, including Some Girls by Jillian Lauren, Scarlot Harlot’s Unrepentant Whore, Georgina Spelvin’s The Devil Made Me Do It, and more…

8:30 to 10:30 p.m. // Center for Sex and Culture (1519 Mission St) // $15-20, 18+

HISTORY: The California Historical Society's Historic Libations Annual Holiday Event sounds like the place to be tonight. Head over for a refreshing Boothby Whiskey Punch, the Revolver, Moscow Mule and the Martinez, and other legendary cocktails from across the state. La Melodita will perform live tango, gypsy jazz, and blues. You'll also receive a copy of the Anchor Distilling Co. edition of Cocktail Boothby's American Bartender.

6 to 9 p.m. // California Historical Society (678 Mission St) // $50-60