{"id":395714,"date":"2026-07-12T16:06:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/395714\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T16:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:06:27","slug":"the-book-readers-of-dolores-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/395714\/","title":{"rendered":"The book readers of Dolores Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William Blake once wrote he could see the universe in a grain of sand. I come to view The Park as a book that never stops, a stream in a constant state of change of which the pages are one \u201ccatch\u201d after another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To look closely at the book covers, and to listen to the voices from the benches offers a microcosmic mirror of a community and its multiple characters, with their own loves, politics and dreams.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783872382_777_mission-local-logo-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Mission Local logo, with blue and orange lines on the shape of the Mission District\" class=\"wp-image-639216\" style=\"width:150px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">Want the latest on the Mission and San Francisco? Sign up for our free daily newsletter below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1878-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A woman in an orange sweater sits on a bench reading &quot;The Crying of Lot 49&quot; outdoors, with other people relaxing nearby.\" class=\"wp-image-859684\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s it about?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s absurdity, the absurdity of everything. Many people read Gravity\u2019s Rainbow. I have not.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where did you go to college? <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I went to Cornell.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Isn\u2019t that where Pynchon went to school? <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do you do for work?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am a union organizer for grocery clerks. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Were you here yesterday for the demo in the park?\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can I ask your name?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Althea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I never heard that name before.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Grateful Dead. It\u2019s a love song. My parents were hippies.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1660-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A person in a black hooded jacket sits on a wooden bench, writing in a notebook with a yellow pen. A green backpack is beside them.\" class=\"wp-image-859679\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My name is Seyd. I am from India.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t think I photograph well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I write to try to figure out things.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1678-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A person with dreadlocks and glasses sits outdoors, smiling and holding the book &quot;The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle.\" class=\"wp-image-859680\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marathon Don\u2019t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle by Rob Kenner<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been in both jails and college. My name is Jeremiah.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where did you go to college?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Morehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did you know Ida Rousseau?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What? You know Dr. Rousseau? She was my sociology professor. That\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We both went to Richmond High School across the Bay. She was straight As, the valedictorian at our graduation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t believe this. That you would know Dr. Rosseau. Life is so random. She was tough on me. But real good.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1805-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"Two people sitting on a bench outdoors; one is holding a book titled &quot;Valencia.&quot; Both are wearing sunglasses and red jackets, and sunlight is casting shadows on the ground.\" class=\"wp-image-859683\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Valencia by <a href=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2010\/07\/my-mission-michelle-tea\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/missionlocal.org\/2010\/07\/my-mission-michelle-tea\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michelle Tea<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is Valencia?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a book about lesbian life in San Francisco in the 1990\u2019s It was right here around the Park. Gay men were up the hill in the Castro.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What are your names??\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am Miranda. I am from Sweden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am Sebastian from right here.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When did you meet?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">September, Can you move on. We want to keep reading.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1721-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"Man in black hoodie and cap sits cross-legged on a bench reading a book outdoors in a park on a sunny day.\" class=\"wp-image-859682\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">L\u2019arm\u00e9e du Salut by Abdellah Ta\u00efa<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s in French and in Morocco.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have read him before. He writes about his youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What did I study? Linguistics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do I do? Project management. Do I like it? It\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1897-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A person dressed in black sits on a grassy hill reading a book, with palm trees, parked cars, and buildings in the background.\" class=\"wp-image-859686\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Off the bench reader among the palms and on the grass, the day warm again. Too far down the hill to call out to ask what could she be reading. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is part way through the thick paperback, firm and bent to her grip.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2204-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A man wearing sunglasses sits on a wooden bench outdoors, holding an open book. A red bag and a pack of LaCroix are beside him. Cars are parked in the background.\" class=\"wp-image-859687\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vineland by Thomas Pynchon<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My name is Asher. In Hebrew it means happy. My Jewish parents wanted a happy child. I am a musician. The oud is my instrument. It\u2019s Arab in origin. It becomes the lute in Northern Europe. I love Pynchon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have read Gravity\u2019s Rainbow and everything else. The writing is like mirrors of where we are as well as a prediction of where we will be. It is also very funny. Vineland. Yes, in Northern California.  It\u2019s about  \u2018back to the landers.\u2019 I want to go up there sometime to see what it is like.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2054-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A man stands outdoors near a bench, holding a book and wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, and a sweatshirt draped over his shoulders. Other people and cars are visible in the background.\" class=\"wp-image-859688\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El Infinito En Un Junco by Irene Vallejo<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> It\u2019s in Spanish. It is about the origins of language and writing in Mesopotamia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You mean hieroglyphs? Yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You are so tall with such long arms. What do you? I dance in the San Francisco Ballet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beautiful! I am from Spain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is ballet still cruel among the dancers fighting for parts?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, that is an old history; things have changed. It is competitive, but no one is trying to break any one\u2019s ankles to become a lead. I love the work we do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why are you reading this particular book with the papyrus plants on the cover. I am just curious by nature. It\u2019s about words.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_1888-480x640.jpeg\" alt=\"A person sitting on a bench outdoors, smiling and holding a book titled &quot;The Crane Wife&quot; by CJ Hauser, with a tote bag and phone beside them.\" class=\"wp-image-859685\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I work in the legal end of tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Does that mean you work with the titans, the big guys in the industry?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They might think they are big, but they are not that big. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This book, what is it, what is it about?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s an appreciation of the forms and varieties of love.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am silenced. I ask no more questions. The expressions on her face, don\u2019t they say everything?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2119-853x640.jpeg\" alt=\"View of a city skyline with tall buildings under cloudy skies, palm trees and a park with a red bridge in the foreground.\" class=\"wp-image-859689\"  \/>Photo by Stephen Vincent.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783872387_299_062026_ZM_AteTessPWM-27-930x620.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-855168\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>We won&#8217;t ignore your neighborhood<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a San Francisco neighborhood has a Mission Local reporter, it means someone is there. We&#8217;re following new housing projects proposed on your block, keeping tabs on what your district supervisor is up to at City Hall, and letting you know when longtime businesses close (and new ones open). When big news breaks, we already know the context.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most neighborhoods don&#8217;t have that. Yours could.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s what Mission Local is building. Our reporters don&#8217;t parachute in &#8212; they write consistently on San Francisco, so you&#8217;re never reading about your neighborhood from someone who just looked it up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far we are in five of San Francisco&#8217;s neighborhoods. But we know all San Franciscans deserve our kind of coverage. Will you join us?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"William Blake once wrote he could see the universe in a grain of sand. I come to view&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":395715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[18362,111984,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-395714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-people-we-meet","tag-people-we-meet-mission","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/395715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}