San Francisco literary magazine seeks to counter "doom loop" narrative

Stuart Schuffman, perhaps better known as Broke-Ass Stuart , has heard enough about the "doom loop," so he decided to counteract the narrative by leaning into San Francisco's "wonderful literary tradition," Schuffman told Axios.

Why it matters: We deserve something nice every once in a while and Schuffman said he wanted to "just bring something f----ing beautiful to people."

• "I wanted to make a gift for San Franciscans."

Context: The concept of the "doom loop" came into San Franciscans consciousness in March 2023 by way of a San Francisco Chronicle story describing how the city could wind up in an economic death spiral of sorts.

Driving the news: "The Dreams I Dreamt: Letters to San Francisco," a free literary magazine released this month, features essays from a variety of authors, including Schuffman, sociologist and sex-positivity legend Carol Queen , the city's poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin and other renowned writers.

• This is the first time Schuffman has done this, but ideally he would like to release the zine twice a year, he said.

What they're saying: "There are so many great stories from so many different perspectives," Schuffman said. "People who spent their whole lives here, people who have been part of the literary scene here for decades. There are such cool, different perspectives and ranging multiple decades of age."

• The magazine's co-editors, Charlie Jane Anders and Oscar Villalon, wrote in the intro that the essays and poems come from people who love the city but also acknowledge its shortcomings and "who want the city to live up to its highest potential."
• "I just wanted to give something back to the city I love, at a time when so many people are hating on SF," Anders told Axios via email.

Between the lines: The magazine is funded by a roughly $47,000 grant from the Civic Joy Fund , a nonprofit that aims to bring more art and music to the streets of San Francisco, typically through live events.

• Manny Yekutiel, co-creator of the fund, told Axios he's "very proud of it" and that when Schuffman approached him with the idea, he essentially said, "f--- yeah."
• While the magazine was a bit of an exception to the projects they normally fund, Yekutiel said the overall point of Civic Joy Fund is to "revive the city's spirit and economy," and Schuffman's idea was "very much in line with what we're doing."

Follow the money: The funds allowed Schuffman to pay more than 20 writers, editors and designers for their contributions, print 3,600 copies and throw an official release party this Sunday.

• Schuffman said he paid folks to distribute 1,700 copies across 50 bookstores, cafes, bars and art spaces throughout the city a couple of weekends ago.

What's next: There are probably still some copies left, but Schuffman said your best bet to snag one will be at Sunday's magazine release party , featuring readings and live music, in Jack Kerouac Alley in North Beach.

• You can snag your free ticket here and download a PDF of the magazine here .

Sign up for Axios San Francisco for free.