From our very own neighborhood publishers, the literary lights at McSweeney’s, comes a re-imagining of the newspaper and the potential of the printed page.
Out today, The San Francisco Panorama offers an ambitious, one-time-only, 320-page newspaper extravaganza, a broadsheet bursting with the scrawl of local and nationally-known writers like Stephen King, Michael Chabon, William T. Vollmann and Junot Diaz, and a heady array of innovative graphics.
More than six months in the making, the Panorama explores subjects ranging from the making of ramen to the chaos of the Afghan elections. There will be comics, pull-out posters and a 96-page book review section – “a playground of sorts for writers,” said publisher Oscar Villalon in an interview with Flavorwire.
Sample pages from the Panorama's color broadsheet.
Of more provincial interest, Mission-based writer and Sister Spit co-founder Michelle Tea profiles spell master Dori Midnight, a local herbalist and healer. Peter Plate provides an impressionistic piece on life in our city, touching down at times in the Mission District.
Precita Eyes mural.
And a panel of neighborhood elementary school students set out to review “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” among other films.
The paper also features a large-scale reproduction of the Precita Eyes mural “Keep Our Ancient Roots Alive,” the vibrant diptych painted on Cleveland Elementary School 14 years ago. The mural depicts an ancient sequoia set with our collective indigenous roots at the base and growing with the hopes and dreams of the community.
The publication will be available for $5 only today from newsies spread across the 
city. In the Mission, they’ll be hawking papers in Dolores Park, and at the corners of 24th and Folsom, as well as 16th and Valencia. For the discount price, you can also stop by McSweeney’s headquarters, 849 Valencia Street inside Little Otsu, today and visit the alchemists behind the paper’s production. The Panorama will remain on sale at bookstores around the neighborhood and city for $16. Check out this map for all locations.
Come back for reviews of the Panorama and a few of its articles later today and tomorrow.
4 Comments
Stopped by two “newsie locations,” 826 valencia and McSweeney’s this morning only to learn that Panorama wouldn’t be available until 11AM. I’m not sure what McSweeney’s definition of “morning” is, and how it relates to the luxurious unemployment (aka “trust fund lifestyles”) of many of their volunteers, staffers, and contributors, but those of us who thought it would be nice to pick up a newspaper on the way to work as has been the tradition for the past several centuries were sadly out of luck…
OK maybe they had printing issues, but still, it feels typical.
Anyone spotted a newsie yet? We’re waiting with baited breath here in the FiDi!
Third “newsie location” (4th and King by Caltrain) also had no-one there at 1:30pm. Does this paper actually exist? Has anyone gotten their hands on it?
What hoops to jump through to get the darn thing at a reasonable price…
I’ll wait for the PDF
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[...] have been going nuts over the release over the release of McSweeney’s San Francisco Panorama, which drops today. Whether you’re in the Mission or Mill Valley, here’s a handy map for where you can get [...]