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The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

Lead vocalist Louis Addis sings during an Elephant Garden band rehearsal. (Braelyn Furse / Xpress Magazine)

Into the Elephant Garden

Natalie Gallegos, Content & Online Editor
May 10, 2025

On the SF State campus, the beat of a drum loudly echoes out of a single building. There are guitars lined up on the wall, signs and posters of animated figures, bands and a multi-colored flashing fluorescent...

Ryan White looks proudly at his monitor in the editing booth. (Olivia Moran / Xpress Magazine)

Finding Universal Understanding with Filmmaker Ryan White

AJ Voorheis, Visuals & Multimedia Editor
May 4, 2025

Roughly 50 miles north of San Francisco, in Sonoma County, surrounded by towering redwoods, wide-stretched wineries, and the region’s famous Russian River, SF State alum Ryan White found inspiration...

Big Tractor, a drag performer and musician, plays on their banjo during Punk N' Drag night at The Depot. (Braelyn Furse / Xpress Magazine)

Big Tractor’s Depot Debut

Braelyn Furse, Staff Photographer
April 7, 2025

The strumming of a banjo twanged throughout The Depot on March 13th during a Punk N’ Drag night.  Big Tractor, otherwise known as Liv, performed two original songs, Down to Farm and Arizona, with...

Per Sia, a 43-year-old transgender woman, drag queen, and educator, spends her weekday afternoons teaching first graders at an after-school art program in San Francisco. She has spent over a decade in the program and even longer as a drag queen. Her life outside of teaching is intermixed with performances and drag story hours, having been the first drag queen to host these now internationally recognized events for children. Drag has been a part of her life for eighteen years, and over the span of almost two decades, she has made an impact on the San Francisco drag scene and even more of an impact on her students. (Photo taken on April 26, 2024.)

Per Sia by Night

Braelyn Furse, Staff Photographer
February 11, 2025

Alexandra Balistreri, President of the Delta Kappa, looks up towards the colorful screen Coppola Theatre at San Francisco State on Sept. 30, 2024. (Gabriel Carver / Xpress)

Lights, Camera, Action!

Natalie Gallegos, Content & Online Editor
October 16, 2024

In the movies we watch through our tiny screens, there is passion for the project coming from behind the camera. SF State’s cinematic society Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA) is composed of filmmakers, directors,...

Luca Stiehm and Emmett Penney were paired as roommates in 2023. Now, the duo collaborate as friends to produce music in the comfort of their home. (Autumn DeGrazia / Xpress Magazine)

From Roommates to Bandmates: Q&A with Pucaloaded

Michael Lane, Copy Editor, and Autumn DeGrazia
September 23, 2024

Moving into the college dorms can be a daunting experience for anyone. You’re away from home, taking care of yourself and living with complete strangers. For second-year student Luca Stiehm, moving into...

Former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown poses for a portrait in his penthouse office near the ferry building. Mayor Brown, the first Black mayor of San Francisco had a decorated political career and still works to help other democrats win elections.

Q&A with Willie Brown

Amy Burke, Staff Reporter
June 12, 2024

On the morning of March 20, former mayor Willie Brown awoke from his sleep, but this wasn’t any normal day—it was his birthday. An important part of the fabric of San Francisco, the spry 90-year-old...

Angel Hancock puts a large joint up to his lips at Hippie Hill in San Francisco, on April 20, 2024.

Spark in the Park

Giovanna Montoya, Editor-in-Chief
June 12, 2024

Nestled between Haight Street and the Conservatory of Flowers lies the historic Hippie Hill. Surrounded by tall shady trees and refreshing green foliage, the hill overlooks Robin Williams Meadow and is...

Marcelo Montoya practices a new grapple trick on a student.

A Certain Strain of Wrestler: A Photo Story

Gustavo Hernandez, Staff Photographer
June 12, 2024

Before the establishment of some of the most renowned wrestling companies like World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, theatrical wrestling could be seen in a more local setting. As the...

I’ve Never Been Here Before dances during one of her performances at 924 Gilman Street. Most of the other people in the picture are members of other bands that were performing that day, including Snallygaster and Nick Pants.

Radical Roots: Community in the Punk Scene—A Photo Story

Andrew Fogel, Managing Editor
June 12, 2024

As an offshoot of the rock and roll of the ’50s and ’60s, punk music and culture was created to challenge musical and societal standards. The music is raw and riddled with political messages of anti-authoritarianism,...

An Artificial Future in Music

Stepping into the San Francisco Symphony Soundbox on April 6, we were greeted by a number of different robots performing different skills from painting on canvases to a robot dog doing tricks. The program...

All graphics throughout the story created by co-designer Devin Dean.

I Hope You Find Me

Sydney Williams, Social Media Editor
March 20, 2024

While riding the Muni with your headphones on, sitting in class and minding your own business or even just walking home from a long day of school, you might be oblivious to an admiring stranger waiting...

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