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This San Francisco magazine asked me to rework the introduction to Oldest San Francisco into an essay and is excerpting some of the book’s entries, including ones on: the city’s oldest cinema, the Roxie; the oldest footrace, Bay to Breakers; the oldest bookstore specializing in paperbacks, City Lights; the (just-rescued) oldest brewery, Anchor; its oldest restaurant, Tadich Grill; and the continent’s oldest Chinatown.
A feature coming out of Oldest San Francisco: Members of KALW’s Audio Academy reported on the rainbow flag, the city’s oldest recording studio, oldest cold-water swim club and oldest ice-cream parlor. In 2024, they did another feature, leaping from my book, looking at the world’s oldest suicide hotline, the oldest science museum west of the Mississippi, the oldest bike store and auto shop in the city.
“A new way to look at San Francisco history”.
A discussion of Oldest San Francisco with Tom Wilmer — the city’s oldest motel, bakery, funeral home and rainbow flag feature.
From a starred review of my novel Until It Shimmers: “A potent, vigorous coming-of-age tale featuring themes of identity, sexual liberation, and introspection. … Readers of any sexual orientation will find Ned’s voyage of discovery a vibrant reminder of life’s multicolored bounty.” Plus: on the annual list of 32 great books worth discovering.
Until it Shimmers is a “sparkling coming-out story drenched in longing …. Scott is an expert at composing lively, sparkling, meticulous scenes, featuring precise staging of characters and pitch-perfect dialogue. There is neither a word wasted, nor out of place.”
“Alec Scott’s first novel is a vibrant coming-of-age story.”
Alec Scott on Reaching Through Time, Grabbing You by the Lapels, and Saying, This is How it Was, This is How it Is
On coming of age in Oakville, Toronto and London: “Ned’s parents visit, and he finally comes clean to them in a comic-poignant scene that hardly sets the stage for smooth acceptance. His mother’s grappling with the revelation, the loss of her dream future for her first-born son, is compellingly and sympathetically conveyed.”
Author Q&A for BookLife: “The book is about that moment Neil Young sings of ‘When you’re old enough to repay, but young enough to sell.’”
“Contemplative in its approach and incisive in its characterizations, Until It Shimmers is an involving novel about finding one’s place in the world.”