The CASUAL COMMUTER

About the Book

Meet anyone interesting on the way to work? This collection of engaging and poignant vignettes offers unexpected glimpses of San Francisco Bay Area "casual commuters" being themselves as they are zippered into their daily commute. These thoughtful, entertaining character sketches are authentic microcosms of life, reflecting the drama, silliness, fun, sensuality and pathos at the brief intersections of our shared journey in Casual Carpools, on buses and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). You may see yourself or someone you know in these chance encounters and realize that we are all in the same boat, er car!

REVIEWS

"What a great read. ´The Casual Commuter´ brought back memories of those interesting and funny trips to San Francisco." ~ Maureen Slavin

"What a wonderfully colorful collection about San Francisco Bay Area commuters. All this time I´ve feared sharing a car with strangers. Now, I realize what a uniquely Bay Area experience I´ve been missing." ~ Carol Northrup

"As a casual carpool driver, I found ´The Casual Commuter´a satisfying romp through the characters we often meet in the daily casual ride to ´the City.´ Semones covers the nuances of carpool etiquette and makes us laugh and shake our heads with wonder at her thoughtful, compassionate glimpses of the people behind the paper or earphones in our cars. The more stories I read, the more I wondered which character I was most like and the more I felt an overwhelming desire to wash my car before Monday morning rolls around again!" ~ Marady Hill

About the Author

Vicky M. Semones was a “casual commuter’. While working in San Francisco, she commuted via that unique Bay Area informal transit system called the Casual Carpool, as well as AC Transit buses and BART from eight different addresses in five cities, on a personal odyssey over 25 years through four Bay Area Counties. Whew!

A poet, writer and photographer, she resides with her partner, Cindie, in the Oakland hills, and now commutes daily from the kitchen to her study, accompanied by their kitty, Bella. They watch deer, wild turkey, raccoon and hawk wander by on their daily commutes.

Vicky’s poetry appears in regional and national anthologies. Her stories have appeared in West Coast newspapers, and her photography has received recognition in international publications.