Ace Backwords is a homeless writer and artist who lives in Berkeley, California. You can find more writing on his blogs.
Ace Backwords
Staying warm and dry 101
As the weather changes, some tips for staying warm and dry on the street.
Remembering street musician Anthony Bledsoe
Bledsoe, a talented street musician who was well known amongst the 1990s Telegraph Ave street scene, died in 2021.
Staying warm and dry 101
Some things to keep in mind about how to stay warm and dry during the winter months.
Staying dry during the first rains of the season
Ace Backwords reflects on the struggle of trying to stay dry in the rain while sleeping outside.
Celebrating Halloween indoors
Ace Backwords celebrates Halloween indoors after years on the street.
Familiar strangers: One of the many funny things about city life
Recently, my friend, the artist John H. Seabury, was talking on his Facebook page about this guy he’s seen for
The death anniversary of Hate Man, ‘American philosopher’
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Hate Man croaked in 2017. But his effect lives on.
The ‘secret homeless’
Generally I like to think of myself as the “secret homeless"—you would walk right by me and never guess I was homeless.
The final days of Jerkle, the wild turkey of the Berkeley hills
I had a poignant moment at my campsite this morning. Involving those goddamn wild turkeys, believe it or not. My hated enemies. But as much of a nemesis and a pain in the ass they can be, I realized there was a bond there.
Late night on the Berkeley campus in the time of COVID-19
When the Berkeley campus first went into lockdown, it was great for me. Because I had the whole campus to myself. But gradually, more and more people realized there was this big expanse of unoccupied green space right in the middle of the city. So more and more people are hanging out here every day.
A strange young woman appears on the Arcata street scene
The street scene is like watching a movie. Except you only get the middle act of the movie. You don’t get the first act or the third act. You don’t know their life story—what led up to them being the people that they are. And you almost never find out how their lives turned out.
Twisted image
Each month, Street Spirit publishes excerpts from Ace Backword's comic strip, Twisted Image, originally published in the '80s and '90s.
The day I lost my campsite
Everything is in a state of chaos and complete upheaval at my campsite in the Berkeley hills. They’re doing a
Life is all a pose
Life is all a pose in a way. And I don’t mean that in a fake way. We all have
Rainstorm ritual: checking my secret stash spots
One of my post-rainstorm rituals is, I go around to all my stash spots to make sure all my stuff
Thanksgiving on Telegraph Avenue
I always get this weird flashback when I’m walking down Telegraph Avenue on Thanksgiving day. Back in the Good Old Days I used to always meet up with my pals Duncan and Vince at this Telegraph Avenue coffee shop every Thanksgiving. Joint called the Wall Berlin. The Wall Berlin was one of the few coffee shops that was open on Thanksgiving. So it became kind of an annual holiday tradition for the three of us. I can still picture us sitting there at our table outside the café, quietly sipping on our coffee and talking about our plans for the holiday.
First rain of the season
The first real rain of the season was last night and I got totally soaked. My impression was that the rain wasn’t gonna start until later in the morning. My impression was wrong.
The Ghosts of Berkeley past
The town of Berkeley is full of so many ghosts for me. This building on the corner of Shattuck and University is one of these ghosts. In 1986 it was the office of the Daily Californian, the campus newspaper. And every semester the staff voted on what comic strips they’d run for the semester. In 1986 I won the election. And it turned out to be a big break for me.
Stop cutting down our trees
I counted about 18 trees left at the top of People’s Park after the University chopped down 42 trees in