Bailey Brown believes in making change in the world in the workplace, in government, on the street, and on the stage. What change, exactly? "Just the dismantling of the heteronormative, capitalist, white, colonialist power structure," she said. She graduated from MSUB in 2016, having studied sociology and criminal justice.
When not gardening, crocheting, or caring for her two children, Brown enjoys lecturing strangers on feminist politics. She used make flutes out of paper towel rolls. "It neither looks good or works just like most of my handy work."
Her day job at a group home puts her in contact with those most in need of direct assistance: women who are seeking long-term drug treatment and attempting to regain custody of their children from the state.
Of the platitude, "Good artists copy. Great artists steal," Brown said, "Great artists take an existing conversation that is taking place across time and space and add something to the conversation. Good artists just replicate and leave the conversation where it is.
When asked to describe a surprise when she was happily timed, she replied, "When my husband asked me to marry him under the Milky Way at Standing Rock."
As for her ideal blind date: "I’ve never dated a dead guy before but I have dated a lot of men who are dead inside so probably just the usual, take him to The Rainbow so no one will notice he’s a rotting corpse and just see where things go."
Her spoken word piece, Breastfeeding Riot, is an act of rebellion focusing on "the way capitalism and the patriarchy influence cultural attitudes towards breastfeeding."
She is inspired by selenite (a variety of gypsum) and squash (unclear: either the racquet sport or variety of gourd).
Catch Brown in performance with musician Edward Longo at the Dreyfest Poetry Jam starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Craft Local, 2413 Montana Ave.
