E.g. bailey

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e.g. bailey is a Liberian American, multidisciplinary artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in Saclepea, Liberia, he grew up in Illinois before attending Notre Dame University. Arriving in Minneapolis in 1993, he became active in the artistic community there and established himself as one of the leading spoken word artists, while also actively working in theatre, radio and as a producer.

He was a founding member of Sirius B, a black male performance collective developed in the Twin Cities in the mid-90s, fostered by the Walker Art Center, Pillsbury House Theater and Intermedia Arts. Sirisu B worked with the Hittite Empire, led by Keith Antar Mason, to develop the theatre work, Punic Wars. As an actor and writer for the collective, he co-wrote and performed in monday morning body count, a performance work dealing with the high rate of homicide in Minneapolis.

He was a founding member of Arkology, a spoken word and music collective, that was part of the spoken word movement in Minnesota in the late 90s. At the time, he also co-produced and engineered the first spoken word radio show in Minnesota, Write On RaDio!, along with J. Otis Powell! and Lisa Bullard, on KFAI radio station. The radio show received a NFCB (National Federation of Community Broadcasters) award.

In 1999, after studying the genres of spoken word films and fictionalized documentaries, he co-directed and co-produced, with Ayesha Adu, the spoken word film, village blues. The film won awards in experimental film at the Worldstaff Houston International Festival (1999) and the Sarah Lawrence Film Festival (2001).

He was commissioned by Pangea World Theatre to adapt Chinua Achebe's novel No Longer at Ease to the stage, which was produced in May 2001.

In 2000, he cofounded, along with Shá Cage and Leah Nelson, the MN Spoken Word Association (MNSWA), the resource organization dedicated to poets and spoken word artists, which aims to elevate community through the art form of spoken word. He also cofounded and co-produced, Singers of Daybreak, the first spoken conference, which has featured the Last Poets, Carl Hancock Rux, Taalam Acey, Atmosphere and many others.

For over 7 years, he has produced the National Poetry Month spoken word radio series, Words Will Heal the Wound, which celebrates the diverse poetic traditions in Minnesota. The series has included poets, writers, spoken word and hip hop artists including J. Otis Powell!, Truthmaze, Shá Cage, Arkology, Bao Phi, Slug (of Atmosphere), Zell Miller III, Desdamona, Wookiefoot, Carei Thomas, Denizen Kane, Sarah Fox, Isabel Monk, Sister Mimi, David Mura, Laurie Carlos, and many others.

In 1997, he founded the first spoken word record label in Minnesota, Speakeasy Records. The label eventually grew into the artistic enterprise, Trú Rúts Endeavors, which has produced numerous projects in the Twin Cities. The label, now christianed Tru Ruts/Speakeasy Records, has released four albums including Expansions + Contractions (Psoems 1:1), the debut solo album of legendary Minnesota hip hop artist, Truthmaze. Other releases include The Evidence of Silence Broken (version poetic) by Austin-based spoken word artist Zell Miller III; Nazirah's Playhouse, by poet and playwright Nazirah P. Mickey, and Words Will Heal the Wound (Volume 1), the first spoken word compilation of Minnesota.

In 1999, he created the experimental spoken word collective, god's pager, grounded in experimentation and improvisation. It often improvises live and in the studio, with musicians and poets that are performing together for the first time. It tries to capture the spirit of the Beat Generation. heavy water blues, celebrating the work of Beat poet Bob Kaufman, was released by god's pager in 1999. The collective has featured a number for musicians and poets including Lebanese guitarist, Assad Lakkis; electronic musician, Tim Donahue; hip hop artist, Truthmaze; poet Shá Cage; DJ Withope, of Diagram of Truth; guitarist Ryan Chermak; dj hipgnosis; and others.