Ramsey Beyer is a zine writer, illustrator and all around maker (she took the photos used in the video) who lives in Chicago. She was involved in organizing the Chicago Zine Fest in March and helps compile the monthly Chicago DIY calendar and she works as a nanny.
I had crossed paths with Ramsey a couple of time over the years. Years ago, I stayed at her house in Baltimore while on tour with a band. When I moved to Chicago, I found out that she happened to be the nanny for the woman whose job I was taking over. A few months ago, I found that she had written an essay that was published in the same zine about children and radical communities as my roommate.
The essay is pretty amazing and describes a really unique relationship that Ramsey and her housemates had with the kids in their Baltimore neighborhood. Moving to Chicago with kids, I had been thinking a lot about kids, childcare and punk. This week, I finally got to sit down with Ramsey and talk with her about her essay and the changing role of kids in her life in Baltimore and Chicago and as a neighbor and nanny.
Check out Ramsey’s essay, “New Kids on the Block” below: