ASHE BAILEIGH AS A POET
What started as a way to explore her identity in high school is now one of Ashe’s biggest passions: poetry. Ashe believes in the radical power of words, and uses that power in poetry to craft throughlines that are honest, emotionally resonant, and unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths — all usually based on her own experiences, and the desire to help others understand them. Check out some of her recent projects below.
poetry as protest
Ashe recently had the honor of being selected as a “Woody Poet” for the 2025 Woody Guthrie Festival, where she got to perform her poem “1,019” for Oklahoma City at the Rodeo Cinema Stockyards. Her poem not only resonated with the audience, but was shared thousands of times by Oklahoma teachers, parents, and even representatives online. She is incredibly humbled by the overwhelming support this poignant and personal piece has received.
recent projects and publication
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This satirically-titled narrative essay was recently published in The Talon. Though not a poem, one might call it “poetic” in the way it digs deep into the emotional whiplash of the queer experience. Here, Ashe explores what it means to grow up as a queer student in the reddest state in the US, and then become a queer teacher in that same place. How do we navigate honesty in spaces where we’re taught that our identities are inappropriate? ClickHERE to purchase.
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This piece, written in the throws of sapphic heartbreak, is Ashe’s exploration of queer identity and the complex relationship that queer individuals often have with ego and self-worth. It was recently published in The Empire of Missed Chances - Vol. 3 Book of Young Myths. Click HERE to purchase.
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Pronounced “ten-nineteen,” this protest poem critically examines the reality of teaching in Oklahoma. This piece was recently featured at the Woody Guthrie Festival and received immense praise online from thousands of teachers, parents, and Oklahoma representatives. You can watch this piece performed live above, or you can read it HERE.
IVO REVIEW
POETRY EDITOR
Ashe is incredibly excited to expand her journey in poetry as she moves to work as the poetry editor for Oklahoma-based fledgling literary journal Ivo Review.
“Ivo of Kermartin was a parish priest in the Middle Ages who eventually became the patron saint of abandoned children and attorneys. At Ivo Review we are decidedly not a religious journal, but the idea of lifting the voices of those who need justice, those who have been abandoned, and of telling the stories that need to be told resonates with us in a very real way.”
Ivo Review is currently accepting short fiction, drama, visual art, and poetry submissions for their August 2025 issue “CONNECTIONS” and their October 2025 issue “LOST.”
