KELLAMS: This is Ozarks at Large. It's Wednesday. We're going to go the other way. And our guide every Wednesday to go the other way is Becca Martin Brown. Becca, welcome back.
BROWN: Thank you. You know, I don't ever do anything normally, and that's how The Other Way became the name of my world.
KELLAMS: Before we get into this week's subject, anything new in your life lately?
BROWN: Well, you know, oddly enough, I went the other way and decided at this ripe old age — and if you think I'm telling you what that is, you don't know me very well — to get married.
KELLAMS: How was it? I mean, how is it?
BROWN: It was so much fun. This guy's been my partner — his name is Gordon — he's been my partner for over 12 years. We have four grandchildren together. We just decided, for some strange reason, to make it legal.
KELLAMS: If you're going to go the other way and make it legal, I can't think of a better place than where this happened.
BROWN: We went to Eureka Springs. Zeke Taylor officiated at the ceremony. We got married on Mary Springer’s patio, and then we walked across the street to Emilio’s and ate Italian food.
KELLAMS: Wise move, wise move. All right. Well, congratulations.
BROWN: I'm not changing my name because I did that, and it's too complicated.
KELLAMS: Plus, you know the problems I have remembering things. I can't do something one way for a long time and then change.
BROWN: Besides which, he's gotten kind of used to being called Mr. Brown over the years. Not thrilled with it, but kind of used to it.
KELLAMS: I got you.
BROWN: So we're just going to rock on.
KELLAMS: Very good. What are we talking about The Other Way this week?
BROWN: Well, you will see me if you come to this event with a name tag that says Becca Spencer. Because my sweet boss at the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville said, “You can have that name on your name tag,” and I will be wearing that name tag for the next four free storytime sessions that resume Sept. 27.
KELLAMS: Storytime sessions at the Museum of Native American History — they're just that right, storytimes.
BROWN: They’re storytimes, and they're so much fun. I love getting to be a storyteller, you know that's kind of what I do, and getting to do these stories with kids. We have kids from babies up to 8 years old. We have one baby that's been coming ever since she was born, and her parents plan to keep bringing her so this is something she remembers growing up.
The stories are always based in Indigenous culture. This time, Sept. 27, the story is called Just Like Grandma by an author named Kim Rogers. And in this picture book, the main character's name is Becca.
She works with her grandmother beading moccasins and dances with her and practices basketball with her because she knows she wants to grow up to be just like Grandma. And this book is the winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award, which many of our listeners will immediately know who that is.
KELLAMS: Yes, indeed. Speaking of Eureka.
BROWN: Yes. And speaking of Crescent Dragonwagon. That was her mama. So, cool book.
Oct. 25 is a book that I absolutely love called Don't Eat Me, Chupacabra!
KELLAMS: That's right up your alley.
BROWN: Well, it turns out that little Chupacabra is a picky eater who only wants one thing to eat — goats. And this is a big problem if you happen to be a goat.
KELLAM: Yeah it is.
BROWN: So it's set in Puerto Rico, and a friend of mine from Arkansas Public Theatre is going to come and do the Spanish part of it.
Nov. 29 is Rock Your Mocks. If we all live through all of the beginnings of the holidays. It's a tribute to Rock Your Mocks Day, which is observed every year on Nov. 15 to celebrate the joy of wearing moccasins and the Native pride that comes with them. So it's a perfect book for Native Heritage Month.
And Dec. 27 is a gorgeous book called Winter’s Gift by Kaitlin Curtice, and it's about an Indigenous girl who finds awe in the resting and the waiting that winter teaches us.
The books are always gorgeous. Our museum store manager, Elena Littlefeather, makes beautiful choices for the books.
KELLAMS: I've got a couple of questions. Are the books then available? Like, let's say someone goes and hears this book and says, “Oh, I've got to have this for home.” Would they be able to buy a copy that day?
BROWN: They can. They are available at the museum store. We start storytime at 10a.m. in the event center that's adjacent to the museum, and then we open the museum at 11a.m. You can come straight from storytime and the craft and then come over to the museum if you've never seen it. Or, if you love it and want to see it again. Pick your book up in the museum store. Meet Tusker, the woolly mammoth — who's my favorite person that you're not married to.
This is like the dream job. You work with a woolly mammoth and get to do storytelling. What more could you want?
KELLAMS: Not much, not much. And these are free, right?
BROWN: Anyone can show. These are free: everything. The museum admission is always free. Storytime and the craft are always free, and we'd love to have you. This is like my regular performance gig.
KELLAMS: There's no preregistration, you can just show up?
BROWN: You can preregister, and it helps us because then we know that we have enough craft supplies.
The craft for the first one is going to be making a little leather shawl that you can take home and put on your action figures, or your stuffed animals,
KELLAMS: Or your woolly mammoth.
BROWN: Or, your woolly mammoth. The woolly mammoth actually was the ring bearer at my wedding.
KELLAMS: How?
BROWN: We had a stuffed one with the rings tied on his tongue.
KELLAMS: Are there stuffed woolly mammoths at the museum store?
BROWN: You bet there are.
KELLAMS: I gotta get over there again. It's been a while.
BROWN: I also have a hand-crocheted Sasquatch, just in case you need that.
KELLAMS: And I have some inside information that we're going to be talking about Fort Smith and Joplin in the next few weeks.
BROWN: Things have been a little rocky for Joplin Little Theatre, but they've got it all sorted out and they're going to open Grease in a couple of weeks.
Fort Smith Little Theatre is doing one of my favorite shows, Wait Until Dark, and then we're going to talk about the next Northwest Arkansas Audio Theater show, which is An Evening with Sherlock Holmes.
KELLAMS: I look forward to all of those conversations. I always look forward to talking to you. Happy wedding bliss, and we'll talk again next Wednesday.
BROWN: As a dear friend of mine has always said, wishing you the joy of each other.
KELLAMS: I like that. Thank you, Becca.
BROWN: Thank you, Kyle.
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