Brandy Collins

About Brandy Collins

Brandy Collins is a writer and public services advocate born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a 2019-2020 cohort graduate from Oakland Voices, a blogger, and the funny one in numerous group chats. She is concerned with civic engagement and leadership development toward making public works more efficient for the people. Brandy is full of Scorpio magic and self-proclaimed Professional Aunty. Follow her on Twitter @msbrandycollins or Instagram @story_soul_collecter. You can also subscribe to her Substack: https://brandyc.substack.com/

a large diverse group of actors of all ages stands in front of a sign that says "blindspotting:"

Q&A With Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs of “Blindspotting”

April 16, 2023 Brandy Collins

By now, we would hope the world recognizes that people from the Bay will take the home with us wherever we go. This is especially true for Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, the creators of

Two African American women wearing nice hats hold a wine glass and smile at an indoor spacious Black wine festival in Oakland

Black Vines Wine Festival Celebrates Black Vintners In Its 12th Year With a Sold Out Crowd

March 2, 2023 Brandy Collins

Although the Bay Area weekend forecast originally promised torrential storms, the skies cleared Saturday for the 12th annual Black Vines Festival, celebrating Black-owned wineries from across the world. The festival was founded in 2011 by

A Black woman wearing teal pants and black face mask stands in front of colorful vending machine, with a shorter woman wearing yellow t-shirt and glasses holding a sci-fi book she wrote

Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery Debuts Afrofuturism book vending machine

February 10, 2023 Brandy Collins

If you’re sitting in Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery, you can watch as people see a new book vending machine and approach it with curiosity. Some even take pictures of the machine. The Sistah Scifi Afrofuturism

visitors at an art installation looks at a 3D artwork on the wall

“Khamsa” Multimedia Project Gives Voice to Black, Muslim, Immigrant and Refugee Artists in Processing Grief

December 8, 2022 Brandy Collins

Guled Muse explains to me that as a Somali immigrant to the United States, hip-hop music was his window to understanding not only Black people, but what was going on in the inner cities. “[It

Nightlight marquee of historic movie theater with the words "

“Oakanda” Tour Celebrates Marvel’s ‘Wakanda Forever’ with a Tour of Oakland’s Historic Black History Sites

November 18, 2022 Brandy Collins

Late in the afternoon next to the Grand Lake Theater, a group of strangers piled into a van to have a one-of-a-kind, educational experience in The Town. Called the “Oakanda tour,” this specialized guided tour

A mixed race African American woman with curly brown hair wears olive green shirt and poses for photo

“Every Song on this Album is a Love Song of Some Kind:” Hip-Hop Artist Mystic Chats About New Album

October 20, 2022 Brandy Collins

Mandolyn “Mystic” Ludlum, a longtime Oakland resident and Bay Area native, released her first solo album 20 years ago. In August, she released her third solo album, titled “Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved

Offsides Production’s New Show “Normal Ain’t Normal” Co-produced by Oakland’s Josh Healey with Rosario Dawson

September 26, 2022 Brandy Collins

Across the cultural landscape, many new shows are creating storylines that either predate the pandemic or allude to the circumstances to normalize it. While some shows may include elements like face masks or talk about

Election 2022: Oakland District 4 residents say public safety is a top concern

September 13, 2022 Brandy Collins and Azucena Rasilla

This November, residents in District 4 will pick between the two candidates competing to be their new councilmember: Nenna Joiner and Janani Ramachandran. The D4 boundaries were redrawn by the city earlier this year. If you’re not

New “Artist As First Responder” Residencies focus on social, climate justice, and healing

August 4, 2022 Brandy Collins

Interdisciplinary independent curator artist Ashara Ekundayo stewards a myriad of artist residencies and fellowships she designed through her organization, Artist As First Responder (AAFR). Ekundayo has been creating spaces in Oakland that allow artists to

An African American director with a beanie chats with a tall man in a white tank top and with an Afro

How One Local Filmmaker Debuted First Film and Comic Book During Pandemic

July 15, 2022 Brandy Collins

Love Conquers All, a comic book and movie co-written by filmmakers Janell Grace and Malik Glass, is a story about Kennedy, a man reconciling his issues with trauma and grief after the passing of his