{{Short description|American writer, editor, and journalist}} {{Infobox person | image = | caption = Bailey (at age 3) being carried to safety by a National Guardsman in the aftermath of UAL 232 | name = Spencer Bailey | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|08|18}} | birth_place = Denver, Colorado | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Dickinson College, <br> Columbia University | occupation = Writer, editor, journalist, podcast host | known for = | spouse = Emma Bowen (m. 2023)<ref name="Two months to the day since we got married in Brooklyn">{{cite news |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C2QLUWQOHNJ/?img_index=1 |work=Instagram |title=Two months to the day...|date=January 18, 2024 |accessdate=January 24, 2024}}</ref>}}
'''Spencer Bailey''' (born August 18, 1985) is an American writer, editor, journalist, podcast host, cultural commentator, and entrepreneur. He has written at length about architecture, art, culture, and design, among other subjects.<ref name="Spencer Bailey">{{cite news |url= http://www.spencerbailey.com/ |work=spencerbailey.com |title=Spencer Bailey |date=July 7, 2017 |accessdate=July 7, 2017}}</ref>
==Early life== Bailey was born and raised in Denver, Colorado.<ref name="IN DIALOGUE // SPENCER BAILEY & TRENT DAVIS BAILEY">{{cite web|title=IN DIALOGUE // SPENCER BAILEY & TRENT DAVIS BAILEY|url=https://www.in-dialogue.co/interviews/spencer-bailey-trent-davis-bailey}}</ref>
===United Airlines Flight 232=== {{Main|United Airlines Flight 232}} On July 19, 1989, a month before his fourth birthday, Bailey survived the crash landing of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa.<ref name="20 year memorial">{{cite web|title=Flight 232: Snapshots of tragedy and triumph|url=http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10747976|accessdate=30 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516091011/http://www.ktiv.com/story/10747976/flight-232-snapshots-of-tragedy-and-triumph|archive-date=May 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> His brother Brandon also survived, but their mother, Frances, was one of the 112 passengers who died.<ref name="20 year memorial"/> Bailey was in a five-day coma following the crash, and he has said he has no memory of the event.<ref name="Plane Crash Survivor Spencer Bailey Was...">{{cite web|title=3-Year-Old Survived Infamous Plane Crash as Mom Shielded Him and Brother: 'We Were the Last Thing She Was Holding Onto'|url=https://people.com/plane-crash-survivor-spencer-bailey-rare-interview-about-aftermath-of-a-miracle-11756306|accessdate=7 February 2026}}</ref> Bailey's twin brother, Trent, and their father, Brownell, were not on the plane.<ref name="Spencer Bailey, alive and well and ... a journalist, of course">{{cite web|title=Spencer Bailey, alive and well and ... a journalist, of course|url=http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/spencer-bailey-alive-and-well-and-a-journalist-of-course/article_c7aee867-721c-5747-953f-1c9521c7179e.html|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref>
Bailey is the subject of a famous photograph by Gary Anderson showing Lt. Colonel Dennis Nielsen carrying him to safety.<ref name="20 year memorial"/> A statue based on the picture is part of the Flight 232 Memorial in Sioux City's riverfront development.<ref>[http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=2db75850-82d2-4f7d-99cf-c798406f8727 Flight 232 Memorial and Statue – Sioux City, IA].</ref>
==Education== Bailey graduated from Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut, in 2004. He received a B.A. in English from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 2008 and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2010.<ref name="LinkedIn">{{cite web|title=Spencer Bailey LinkedIn|url=http://www.linkedin.com/in/spencercbailey}}</ref> He wrote his Dickinson College thesis about Philip Larkin as a jazz poet.<ref name="Slow Words">{{cite web|title=Spencer Bailey, editor, New York|url=https://www.slow-words.com/spencer-bailey-editor-new-york/}}</ref>
In 2009, he was a student in a fiction-writing seminar taught by Gordon Lish.<ref name="IN DIALOGUE // SPENCER BAILEY & TRENT DAVIS BAILEY" /> He has credited the Lish workshop as "central to my journey as a writer and editor."<ref name="The Slowdown May 9, 2026, Newsletter">{{cite web|title=Open Minds|url=https://www.slowdown.media/newsletter/open-minds}}</ref>
==Career== ===2009–2010: Early work=== In 2009 and 2010, Bailey interned in the editorial departments at ''Esquire'' and ''Vanity Fair''.<ref name="LinkedIn"/>
===2010–2014: ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', ''The New York Times Magazine''=== From 2010 to 2013, Bailey was a frequent contributor to ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', and from 2011 to 2014, ''The New York Times Magazine''.<ref name="LinkedIn"/>
Reporting for ''The New York Times Magazine'', in October 2011, he spent a night at Zucotti Park and a nearby McDonald's during the Occupy Wall Street movement.<ref name="Occupying McDonald's, About 4:30 A.M., Near Zuccotti Park, New York">{{cite web|title=Occupying McDonald's, About 4:30 A.M., Near Zuccotti Park, New York| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/23/magazine/mag-23-wtwt.html?mcubz=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=169. Spencer Bailey {{!}} Scratching the Surface|url=https://scratchingthesurface.fm/169-spencer-bailey|access-date=2021-01-07|website=scratchingthesurface.fm}}</ref> Over the next three years, he interviewed authors, celebrities, politicians, and cultural figures such as Tony Hawk,<ref name="How to Take a Risk">{{cite web|title=How to Take a Risk| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/23/magazine/one-page-magazine.html?mcubz=2}}</ref> Rodney King,<ref name="How to Find Inner Peace">{{cite web|title=How to Find Inner Peace| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/22/magazine/the-one-page-magazine.html?mcubz=2}}</ref> Cyndi Lauper,<ref name="How to Stay Famous">{{cite web|title=How to Stay Famous| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/09/09/magazine/the-one-page-magazine.html?mcubz=2}}</ref> Yoko Ono,<ref name="How to Tell Your Own Story">{{cite web|title=How to Tell Your Own Story| website=The New York Times |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/19/magazine/the-one-page-magazine.html}}</ref> and Al Sharpton<ref name="How to Give a Speech">{{cite web|title=How to Give a Speech| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/13/magazine/mag-13OPM.html?mcubz=2}}</ref> for a "How to ..." column.<ref name="Spencer Bailey"/> Bailey's interview with Rodney King was one of King's last before his fiancée found him dead at the bottom of a swimming pool.<ref name = "What Rodney King Said During One of His Final Interviews">{{cite news |url=https://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/what-rodney-king-said-during-one-of-his-final-interviews/?mcubz=2|work=spencerbailey.com |title=What Rodney King Said During One of His Final Interviews |publisher=nytimes.com |date=July 18, 2012 |accessdate=July 8, 2017}}</ref>
===2010–2018: Surface Media=== From May to August 2010, Bailey worked at The Daily Beast, and in September 2010 he was hired as assistant editor at ''Surface'' magazine.<ref name="LinkedIn"/>
In 2013, at age 27, Bailey became the editor-in-chief of ''Surface''.<ref name ="Slow and Steady: An Interview with The Slowdown’s Spencer Bailey">{{Cite news |last=Burrichter|first=Felix|date=2025-07-23|title=Slow and Steady: An Interview with The Slowdown’s Spencer Bailey|work=PIN-UP|url=https://www.pinupmagazine.org/articles/spencer-bailey-interview|access-date=2025-07-31}}</ref><ref name="LinkedIn"/> At ''Surface'', he interviewed hundreds of leading architects, artists, designers, and cultural figures, including Tadao Ando,<ref name ="The Eternal Tadao Ando">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/tadao-ando/ |title=The Eternal Tadao Ando |publisher=Surface |date=February 1, 2015 |accessdate=July 7, 2017}}</ref> Frank Gehry,<ref name ="Frank Gehry Is Still Building His Legacy">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/20151112with-nothing-left-to-prove-frank-gehry-continues-to-reconstruct-the-world-nonchalantly/ |title=Frank Gehry Is Still Building His Legacy |publisher=Surface |date=November 2, 2015 |accessdate=June 12, 2025}}</ref> Zaha Hadid,<ref name = "Legends: Zaha Hadid">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/legends-zaha-hadid/ |work=Article |title=Legends: Zaha Hadid |publisher=Surface |date=March 31, 2016 |accessdate=July 7, 2017}}</ref> Renzo Piano,<ref name = "Renzo Piano">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/renzo-piano |title=Renzo Piano |publisher=Surface |date=September 17, 2014 |accessdate=April 7, 2024}}</ref> Ian Schrager,<ref name = "Ian Schrager's Massive Appeal">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/hospitality-design-ian-schrager-massive-appeal/ |title=Ian Schrager's Massive Appeal |publisher=Surface |date=June 7, 2017 |accessdate=July 7, 2017}}</ref> and Kanye West,<ref name = "Kanye West: Free Form">{{cite news |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/philippe-starck-beer-cassina-haworth/ |title=Kanye West: Free Form |publisher=Surface |date=November 20, 2016 |accessdate=July 7, 2017}}</ref> and created the Design Dialogues conversation series.<ref name="Design Dialogues No. 2">{{cite web|title=Design Dialogues No. 2|date=August 2013 |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/design-dialogues-2/|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref> Bailey's interview with West, published in the December 2016/January 2017 issue, was covered internationally. Billboard called it "thoughtful."<ref name="Watch Kanye West's Thoughtful Interview on the Music Industry, Emojis & Design With 'Surface' Magazine">{{cite magazine|title=Watch Kanye West's Thoughtful Interview on the Music Industry, Emojis & Design With 'Surface' Magazine|magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kanye-west-surface-magazine-interview-7581657/}}</ref>
In 2017, Bailey was named the editorial director of Surface Media.<ref name="Surfaces Promotes Spencer Bailey">{{cite web|title=Surfaces Promotes Spencer Bailey|url=http://www.cision.com/us/2017/01/surfaces-promotes-spencer-bailey/}}</ref> In 2018, he announced he was leaving Surface Media.<ref name="Why I’m Leaving Surface Media After Eight Incredible Years">{{cite web|title=Why I'm Leaving Surface Media After Eight Incredible Years|date=24 November 2018 |url=https://medium.com/@bailspencer/why-im-leaving-surface-media-after-eight-incredible-years-3c325bfc50e0}}</ref><ref name="EXCLUSIVE: Surface Magazine Lands $2M in Seed Funding as EIC Departs">{{cite web|title=EXCLUSIVE: Surface Magazine Lands $2M in Seed Funding as EIC Departs|date=4 May 2018 |url=http://wwd.com/business-news/media/surface-magazine-lands-2-million-in-seed-funding-as-eic-departs-1202665116/}}</ref>
===2018–Present: The Slowdown=== In 2018, Bailey was named a contributing editor at ''Town & Country'', where he covers architecture and design,<ref name="Nina Garcia, Stellene Volandes Bulk Up Elle, Town & Country Mastheads">{{cite web|title=Nina Garcia, Stellene Volandes Bulk Up Elle, Town & Country Mastheads|date=17 July 2018 |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/media/nina-garcia-elle-stellene-volandes-town-country-hires-1202759561/}}</ref> and joined the book publisher Phaidon as editor-at-large.<ref name="Phaidon names Spencer Bailey as editor-at-larges">{{cite web|title=Phaidon names Spencer Bailey as editor-at-large|date=29 October 2018 |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/29/phaidon-spencer-bailey-editor-at-large-architecture-design-books/}}</ref>
In 2019, with Andrew Zuckerman, Bailey co-founded the media company The Slowdown,<ref name="The Slowdown">{{cite web|title=The Slowdown: Culture. Nature. Future.|url=http://www.slowdown.tv/about}}</ref> which produces the Time Sensitive podcast and an email newsletter, and operates an "editorial studio."<ref name="The Slowdown Newsletter Archive">{{cite web|title=Newsletter Archive|url=https://www.slowdown.media/newsletter/archive/}}</ref><ref name="Time Sensitive">{{cite web|title=Time Sensitive: A Podcast Featuring Leading Minds on Time|url=http://www.timesensitive.fm/}}</ref><ref name="The Slowdown Editorial Studio">{{cite web|title=Editorial Studio|url=https://www.slowdown.media/editorial-studio/}}</ref> In 2023, Bailey became the sole owner of the company.<ref name="Slow and Steady: An Interview with The Slowdown’s Spencer Bailey"/> Writing about The Slowdown in 2024, ''Galerie'' magazine noted, "At the heart of The Slowdown is founder Spencer Bailey’s desire to convey to his audience that time is our greatest luxury and also a treasured gift. Along the way he’s created a media ecosystem that emphasizes the speed at which we ingest information, as well as the importance of taking time to reflect."<ref name="How Spencer Bailey Is Leading the Charge to “Slow Down” the Media Landscape">{{cite web|title=How Spencer Bailey Is Leading the Charge to “Slow Down” the Media Landscape|url=https://galeriemagazine.com/spencer-bailey-the-slowdown}}</ref>
On Time Sensitive, Bailey interviews leading minds across culture, including artists, architects, chefs, journalists, musicians, poets, scientists, and writers, with guests including fashion designer Gabriela Hearst,<ref name="Gabriela Hearst on Why Making Things That Stand the Test of Time Matters">{{cite web|title=Gabriela Hearst on Why Making Things That Stand the Test of Time Matters|url=https://timesensitive.fm/episode/gabriela-hearst-fashion-designer-on-why-making-things-that-stand-the-test-of-time-matters}}</ref> author and translator Jhumpa Lahiri,<ref name="Jhumpa Lahiri on Translation as a Path to Self-Discovery">{{cite web|title=Jhumpa Lahiri on Translation as a Path to Self-Discovery|url=https://timesensitive.fm/episode/jhumpa-lahiri-on-translation-as-a-path-to-self-discovery}}</ref> poet and playwright Claudia Rankine,<ref name="Claudia Rankine on Confronting Whiteness Head-On Through Language">{{cite web|title=Claudia Rankine on Confronting Whiteness Head-On Through Language|url=https://timesensitive.fm/episode/claudia-rankine-on-confronting-whiteness-head-on-through-language}}</ref> architect John Pawson,<ref name="John Pawson on Minimalism as a Way of Life">{{cite web|title=John Pawson on Minimalism as a Way of Life|url=https://www.timesensitive.fm/episode/john-pawson-on-minimalism-as-a-way-of-life}}</ref> and artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.<ref name="Hiroshi Sugimoto on Photography as a Form of Timekeeping">{{cite web|title=Hiroshi Sugimoto on Photography as a Form of Timekeeping|url=https://www.timesensitive.fm/episode/hiroshi-sugimoto-on-photography-as-a-form-of-timekeeping}}</ref> From 2020 to 2023, The Slowdown also produced the At a Distance podcast, co-hosted by Bailey, which in 2021 was turned into a book, ''At a Distance: 100 Visionaries at Home in a Pandemic''<ref name="At a Distance Book">{{Cite web|last=Apartamento|title=At a Distance: 100 Visionaries at Home in a Pandemic|url=https://www.apartamentomagazine.com/product/at-a-distance/|website=Apartamento|language=en}}</ref>; guests on the show included Bill McKibben, Tatiana Schlossberg, Suzanne Simard, Rebecca Solnit, and Bessel van der Kolk.<ref name="At a Distance">{{cite web|title=At a Distance - Podcast|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-a-distance/id1504301339}}</ref>
In October 2020, Phaidon published Bailey’s book ''In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials'',<ref name="In Memory Of">{{Cite web|last=Phaidon|title=In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials|url=https://www.phaidon.com/store/architecture/in-memory-of-designing-contemporary-memorials-9781838661441/|access-date=2021-01-07|website=Phaidon|language=en}}</ref> which features more than 60 memorials commemorating some of the most destructive events of the 20th and 21st centuries, including war, genocide, massacre, terrorism, famine, and slavery. The book was named a Literary Hub "favorite book of the year"<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-12-07|title=Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year|url=https://lithub.com/our-65-favorite-books-of-the-year/|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Literary Hub|language=en-US}}</ref> and a ''Financial Times'' "best book of 2020."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Heathcote|first=Edwin|date=2020-11-19|title=Best books of 2020: Architecture and design|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/3b0bed97-ae97-44e3-ba5a-7e2a371ea907 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/wH8hK |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-26}}</ref>
In 2024, The Leading Hotels of the World announced that it had named Bailey as the editor-in-chief of a five-year, five-volume book series, with The Slowdown overseeing the editorial direction of the entire project.<ref name="Spencer Bailey Named Editor-in-Chief of a Five-Volume Book Series Celebrating The Leading Hotels of the World">{{cite web|title=Spencer Bailey Named Editor-in-Chief of a Five-Volume Book Series Celebrating The Leading Hotels of the World|url=https://www.slowdown.media/press/spencer-bailey-leading-hotels-of-the-world-press-release}}</ref>
== Bibliography ==
* ''Tham ma da: The Adventurous Interiors of Paola Navone'' (Pointed Leaf Press, 2016)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pointed Leaf Press |title=Tham ma da: The Adventurous Interiors of Paola Navone |url=https://pointedleafpress.com/order/tham-ma-da-the-adventurous-interiors-of-paola-navone |access-date=2021-12-20 |website=Pointed Leaf Press |language=en}}</ref> * ''In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials'' (Phaidon, 2020)<ref name="In Memory Of"/> * ''At a Distance: 100 Visionaries at Home in a Pandemic'' (Apartamento, 2021)<ref name="At a Distance Book"/> * ''Alchemy: The Material World of David Adjaye'' (Phaidon, 2023)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phaidon|title=Alchemy: The Material World of David Adjaye|url=https://www.phaidon.com/store/architecture/alchemy-the-material-world-of-david-adjaye-9781838663919|website=Phaidon|language=en}}</ref> * ''Design: The Leading Hotels of the World'' (Monacelli, 2024)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phaidon|title=Design: The Leading Hotels of the World|url=https://www.phaidon.com/monacelli/travel/design-the-leading-hotels-of-the-world-9781580936552/|website=Phaidon|language=en}}</ref> * ''Culture: The Leading Hotels of the World'' (Monacelli, 2025)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phaidon|title=Culture: The Leading Hotels of the World|url=https://www.phaidon.com/monacelli/travel/culture-the-leading-hotels-of-the-world-9781580936842/|website=Phaidon|language=en}}</ref> * ''Explore: The Leading Hotels of the World'' (Monacelli, 2026)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phaidon|title=Explore: The Leading Hotels of the World|url=https://www.phaidon.com/en-us/products/explore-the-leading-hotels-of-the-world/|website=Phaidon|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.spencerbailey.com/}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Spencer}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents Category:Pomfret School alumni Category:Dickinson College alumni Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Category:American architecture writers Category:American magazine editors