About the Book

Fair Street traces a life shaped by exchange, trust, and long-term collaboration. What began as a small-town understanding of resourcefulness and creative trade evolved into a decade-long partnership with artists in northern Tanzania, ultimately leading to the founding of Voice of Maasai.

 

Designed as a graphically rich memoir, the book weaves narrative, photography, and visual elements throughout—creating a reading experience intended to be held and revisited.

 

About Jessey Jansen

Jessey Jansen is a creative entrepreneur and founder of Voice of Maasai, an independent music label developed through long-term collaboration with Tanzanian artists. She built a career in brand development and creative direction before launching a platform that now represents over forty-five artists. Her work has been recognized by Graphic Design USA and the Blue Whiskey International Film Festival, along with art residencies across the United States and Africa. She divides her time between Seattle and Austin while leading production and long-term strategy for the label’s continued growth.

 

Fair Street is her first book.

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Story Angles

• Building a music label through long-term collaboration in Tanzania

• Creative entrepreneurship without institutional backing

• Cross-cultural collaboration beyond extractive models

• The discipline of sustaining creative work over time

• Women-led creative leadership in global contexts​

• Music as a platform for cultural exchange and shared authorship​

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Selected Features & Early Response

• Featured on local author shelf at Book People in Austin

• Featured in Women in Music 

• Early reader responses highlight the book’s reflection on creativity, collaboration, and long-term work

• International readership emerging, including early distribution in Germany

 

Book Details

Title: Fair Street: My Road to Voice of Maasai
Author: Jessey Jansen
Format: Paperback/Hardback/Ebook
Availability: Available online via major retailers and direct from author

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Media Assests

• Author Headshots

• Book Cover Images

• Interior and lifestyle images

• Short and long descriptions

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Download Press Sheet

Link to Google Drive Assets

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Author Bios

Short Bio (50 words)

Jessey Jansen is a writer and founder of Voice of Maasai, a music label built through long-term collaboration with artists in Tanzania. Her work explores creative entrepreneurship, cross-cultural collaboration, and the discipline of sustaining meaningful projects over time.

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Medium Bio (100 words)

Jessey Jansen is a writer, visual artist, and founder of Voice of Maasai, an independent music label developed through long-term collaboration with Tanzanian artists. With a background in creative direction and brand development, her work focuses on building systems rooted in trust, equity, and long-term partnership. She divides her time between Austin and Seattle while continuing work in Tanzania. Her memoir, Fair Street, reflects on the process of building creative work across cultures and the realities of sustaining it over time.

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Long Bio (Expanded)

Jessey Jansen is a writer, visual artist, and founder of Voice of Maasai, an independent music label built through long-term collaboration with Tanzanian artists. Raised in small-town Wisconsin, she developed an early understanding of resourcefulness, exchange, and creative independence—principles that later shaped her work across cultures.

 

With a background in creative direction and brand development, she has spent over a decade building projects that connect artists, communities, and audiences across continents. Voice of Maasai represents over forty-five artists and focuses on sustainable collaboration rather than extractive production models.

 

She divides her time between Austin and Seattle while continuing work in Tanzania. Fair Street is her first book.

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