Join us to hear Larry Spotted Crow Mann, Award-Winning Author, Playwright, Musician, Cultural Editor, Storyteller & Citizen of the Nupmuc Tribe of Msssachusetts.
All are welcome. Free to attend. This program is funded in part by Emerson Health's Community Benefit Grant.
Larry Spotted Crow Mann is a multi-talented Indigenous artist with a career that spans over three decades. In 2021, Mann was the first recipient of the Indigenous Peoples Award from the NAACP in Massachusetts for his lifetime commitment to social justice and sharing the culture and music of his Tribe.
Educating, sharing and being a voice for social change has been at the heart of his journey. His work and passion have been fueled by many of the painful experiences he has endured growing up as a Native child in an urban environment. Interwoven in his story is how he overcame addiction at the age of 21. Many of his early teachings came from his grandfather, who helped him on the path to healing. Mann’s music, traditional stories and books are always accompanied by important history and the living presence of Indigenous people today.
Mann has harnessed his experiences to educate and pass on ways Native youth can find pathways to healing and a better life. Mann’s writings, music and cultural sharing have taken him to many parts of the world to help bring awareness and connect people, who also share in the passion and commitment to make our world a better place. One of the things Mann emphasizes to the young and old alike: You do not need to drink or do drugs to have a good time. He wants his life to be an example to Native youth of what can be accomplished when we take care of our body, mind and spirit.
Today, Mann, who has been sober for over 30 years, is a nationally acclaimed author and an award-winning writer, poet, cultural educator, traditional storyteller and tribal musician centered around the intersection of cultural and environmental awareness, spirituality and youth sobriety in the Indigenous community. In 2021, he became the first Native American person to perform the opening honor song for the Boston Marathon.