M.L. shares a memorial poem of grief. M.L. Smoker performs "Equilibrium, in Memory of Eric Levi Big Leggins" during the "Living Nations, Living Words" show at the 38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
M.L. Smoker
Helena, MT
M.L. Smoker, a member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Nations, hails from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. She feels most rooted on Tabexa Wakpa (Frog Creek) where her family makes their home. A former Montana Poet Laureate, M.L. is also an educator and education advocate who works toward better outcomes for Native American youth. She served almost a decade as Montana state’s director of Indian education and was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education by President Obama. A contributor to Joy Harjo’s Living Nations, Living Words project, M.L. is also an Emmy-winning film consultant for her work on the PBS documentary Indian Relay, recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, co-author of the children’s graphic novel Thunderous, and author of the poetry collection Another Attempt at Rescue.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Western Folklife Center’s G Three Bar Theater in Elko, Nevada on Feb. 3, 2023.

Made possible by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org

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