Christopher Largen

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Christopher Largen

Born June 18, 1969 (1969-06-18) (age 38)
Tarrant County,
Texas,
U.S. Flag of the United States
Occupation Author, Screenwriter, Public Speaker, Filmmaker
Nationality United States
Writing period 2001 - present
Genres Nonfiction, Satire, Expose, Documentary
Influences
Official website

Christopher Jon Largen (born June 18, 1969), better known as Christopher Largen, is a U.S. journalist, social satirist, public speaker and filmmaker, best known for his iconoclastic criticism of prohibition policies, and his efforts against child abuse.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Christopher Jon Largen was born in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, and grew up in several cities throughout the United States, including Austin, Houston, Des Moines, Chicago, St. Louis, and New York City. He attended Professional Youth Conservatory in Fort Worth, Texas, a private performing arts school located on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University. He was subsequently awarded a full drama scholarship at Texas Wesleyan University, which he declined in order to pursue interdisciplinary studies at University of North Texas in Denton. Before and since making his literary debut, he spent years as a personal caregiver for people with physical, psychiatric, and developmental disabilities.

Largen is the youngest user of therapeutic cannabis on record in the United States, having first used it when he was two years old, to treat symptoms related to severe hyperactivity. Following years of silence regarding his personal theraputic use, in 2003 Largen began sharing his story with journalists, clinicians, and the general public.

In 2003 Largen co-authored (with federal medical marijuana patient George McMahon) of Prescription Pot, a non-fiction expose of the U.S. Government's secretive medical marijuana program, published by New Horizon Press. During the authoring of this book, Largen travelled the United States with McMahon, in an effort to educate doctors and legislators about the therapeutic value of the Cannabis plant.

In 2005 Largen authored the prohibition satire Junk, published by ENC Press, about a war on junk food.

Largen's writing has been featured in hundreds of news outlets and literary journals, including: Village Voice, Nashville Scene, High Times, The Hill, Cannabis Culture, Fort Worth Weekly, and LA Weekly.

Largen is a survivor of child abuse and child pornography, and is a founder of Building-BLOCK (Better Lives for Our Communities and Kids), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing and preventing child abuse, improving public safety, and exposing legal injustices. Building-BLOCK was featured in a syndicated column by Washington Post writer Neal Pierce in 2006.

In 2007, Largen produced and directed "The Burning of Fry Street", a documentary about a community rebelling against corporate demolition of art and culture, which won the Jury Award at Thin Line Film Festival and is included in the 2008 DVD compilation, "Bohemia Rising: The Story of Fry Street". It chronicles the demonstrations and arson of The Tomato Pizza in Denton, Texas.

Largen is married to Jennifer Bain, a high-profile survivor of child abuse and dedicated child welfare activist, in 2000. They have two children, Caleb and Liberty, both of whom Largen delivered with his own hands.

[edit] Bibliography

Prescription Pot: A Leading Advocate's Heroic Battle to Legalize Medical Marijuana, Junk, Opposing Viewpoints: Marijuana. Junk has been adapted to screenplay.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[edit] Literary reviews and criticism

Persondata
NAME Largen, Christopher
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Author, Filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH 18 June 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Tarrant County, Texas, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH