Mark Tilsen

Mark Tilsen Jr. is an Oglala Lakota poet and educator from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He comes from activist families long steeped in the struggle for liberation for all people and the long-term survival of the Lakota Nation. Before moving to Louisiana to fight the southern leg of the Dakota Access Pipeline at the L’eau est La Vie Camp, Mark spent months at Standing Rock where he led non-violent direct action training for water protectors. Mark is the author of It Ain't Over Until We're Smoking Cigars On The Drill Pad, his book of poetry that explores his time at Standing Rock.