Chris Grosso

Chris Grosso (born June 3, 1978) is an American author, public speaker, documentarian, and podcaster.
Biography
Grosso was born in Damariscotta, Maine in 1978. His family moved to Milford, Connecticut in 1980, where Grosso spent the majority of his childhood before moving to East Haddam, Connecticut in 1989.
His 2018 book release, Dead Set On Living, landed the #7 spot on Book Authority's 58 Best Drug Addiction Books of All Time list..
As a teenager, Grosso became enamored with the music of the early to mid-1990s punk, hardcore, and underground hip hop groups. After receiving his first bass guitar and amplifier from his parents for Christmas in 1992, Grosso began playing in several local bands and eventually became a member of groups that released albums on various independent labels. He spent time touring with an array of bands including Three Ways Till Tuesday, Groundzero, Wrench in the Works, The Phoenix Society, Womb of the Desert Sun.
Grosso’s introduction to punk/hardcore was his first experience in looking for something on a deeper level than he had yet known. This would serve him well later in life, when, in 2004, one of his college professors gave him Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now to read. It was Grosso’s first introduction to spirituality. After reading The Power Of Now consecutively three times cover-to-cover, he made his local library, Russell Library in Middletown, CT, his second home, devouring the writings of spiritual teachers as well as engulfing classic spiritual texts. Grosso also quickly developed a penchant for quantum physics and the intersection of that and spiritual teachings.
In 2010, based on his interest in spirituality and all things countercultural, Grosso created The Indie Spiritualist website. The premise of the Indie Spiritualist is to feature interviews with diverse spiritual teachers, musicians, skateboarders, actors, and directors, as well as featuring some of Grosso’s own personal writing. Over the years, the Indie Spiritualist has featured interviews with actor Danny Trejo, comedians Lisa Lampinelli and Demetri Martin, Chino Moreno of Deftones, Al Jourgenson of , Immortal Technique, Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann, the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, director George Romero, skateboarders Mike Valleley and Christian Hosoi, spiritual teachers such as Tara Brach, JP Sears, and many more.
As a result of the Indie Spiritualist website, as well as Grosso's writings for other websites (Elephant Journal, , Rebelle Society, Mind Body Green, Suicide Girls, and more) he was introduced by New York Times Bestselling author, Lissa Rankin, to Michele Martin and Steve Harris who would then become his literary agents. In 2014, Grosso released his first book, Indie Spiritualist (Beyond Words/Atria), followed by his second title, Everything Mind (Sounds True) in 2015, and his third book, Dead Set On Living, (Gallery/Simon & Schuster), was released in 2018. The books address various topics including spirituality, addiction and recovery, punk, hardcore, hip hop, kirtan music, art, literature, film, and more.
In a 2014 book review of Grosso's Indie Spiritualist by Publishers Weekly, it was written that Grosso, "writes with refreshing wit and candor, deeply and broadly reflecting on what it means to be human, personally and collectively ." Additionally, Everything Mind was reviewed by Publishers Weekly where it is said that Grosso employs an, "irreverent hybrid of personal memoir, inner travelogue, and profanity-filled guide to Buddhist theory and practice. ." Grosso's latest release, Dead Set on Living, received press by LA Yoga, where the book was referred to as, "a manual for navigating human condition at high contrast ."
Edie Weinstein of The Good Men Project reviewed Grosso's latest book release, Dead Set On Living, in March of 2018, acknowledging Grosso, "calls himself an Indie spiritualist, which he defines as 'someone who honors their heart’s calling.' He believes in living with an 'everything mind'. He sees that both the darkness and the light are part of our path and who we become may evolve from that realization." In a article written in 2019, American visionary artist Alex Grey is quoted as saying, "Chris Grosso's tough life lessons inform his no-bullshit spirituality in Everything Mind. A holy ferocity is in the heart of awakening; Chris takes us there and shares visionary tools to deepen with."
Grosso was featured in ' three times to commemorate the releases of each of his books, once in 2014, 2015, and again in 2018.
Currently, Grosso facilitates three groups monthly at a youth mental health and healing facility called Newport Academy in Connecticut. He also speaks publicly and leads workshops at various events and festivals such as Wanderlust, CoSM, Celebrate Your Life, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and more. Additionally, Grosso is presently developing a series with director Ian McFarland, known for directing and producing Showtime's The Godfathers of Hardcore. Grosso records and tours with the noise rock band Intercourse and writes for HuffPost.
Bibliography
;Non-fiction
* Grosso, Chris (2014).
* Grosso, Chris (2015).
* Grosso, Chris (2018).
;Anthologies
* The Dharma of Dogs: Our Best Friends As Spiritual Teachers (2017, Sounds True, )
* The Best Advice in Six Words: Writers Famous and Obscure on Love, Sex, Money, Friendship, Family, Work, and Much More (Six-Word Memoir) (2015, St. Martin's Griffin, )
* The Yes Book: Writing About Yes (2014, Exult Road, )
* Best of Rebelle Society, Volume I: Celebrating the Art of Being Alive (2013, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, )

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