Joy Harjo is an award-winning poet and musician, and she just became America’s newest poet laureate.
Originally from Oklahoma, Joy Harjo began writing in the 1970s during college in New Mexico. She met poets in her community, and this influenced her writing. Harjo is a member of the Mvskoke Nation. Her writing often explores the Native American experience. She is a powerful American writer and an excellent choice to become the 23rd US poet laureate. Harjo is the first person of Native American heritage to receive the honor.
US poet laureates have a lot of freedom to choose how they spend their time. According to the New York Times (paywall), Harjo hopes to “to remind people that poetry belongs to everyone.”
Harjo has received numerous accolades including the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas, the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, and a Native American Music Award (NAMMY) for Best Female Artist of the Year. Her body of work includes a number of albums, poetry books, and books for young audiences.
Some of Harjo’s most popular works include the following:
Books by Joy Harjo
- Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
- Soul Talk Soul Language
- Crazy Brave
- For a Girl Becoming
- Reinventing the Enemy’s Language
- The Spiral of Memory
- Secrets from the Center of the World
- A Map to the Next World
- The Woman Who Fell from the Sky
- In Mad Love and War
- How We Became Human
- The Good Luck Cat
- She Had Some Horses
Joy Harjo’s Discography
- This America
- Red Dreams, Trail Beyond Tears
- Indian Rezervation Blues
- Winding Through The Milky Way
- She Had Some Horses
- Native Joy For Real
- Letter From The End Of The Twentieth Century
- Heartbeat 2
- Weaving The Strands
- Native American Currents
Additional Sources:
JoyHarjo.com & Wikipedia