Hello, book
lovers! In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m excited to introduce you to Joy
Harjo—an acclaimed author, poet, performer, activist, and educator. In 1975,
she published her first poetry collection, The Last Song, featuring nine of her
poems. From 2019 – 2022, she served as
the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, becoming the first Native American to
hold this prestigious title. She is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation (Este
Mvskokvlke) and belongs to Oce Vpofv (Hickory Ground).
Harjo’s work
spans poetry, books, plays, and music, earning her numerous awards, accolades,
and honors. As Poet Laureate, her signature project, Living Nations, Living
Words: A Map of First Peoples Poetry focused on “mapping the U.S. with Native
Nations poets and poems.” Her work often draws on Native American oral history,
exploring themes of defining self, the arts, and social justice.
Her poetry is
included on a plaque on LUCY, a NASA spacecraft launched in Fall 2021, and the
first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojans. She is also a chancellor of the
Academy of American Poets and the first Artist-in-Residence for Tulsa’s Bob
Dylan Center. In 2023, she
was awarded Yale’s Bollingen Prize for American Poetry. Check out her quote
about when she started writing. #womenshistorymonth #author #poet #PoetLaureate
#performer #activist #educator #JoyHarjo #vocalexpressions
Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com
