Collections Spotlight: Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo, Muskoke Creek, U.S. Poet Laureate

On June 19, 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. On making the appointment, Dr. Hayden said:

Joy Harjo has championed the art of poetry—‘soul talk’ as she calls it—for over four decades. To her, poems are ‘carriers of dreams, knowledge and wisdom,’ and through them she tells an American story of tradition and loss, reckoning and myth-making. Her work powerfully connects us to the earth and the spiritual world with direct, inventive lyricism that helps us reimagine who we are.

Joy Harjo brief biography

Joy Harjo’s terms as U.S. Poet Laureate

Webcasts

Audio recordings

Living Nations, Living Words Program a sampling of work by 47 Native Nations poets

From the Catbird Seat blog posts

More blog posts & articles

Joy Harjo selected bibliography

External websites providing information about the life and works of Native American poet Joy Harjo