Congratulations to US Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo, on her third term which will begin September 2021! Since the position was first established in 1943, Harjo is only the second laureate to receive this third extension and the first Native American poet selected.

Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Mvskoke Nation. She attended high school at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and earned her MFA at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. She is an award-winning poet, playwright, and children’s books author. Among her numerous accolades, Harjo received the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the Wallace Stevens Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She has also toured as a musician around the world and produced award-winning music albums.

Her signature project as the poet laureate, Living Nations, Living Words: A Map of First People’s Poetry, introduces readers to different Native poets through an interactive story map and an audio collection featuring each of the 47 poets reading and discussing their work. Harjo’s digital project officially launched on the day of her third term announcement, November 19^th, 2020.

If you are new to her work, our American Indian Resource Center librarian, Kascia Samel, highly recommends An American Sunrise and Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings. You may contact her at 323.583.2794 if you’d like more information on Joy Harjo, other Native poets, or the Mvskoke and Creek cultures.

Check out Joy Harjo’s books from the library here!