BY KAREN BOSSICK
The nation’s 23rd Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will be featured at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, on the Donaldson Robb Family Lawn at The Community Library.
Her presentation, part of The Library’s seventh annual Hemingway Distinguished Lecture, was long ago filled to capacity. But viewers can watch the livestream at https://vimeo.com/event/4439089. There also is a waitlist at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/12027349.
The program will not be recorded for later viewing.
Harjo is the only Native American to be named U.S. Poet Laureate and the second person to serve three terms in the position.
A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, she is a renowned musician, in addition to, being a poet.
"Joy Harjo's words resonate deeply,” says Martha Williams, the library’s director of programs and education. “She writes about parents, children, lovers, friends, ancestors, and enemies, but also memory, the land, the missing, and the hurt. Her poetry, with its carefully condensed language and circular movements, guides us to an understanding of our commonalities as humans, to our capacities for love and anger and empathy, often all at the same time.”
Harjo’s literary career spans four decades, during which she has authored 10 acclaimed books of poetry, including Weaving Sundown in Scarlett Light and Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings. Her first memoir, Crazy Brave received the PEN USA Literary Award and American Book Award, while her latest, Poet Warrior: A Memoir enchants and fascinates readers. Her contributions extend past poetry, encompassing children’s books, anthologies, screenplays, and plays, all of which have earned various awards.
In 1978, she was awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Literature Fellowship in recognition of her inspirational work.
“It’s like the spirit of poetry came to me and said ‘Ok you’re coming with me’, and I couldn’t say no” says Harjo, reflecting on her emergence as a poet.
An American Sunrise (2019) is a collection of poetry, was honored with the 2020 Oklahoma Book Award, a prestigious accolade. This work reflects on the resilience and history of the Native peoples in America, intertwining both personal and collective memories with lyrical beauty.
Harjo’s collection, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings (2015), was named a Notable Book of the Year by the American Library Association. This collection explored the various themes of spirituality, love, and social justice through a blend of mythic and personal narratives.
She has been awarded the 2024 Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America, Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, and a Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation. Her band, the Arrow Dynamics Band has released seven award-winning albums.
Harjo serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and has been honored with various inductions into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Native American Hall of Fame, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She currently lives on the Muscogee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma where she holds the inaugural Artist-in-Residence position at Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center.