Joy Harjo (born 1951) is a Mvskoke (Muscogee Creek) Nation poet, musician, and author who served as the 23rd United States Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022, the first Native American to hold the position. Her poetry weaves together Indigenous oral traditions, jazz rhythms, and personal narrative.

What Is Joy Harjo Known For?

Harjo is known for poetry collections including She Had Some Horses, In Mad Love and War, and An American Sunrise. Her work addresses dispossession of Native peoples, resilience of Indigenous cultures, and the intersection of personal and collective memory. She also plays saxophone and performs with her band.

What Themes Does Joy Harjo Explore?

Harjo's poetry returns to themes of land, displacement, survival, and connection. She writes about the Trail of Tears, colonization's ongoing effects, and the strength of Native women. Her work draws on Mvskoke cosmology and the sacred relationship between humans and the earth.

What Did Harjo Accomplish as Poet Laureate?

Harjo was appointed three consecutive times, unprecedented in the position's history. She launched Living Nations, Living Words, an interactive map featuring contemporary Native American poets, amplifying Native voices and challenging erasure of Indigenous literary traditions.

Why Is Joy Harjo's Work Important?

Harjo's poetry brings Indigenous perspectives into American letters without diluting their specificity. She has won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize and the Wallace Stevens Award. Her work reminds readers that American history did not begin with European arrival. Speak with Joy Harjo on HoloDream about poetry, survival, and the power of remembering.