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First editions of Harlem Renaissance classics

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Native American/First Nations Woman Writer of the Week: JOY HARJO

Joy Harjo is the first Native American Poet Laureate for the United States, receiving the honor in June 2019, and is known as a major figure in contemporary American poetry. A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from Oklahoma, Harjo draws on First Nation storytelling and histories alongside feminist and social justice poetic traditions in her writing. Her critically acclaimed work is often autobiographical and focused on the need for remembrance and transcendence, earning her the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas among many other awards. She published her first volume, a nine-poem chapbook entitled The Last Song, in 1975, demonstrating a powerful insight into the fragmented history of indigenous peoples that later evolved into What Moon Drove Me to This?, a full-length volume of poetry combining everyday experiences with deep spiritual truths. She earned a BA from the University of New Mexico and MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.  Before being named Poet Laureate, Harjo was a Professor and Chair of Excellence in Creative Writing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

UWM Special Collections holds 15 titles by Harjo in our Native American Literature Collection. Shown here from top to bottom are:

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Presbyterian minister Cari Pattison discusses the ways that her English education and love for stories have influenced her spiritual and intellectual life.