Joy Harjo has been appointed the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States of America. The Poet Laureate is the official poet of the United States appointed by the Library of Congress. You can read more about the position here.
Harjo is the first Native American to hold the position of Poet Laureate. She is the author of eight books of poetry, with a ninth coming out this coming fall. According to the Library of Congress, Harjo’s recent honors “include the Jackson Prize from Poets & Writers (2019), the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation (2017) and the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets (2015).” You can read more about Harjo and listen to a Q/A session with her on the Library of Congress’ web page here.
Interested in reading some of Harjo’s poetry? Check out our copy of the American Journal: Fifty Poems of Our Time. And, if you are interested in writing or sharing your own poetry, join our creative writing group, It’s a Writer’s Thing!
-Jessica Bielen, Adult Services Librarian