Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo (1951-present) is a Native American writer and performer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, the first Native American to hold that role, and is only the second Poet Laureate to ever be appointed for a third term. Harjo performs nationally and internationally, and is the author of nine books of poetry, two memoirs, two children's books, and an array of other work.

Joy Harjo Family

Joy Harjo was born "Joy Foster" in Tulsa, Oklahoma 1951 to parents Allen W. Foster (who was Muscogee) and Wynema Barker Foster (who was Cherokee and European-American). Harjo's father came from a long line of respected warriors in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Harjo chose to take her paternal grandmother's name. Harjo's great-great grandfather was a famous warrior who fought against Andrew Jackson in the Red Stick War in the 1800s. Harjo's mother was a waitress as well as a musician. Other artists in her family included her aunt and grandmother, who were very influential in Harjo's own creativity. Harjo did not know any poets, but wrote her first poem in 8th grade.

Fig. 1 - Joy Harjo, a musician as well as a poet, performs on stage with a saxophone.

Despite Joy Harjo's love of creativity and explorations of childhood in her work, her childhood was tumultuous. She recounts tales of her father's violent behavior and alcoholism in her autobiography, leading to a divorce between her parents. Shortly after her parents' divorce, her mother married another abusive man, and Harjo became afraid to speak aloud. She recounts memories of schoolteachers threatening to write home to her parents about her silence in the classroom, but states that she was terrified to speak. She turned to painting at this time to express herself more fully.

Joy Harjo Biography

When Joy Harjo was sixteen she began attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This gave her an opportunity to leave home and this is where she began to change how Native American art is presented in the US. After high school, Harjo majored in creative writing at the University of New Mexico. During this time, she was influenced by other Native American poets, including Leslie Marmon Silko and Simon J. Ortiz. At the age of 24, she published her first book of nine poems, The Last Song (1975). After completing her undergraduate degree, she went on to attend the Iowa Writer's Workshop, where she got her MFA.

Fig. 2 - Joy Harjo was the first Native American to hold the position of Poet Laureate of the United States.

In 1979, Harjo published her first full-length poetry collection, What Moon Drove Me to This? Harjo has won many awards from her work, but at this time she began writing in earnest and has since published quite a few books of poetry, along with music albums, memoirs, children's books, and plays. Harjo became Poet Laureate of the United States in 2019, and remains in this position in 2022.

Joy Harjo has two children whom she parented as a single mother. Her son, Phil Dayn was born in 1969. Harjo met Phil Dayn's father at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and the couple only dated for two years. In 1972, she met writer Simon Ortiz of the Acoma Pueblo Tribe, and in 1973 the two had their daughter, Rainy Dawn. Harjo did not marry either of these men, and is now married to Owen Chopoksa Sapulpa, serving as stepmother to his children. Harjo and her husband now live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and she serves as a chancellor for the Academy of American Poets, is the first Artist-in-Residence for Tulsa's Bob Dylan Center, and is the Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.

Joy Harjo Books

Joy Harjo has written nine collections of poetry, two children's books, two memoirs, music albums, and plays. Below, a list of these works and their various genres are included, beginning with the poetry collections for which she is so famous. This list is organized by genre and acts as a quick guide to her writing and music. The chart below also includes several awards she won for each of her works, but is by no means a comprehensive list.

Joy Harjo Poems

Joy Harjo has many famous poems exploring the themes of race in America, family, love, the natural world and Indigenous cultures in the US. Below, five of her most famous poems are listed. Harjo's most famous poem is "An American Sunrise" the eponymous poem of her collection An American Sunrise.

Joy Harjo Quotes

Joy Harjo is famous for many of her quotations surrounding the self and the universal nature of things. She also commonly comments on her Indigenous heritage and is an activist for Indigenous populations living in the United States, both past and present.

This quotation by Joy Harjo outlines her view on writing. Stating that there is no flawless or perfect poetry can make poetry seem more accessible to the everyday person. Harjo is an advocate for poetry being accessible to all persons, and this quotation illustrates that she believes poetry and poetry writing take place in the liminal space where mistakes and learning take place.

This quotation expresses Harjo's beliefs about learning and spirituality. Harjo believes that one can learn all they need to about the world simply by observing and existing in its natural state. Nature gives us what we need to be fully ourselves and the intelligent beings that we are. That being said, if one is not open to such learning or closes their eyes to it, one may travel the earth learning nothing of this intuitive and natural knowledge.

This quotation, from Harjo's memoir Crazy Brave describes the feeling of unfulfillment that comes from leaving dreams unsung. Harjo was able to set out on her own to create art and artistry, and she did not let life circumstances, or any person, hold her back. This quotation is a quintessential look into who Harjo is and what she stands for.

¹ The Sun, Joy Harjo 2004.

² The Woman Who Fell From the Sky: Poems, Joy Harjo 1994.

³ Crazy Brave: A Memoir, Joy Harjo 2015.