Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned poet, writer, musician, and performer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She was born on May 9, 1950, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Harjo is known for her powerful and evocative poetry that often explores themes of Native American culture, spirituality, identity, and the intersection of the natural and human worlds.
Throughout her career, Joy Harjo has received numerous awards and honours for her literary work, including the prestigious Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, she was appointed as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, becoming the first Native American to hold this position.
Aside from her poetry, Harjo is also a talented musician and has released several albums blending spoken word poetry with music. Her multidisciplinary approach to art reflects her deep connection to both the written and spoken word and the oral traditions of her Muscogee heritage.
