Joy Harjo Gets Third Term as U.S. Poet Laureate

Joy Harjo
(photo: Shawn Miller/Library of Congress)

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has appointed Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate, to a third term in the office, making her only the second person in the position's 77-year history to do so. She will start that third year next September. Harjo has also launched her signature project, "Living Nations, Living Words," which features 47 contemporary Native poets through a story map and online audio collection.

"Throughout the pandemic, Joy Harjo has shown how poetry can help steady us and nurture us. I am thankful she is willing to continue this work on behalf of the country," said Hayden. "A third term will give Joy the opportunity to develop and extend her signature project."

Rob Casper and Anne Holmes of the Library's Literary Initiatives office noted that when Harjo first accepted the position in April 2019, "she talked about wanting to create an online map of living Native poets.... As Joy explored the platform and talked about the possibilities for her project, it became clear that she not only wanted to feature a number of Native poets, but wanted to hear from them, too, reading and discussing their work. She felt strongly that these poets should choose their own poems, while keeping in mind the theme of place and displacement, and the following touchpoints: visibility, persistence, resistance and acknowledgment.... Today, we invite you to dive in and explore all that 'Living Nations, Living Words' has to offer."

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