Joy Harjo Just Became The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

Yesterday, I came across an exciting article on Bustle's website titled, Joy Harjo Just Became The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate Since The Position Was Created In 1937 by Kerri Jarema. In the article, Kerri Jarema wrote the following information:

Writer, musician and poet Joy Harjo has been named the very first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate since the position was created in 1937.

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress —more commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate — serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the Poet Laureate celebrates the reading and writing of poetry and works to share their love of the literary form with the nation.

Harjo, who was born in Oklahoma and is a member of the Muskogee Creek Nation, is known for centering Native American stories, lives, and legends in her work, which includes eight poetry collections, her 2012 memoir Crazy Horse, two children's books, and four music albums. Her 1990 collection, In Mad Love and War, won the American Book Award, and her work has garnered various other prestigious awards, including the PEN Open Book Award, the American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, and a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing fellowship. She has also taught at UCLA and the University of Tennessee.

Click on the top link to read the full story.