Good Life Project Introducing: No Small Endeavor: Joy Harjo on Poetry and Pursuit of the Common Good
Nov 19, 2025
Joy Harjo, a three-term U.S. Poet Laureate and musician, delves into how poetry serves as a vessel for healing and justice. She discusses the power of poetry as a ceremonial language that invites deeper awareness and reflects on her activism's influence on her writing. Harjo shares personal stories that connect family trauma and Native history, while honoring everyday acts of courage within communities. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling and the profound connection between nature, creativity, and gratitude.
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Poetry As Ceremonial Language
- Poetry uses ceremonial language to shift attention toward deeper connections and the heart.
- Joy Harjo says poets refine witness into oral resonance that alters perception and communal attention.
Writing Born From Activism
- Joy Harjo began writing during Native rights movements after hearing community speeches resisting extraction companies.
- She says her poetry grew from a need for healing and justice as part of survival.
Representation Changed Her Poetic World
- Hearing Native poets in college revealed poetry could reflect contemporary Native life and language.
- Meeting Simon Ortiz, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Jim Welch opened Joy Harjo to poetry rooted in place and community.
