Photo: Rosiestep / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Joy Harjo is a figure I hold in real reverence. Becoming the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, and serving three terms, is not just an accolade; it is a reckoning with whose voices American poetry had silenced. Beyond the Guggenheim and the Robert Frost Medal, what moves me is her alchemy: turning inherited grief and dispossession into something that reads like prayer rather than protest. She works across poetry, music, children's books and screenwriting, yet it all flows from one rooted source. To me she proves that memory itself can be a form of resistance and grace.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Joy Harjo
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョイ・ハージョ
- Reading
- じょい・はーじょ
- Born
- May 9, 1951 (age 75)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rabbit
- Origin
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- poet / musician / writer / children's writer / screenwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of New Mexico
Awards & achievements
- 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
- 2014 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2013 American Book Awards
- 2022 National Women's Hall of Fame
- 2015 Wallace Stevens Award
- 2022 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2024 Robert Frost Medal
- 2022 National Humanities Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | An American sunrise : poems | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.joyharjo.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/joyharjoforreal/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy%20Harjo
Frequently asked questions
When was Joy Harjo born?
Born May 9, 1951 (age 75).
Where is Joy Harjo from?
Joy Harjo is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
What does Joy Harjo do?
Joy Harjo works as poet, musician, writer, children's writer, screenwriter.
What is Joy Harjo known for?
Notable works include An American sunrise : poems.
Poet — see all → · Musician — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.