photo by: Shawn Miller

Poet Laureate of the United States Joy Harjo, is pictured on June 6, 2019.

U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, the first Native American to hold the title, will soon take part in community events for Haskell Indian Nations University and the wider public.

Harjo, 70, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, has won wide acclaim for her writing and other work and is serving her third term as poet laureate. Harjo will be part of a Lawrence-based virtual event on Wednesday presented by Humanities Kansas in partnership with Haskell, the Lawrence Public Library, the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas, the Raven Book Store and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

As part of the main event, which is open and free to the public, Harjo will do a poetry reading, talk about her work and then answer questions, according to Kristin Soper, outreach and events coordinator with the library. Harjo will also be part of an event specifically for Haskell students and faculty. Though Harjo’s visit will not be in person as originally planned, Eric Anderson, professor of history and Indigenous and American history studies at Haskell, said that it was an important opportunity for Haskell students.

“(It) gives our students, in particular with regard to that Haskell virtual visit, an opportunity to engage with someone who has risen to such international prominence, and really serves as a great role model for native people in telling our stories and keeping that Indigenous perspective front and center in her work,” Anderson said.

In his article “Soul Talk: Joy Harjo Comes to Haskell,” Anderson writes that Harjo draws on her Native ancestry and traditions by means of what she terms “soul talk” to transport audiences on a journey connecting past, present and future. He writes that personal recollections, historical events, a multitude of tribal experiences and musical expression all coalesce in a genre-defying canon of material that has won her international acclaim.

Harjo’s many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a Guggenheim Fellowship, according to her website. She is the author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed “An American Sunrise,” several plays and children’s books, and two memoirs, “Crazy Brave” and “Poet Warrior.” She is also musician and performer, and has produced seven award-winning music albums.

Humanities Kansas Associate Director Tracy Quillin, commending the breadth and depth of Harjo’s work and life experience, said it was an honor to be able to host Harjo’s virtual visit. She anticipated a lot of interest among Kansas poets and said the Indigenous community in Lawrence just adds to the significance.

“There is so much interest in poetry and so much good poetry work coming out of our state, (so) we knew that she would be welcome,” Quillin said. “And the fact that she is an Indigenous poet and a great voice for Indigenous poetry just made it even more special to have her here, especially in Lawrence.”

In addition to the communitywide event, Carrie Cornelius, acting supervisory librarian at Haskell, said several events were being planned specifically for Haskell. She said the online meeting with Harjo, scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, would be open to all Haskell students and faculty. She said copies of Harjo’s book “American Sunrise,” courtesy of a grant from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, would be available for students, and there would also be activities such as a “write-in” event.

Harjo’s visit was initially announced in January 2020, but had to be delayed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, then was ultimately moved to an online format amid the most recent surge in cases. Anderson said he hoped that someday Harjo would be able to physically visit Haskell.

“It’s such a historically significant place and such a center of knowledge and learning for Native people, and for all of us as a whole, and so it’s just my hope she will be able to come at some future point,” Anderson said.

Those interested in attending the free online community event, “An Evening with Joy Harjo,” can register in advance at humanitieskansas.org. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Additional details are also available on the event listing on the library’s website, lplks.org.