WNY Literature: Poet-musician-artist speaking in free appearance

By Lee Ames
(Photo above: Joy Harjo, by Karen Kuehn)

Joy Harjo — poet, musician and artist — will be speaking at SUNY Fredonia’s Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Harjo will give a talk at 5 p.m., in the Recital Hall and then will attend a reception at the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery in Rockefeller Arts Center. Harjo’s portrait and one of her poems are included in B.A. Van Sise’s exhibit, “Children of Grass: A Portrait of American Poetry,”

The events are free and open to the public. Tickets are required for the talk, with a two-ticket limit per person has been set. Tickets are available at the Fredonia Ticket Office, online, and by phone at (716) 673-3501. There is a $6 service fee per order for online and phone sales.

Harjo was the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, serving three terms (2019-2022). She is the author of 11 books of poetry and has recorded eight albums. An enrolled member of the Muscogee Nation, she was the first Native American Poet Laureate.

In a release announcing the events, SUNY Fredonia English Chair KimMarie Cole said, “At a time when it’s easy to get lost in ugly words and the deluge of bad and fake news, it’s truly delightful to welcome a poet who has made a career of describing the world beautifully. Joy Harjo doesn’t shy away from hard subjects, but she uses her words to create and connect.”

Harjo’s visit is part of the Williams Distinguished Visiting Professorship and the Mary Louise White Visiting Writers Series at Fredonia.

Harjo’s newest album, Insomnia and Seven Steps to Grace, is a combination of poetry and music (jazz, and ragtime, American Indian). The two-LP, one-CD collection is produced by jazz superstar esperanza spalding and is scheduled to be released during the last week of April.

Harjo’s newest poetry collection, Cloud Runner, is expected to be published this fall. Her awards include the National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ruch Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement Award form the Poetry Foundation and a National Humanites Medal for all her work done throughout her life. 

She will be at Fredonia to talk about her writing, her life and her professional experiences from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

RELATED MEDIA: Here is a video compiling quotes from some of Harjo’s works: