Poet Warrior by Joy Harjo

This is book 22 of Book a Day January.

I read Harjo's 2012 memoir Crazy Brave some years ago, and we have the updated edition in our collection.  This is her new memoir, published in 2021.  Harjo is the first Indigenous Poet Laureate of the United States and is a member of the Muscogee Nation.  She is a poet, musician, activist, and professor.

What I like about this style of memoir, similar to Ordinary Hazards and My Name is Jason, is the intermingling of poetry (both lyrical and free), prose, and art.  There is never boring "and on this day I did this" that sometimes occurs in autobiographical works.  

Poet Warrior details the oral stories Harjo learned as a child, many passed down for generations, and laments the loss of such created by our technology-driven society.  She discusses her influences in the realm of poetry (and they are an eclectic mix of authors) and in life as a wife, mother, woman, and Native American Indian.  And how all of that intersects with our current political climate. 

You can read Harjo's factual background here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Harjo

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.