Native American poet will detail heritage during presentation

Award-winning poet, author, performer and musician Joy Harjo will discuss her Native American heritage during a presentation at Grand Valley November 6. Her visit is part of Grand Valley’s Native American Heritage Month celebration.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Nation, a tribe founded more than 500 years ago in today’s southeastern U.S. She has published seven books of poetry, which have won awards such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas and the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. She also wrote a memoir, Crazy Brave, that details her journey to become a poet.

She performs a one-woman show, Wings of Night Sky, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2009, and has released four CDs that feature original music by her band, the Arrow Dynamics. She also writes a column, “Comings and Goings,” for her tribal newspaper Muscogee Nation News.

An Evening with Joy Harjo
Wednesday, November 6
4-5:30 p.m.
Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus

The event is free and open to the public. Harjo’s visit is sponsored by Grand Valley’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and is in conjunction with the Professional of Color Lecture Series.