logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2019
40m 27s

Joy Harjo: An American Sunrise

Oprah
About this episode
The first Native American to be named United States Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo discusses her tumultuous life, her career as an award-winning poet and her newest book of poetry, “An American Sunrise.” Joy also talks about reparations, universal connection, her native ancestors and our innate, self-protective instincts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Ralph Lauren, Part 2: Celebrating 50 Years of Design
On the eve of his 50th anniversary gala event, iconic designer and philanthropist Ralph Lauren looks back on the half century of his storied career in the fashion business. At his world-famous The Polo Bar restaurant in the heart of Manhattan, Ralph discusses the future of fashio ... Show More
27m 45s
Jul 29
Ralph Lauren, Part 1: Celebrating 50 Years of Design
International fixture, innovator and true legend Ralph Lauren is celebrating his 50th year in the fashion industry. Ralph explains how passion, conviction and intention were the keys to his early success when he was selling ties out of a drawer in the Empire State Building. He re ... Show More
39m 48s
Jul 22
Rodger Kamenetz: The Hidden Path to the Soul
What do your dreams mean? Can you use them to transform your life? Award-winning poet, author, teacher and certified dream therapist Rodger Kamenetz explains how the deeper meanings of our dreams can lead us into spiritual realms we would otherwise never discover. In his book “Th ... Show More
40m 9s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Joy Harjo — Poems as Teachers | Ep 2
As appealing as it may sound, is it really possible to live in a world completely free of conflict? No. And since differences and disagreements are inevitable and natural, Joy Harjo gives ground rules in “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.” Her call to us echoes across time and ... Show More
17m 43s
Nov 2021
In a powerful memoir, poet Joy Harjo talks about finding her voice and using it
Poet Laureate Joy Harjo says she loved poetry as a kid, but didn't feel like it belonged to her. "It wasn't until I heard Native poets," she tells NPR's Michel Martin, "that I realized that, wow, this is a powerful tool of understanding and affirmation. And I don't know, I just s ... Show More
8m 41s
Sep 2020
Joy Harjo Reads Sandra Cisneros
Joy Harjo joins Kevin Young to read “Still-Life with Potatoes, Pearls, Raw Meat, Rhinestones, Lard, and Horse Hooves,” by Sandra Cisneros, and her own poem “Running.” Harjo is the current Poet Laureate of the United States, as well as a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets ... Show More
37m 59s
Jul 2025
Joy Harjo — The Hope Portal Ep. 6
Our teacher this time is the extraordinary Joy Harjo. She is a musician, a visual artist, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and she’s also former Poet Laureate of the United States. From the beginning of her life, from childhood and even before, she has carried and retained ... Show More
17m 9s
Nov 2025
Joy Harjo on Poetry and Pursuit of the Common Good (from No Small Endeavor)
Sharing an episode of the No Small Endeavor podcast. These days, our culture is marked by political unrest, polarization and anxiety. Beauty and art feel like a luxury, or even a distraction. In a special series, No Small Endeavor is asking: What if art, beauty and poetry are exa ... Show More
48m 38s
Sep 2018
Maimouna Youssef AKA Mumu Fresh Is Ready For The Spotlight
The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter talks about her Native American heritage, how she learned to rap and what it's like to navigate the music industry as an independent artist. 
37m 10s
Apr 2021
Layli Long Soldier — The Freedom of Real Apologies
Layli Long Soldier is a writer, a mother, a citizen of the United States, and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation. She has a way of opening up this part of her life, and of American life, to inspire self-searching and tenderness. Her award-winning first book of poetry, WHEREAS, ... Show More
50m 40s
Nov 2020
Layli Long Soldier — WHEREAS my eyes land on the shoreline
When you feel like crying, do you cry? Or do you stifle it? Why? The U.S. Congress 2009 “Joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes” stated “Whereas the arrival of Europeans ... Show More
17m 3s
Oct 2013
Jhumpa Lahiri
This month a chance to hear Pulitzer Prize winning Indian American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, whose new novel The Lowland has just been shortlisted for the British Man Booker Prize. With presenter Harriett Gilbert and a studio full of readers Lahiri talks about her acclaimed short sto ... Show More
52m 58s
Mar 2023
Finding joy in the face of sorrow
Poet Ross Gay knows a thing or two about finding joy in life's most difficult moments. He talks with It's Been a Minute host Brittany Luse about his new book of essays, "Inciting Joy" — which covers the complexity of joy, the beauty of grace, and meaning in life.See pcm.adswizz.c ... Show More
19m 54s