There are voices in literature that do not simply tell stories. Instead, they echo across generations, shouldering the sometimes-burdensome weight of history.
Joy Harjo is one such voice—but part of the load she carries includes elements of creativity, culture and spirit that she manages to make resonant for a wide and diverse audience.
As the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate and a member of the Mvskoke Nation, Harjo has carved a space in American letters where poetry and activism converge.
Through her work, she reminds us that language is not only a form of expression but also a vessel for survival and transformation. She reminds us of this fact through her body of work.
And with her latest book, Girl Warrior, we see again how she offers her wisdom and compassion to young people who are just coming up, making mistakes, seeking a path, doing the best they can in a world that isn’t always made to allow access to Indigenous women and other marginalized people in our world.
Harjo’s poetry has long served as a rallying cry for marginalized voices, and Girl Warrior emerges as a powerful continuation of that tradition.
With lyrical force and a deeply rooted sense of identity, she gives shape to the figure of the girl warrior—not merely as a character, but as a collective spirit rising from ancestral memory, fighting against injustice, and cleaving to hope.
Harjo’s body of work—including acclaimed collections like She Had Some Horses, An American Sunrise, and her memoir Crazy Brave—has consistently centered the stories and struggles of Native women. Girl Warrior serves not only as a continuation of that work but also stands alone as a celebration of what it means to come up in a world full of challenges.
In this interview, Joy Harjo discusses the role of art and poetry as both weapon and sanctuary, the significance of ancestral memory, and the urgent need for young women—especially Indigenous girls—to see themselves reflected in stories of power and survival.
Learn more about Joy Harjo here.
