“The poems, they can hold greatness, they hold our fears, they can hold what we can no longer hold,” Harjo said. This experience, she said, spurred her to turn to poetry as a way of channeling overwhelming emotions into something powerful. She spoke about her mother’s death: she had wanted to wash her body before it was taken for burial, but ultimately could not.
Harjo, who edited the Native poetry anthology “When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through,” shared stories specific to her culture and upbringing. “It’s not this land is your land, this land is my land, it’s we are the earth.”
“We are in a spiritual system that crosses many thresholds, many realms of perception and knowledge,” Harjo said. Her definition of spirituality encompassed a connection with the natural world at large. Harjo said during the discussion all words have power, and that it’s important to use them as a means of connecting with the environment. “We’re the storytellers, we hold the stories of Earth.” “We can go to poetry to speak about and listen to the deepest truths of what’s really going on in our world,” Harjo said. The Zoom presentation was STH’s Lowell Lecture for this Fall as part of the University’s Alumni Weekend.Īt the event, Harjo recited poetry and passages from her 2013 memoir “Crazy Brave,” and discussed the impact and authenticity poetry holds. poet laureate, recited poetry and excerpts from her memoir “Crazy Brave” at a virtual event hosted by the Boston University School of Theology on Sunday. Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. The poet spoke to the Boston University School of Theology Sunday about the intersections of poetry, spirituality and social justice. Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation, is the first Native American poet laureate of the United States.
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