am, we are, trying to figure out what we’re doing here, how we got here, why, how, and where we’re going. Artists are usually at the forefront of where we might be going. And that is why it’s really important to have an open society that is respectful of other peoples and other ways of thinking and being.” In June, 2019, Harjo was named the 23rd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—the first Native American and the first Oklahoman to hold the distinction. Appointed to two additional terms, her signature project— Living Nations, Living Words— featured the works of 47 Native Nations’ poets through an interactive story map and audio collection, in addition to an educator’s guide and a companion anthology. Harjo continues to preserve and celebrate the stories of fellow Natives, including as chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, chair of the Native Arts & Culture Foundation, and as artist-in-residence at the Bob Dylan Center. A mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and wife, Harjo resides in her hometown with husband Owen Sapulpa. Championing the art of poetry, “soul talk” as she calls it, fuels the days and dreams of Joy Harjo. 43 35