Living Nations Poetry

Joy Harjo is the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. As a member of the Muscogee Nation she is also the first Native American to hold the position of Poet Laureate. Joy's signature project as the 23rd Poet Laureate is an interactive map of the United States featuring recordings of a number of Native Nations poets and their poems.

Living Nations, Living Words - A Map of First Peoples Poetry features 47 Native Nations poets. Each of the poets has selected an original poem for the map on the theme of place and displacement. Each poet also chose where they wanted to be placed on the map. If you click on a poet's marker on the map an information window opens with a photograph, a short biography, and a link to actually hear the poet recite and comment on their original poem. 

You can also listen to each of the poems featured in the Living Nations, Living Words Collection on the Library of Congress website. The Living Nations, Living Words Collection includes a recording of each of the 47 poems in the collection and a short introduction to each of the poets.