Powerhouse poets to discuss their works at the U of MN
It’s a good thing the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Carlson Family Stage can accommodate 1,100 people, because powerhouse poets Joy Harjo and Layli Long Soldier are teaming up for a free program at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the stage, 84 Church St. S.E., Mpls.
Harjo, three-term U.S. Poet Laureate, and Long Soldier, National Book Critics Circle Awardee, will read and discuss their poetry, seen through the lens of their Native American heritage. The moderator will be Christopher Pexa, associate professor in the university’s American Indian Studies department.
Harjo is a performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. When she was appointed 23rd national poet laureate, she was the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms. She’s written nine books of poetry and two memoirs and is chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, a member of the board of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and artist-in-resident for the Bob Dylan Center. A renowned musician, Harjo performs with her saxophone nationally and internationally.
Layli Long Soldier is a writer of the Oglala Lakota Nation. She is the author of the full-length collection “Whereas,” published by Minneapolis-based Graywolf Press, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. Her 2012 participatory installation, Whereas We Respond, was featured on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
This program is presented by the university’s English department through its Esther Freier Lecture Series, co-sponsored by American Indian Studies. Free tickets are available online via Northrop. Go to: northrop.umn.edu/joy-harjo-and -layli-long-soldier.
