Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (Muskogee Creek) will receive the 2023 Harper Lee Award at the Monroe Literary Festival on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
The Harper Lee Award was named after the author of the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Selected by a committee of writers and scholars, the annual award recognizes the lifetime achievement of a writer either born in Alabama or strongly connected to the state.
Harjo served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022 and is the first Native American to hold the honor.
"Joy Harjo is one of the great American writers of our time. All her artistry has deep ties, familial and spiritual, to the state of Alabama," said selection committee member Frye Gaillard. "Ms. Harjo is a member of the Muskogee Nation – and celebrates a connection to her Alabama homeland that was broken, but not erased, by the Trail of Tears."
Harjo is the author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children’s books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior,
Harjo was the winner of the 2022 Academy of American Poets Leadership Award, She has several other honors that include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
As a musician and performer, Harjo has produced seven award-winning music albums including her newest, I Pray for My Enemies. She is executive editor of the anthology When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through – A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry and the editor of Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry, the companion anthology to her signature Poet Laureate project.
She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and is the first Artist-in-Residence for Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center.
Harjo resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
More Stories Like This
Native Identity, Lakota Family Ties Drive PBS Documentary 'Without Arrows'Golden State Warriors Honor Phil ‘The Flash’ Jordon, NBA’s First Native American Player, with Impact Award
Yo-Yo Ma Joins Wabanaki Podcast to Explore Music’s Role in Healing and Connection
“You’re No Indian” Documentary Exposes Native American Tribal Disenrollment
Taos Reggae Band IrieBellion Releases Powerful Single Advocating Clemency for Leonard Peltier
Can we take a minute to talk about tribal sovereignty?
Our mission draws from the warrior spirit that has sustained Indigenous peoples for generations — the same spirit that drives us to stand guard over tribal rights through relentless investigation and fearless reporting.
Sovereignty isn't just a concept – it's the foundation of Native nations' right to govern, protect our lands, and preserve our cultures. Every story we publish strengthens tribal sovereignty.
Unlike mainstream media, we center Indigenous voices and report directly from Native communities. When we cover land rights, water protection, or tribal governance, we're not just sharing news – we're documenting our living history and defending our future.
Our journalism is powered by readers, not shareholders. If you believe in the importance of Native-led media in protecting tribal sovereignty, consider supporting our work today.