Joy Harjo believes in second chances
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: Joy Harjo is one of the most revered poets in the United States, but there are all kinds of reasons why that didn’t have to happen. She studied pre-med in college. But, as if to hedge her bets on that particular career choice, she began taking creative writing classes. And in the end, the arts won out – stability be damned.
Joy grew up in Oklahoma as part of the Muscogee Creek Nation. But her step father forced Joy to suppress her creativity. She wasn’t even allowed to sing in the house. That creative spirit could have died inside her, but when she was finally out on her own she realized that making music, telling stories and writing poetry wasn’t just something she wanted to do — it was something she had to do.
Since then she has used her writing to capture the diverse experiences of Native people in this country. In 2019, she was named the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States. And this spring she is releasing a new version of her book, For A Girl Becoming.
Celine Song had too much fun as a matchmaker
Filmmaker Celine Song isn't religious, but that doesn't stop her from seeing certain dead insects as signs in her life and treating a good meal like prayer.
Diocese of San Bernardino issues dispensation saying Catholics who fear ICE don’t have to attend Mass
The diocese is the first in the U.S. to issue a special dispensation because of fears over immigration detentions.
Supreme Court blocks part of Florida’s immigration law
Immigrant rights organizations sued the state arguing that its new law conflicts with federal immigration law, and under longstanding Supreme Court precedent, states must bow to federal law in the event of such conflicts.
Clinging to a tree, and praying: how a family survived the Texas flash floods
"I thought my mom was going to die in front of me," said Taylor Bergmann, a 19-year-old who fought to save the people in his family after the Guadalupe River smashed through their home.
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, started calling itself ‘MechaHitler’
On Sunday, the chatbot was updated to "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated." By Tuesday, it was praising Hitler.
A young novelist takes on misconceptions about teen moms in ‘The Girls Who Grew Big’
Mottley's latest novel follows three young women as they navigate pregnancy and motherhood in a small town in Florida. She sees the novel as an extension of her work as a doula.