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.
An appeals court backs Trump’s control of the California National Guard for now
The ruling maintains a block on a lower court's order that found President Trump was using the Guard in LA illegally in his immigration crackdown.
Federal judge says Trump administration can’t block state funding over immigration
The ruling comes ahead of a grant application deadline on June 20, which would have required states to agree to enforce the Trump administration's immigration agenda or lose transportation funding.
A former plantation becomes a space for healing, art and reparative history
Through a powerful blend of creative interpretation and ancestral memory, an Alabma town reckons with its past and begins to write a new chapter of shared truth.
Deadly listeria outbreak leads to recall of ready-to-eat fettuccine Alfredo meals
A nationwide listeria outbreak has been linked to 17 illnesses, and three deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection.
As courts review military in L.A., immigration enforcement accelerates
Immigration enforcement speeds up in L.A. regardless of military presence
On Juneteenth, she celebrates the role quilts may have played in Underground Railroad
Edith Edmunds, who is 99 years old, the art of quilt making is inextricably linked to the Black struggle for freedom. That's why she plans to be sewing Thursday on Juneteenth.
