by Joy Harjo
Foreword by Sandra Cisneros
3 stars
Spanning the first 50 years of her poetry publications, Joy Harjo shares some of her most well-known and influential poems in one collection.
The selections cover many events in Harjo’s life, from romantic relationships to the death of her mother, 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each poem is paired with a note at the back that provides insight into Harjo’s process, the poem’s themes, or what she was going through when she wrote it. I really enjoyed learning about her inspirations and her experiences in writing poetry.
Because of the collection’s span, it was also interesting to see how her writing has changed throughout her career.
The collection features themes of death, loss, love, history, war, change, racism, politics, resilience, and folklore.
Some of my personal favorites included are “Perhaps the World Ends Here”, “When the World as We Knew It Ended”, “Rabbit is Up to Tricks”, “Washing My Mother’s Body”, “How to Write a Poem in a Time of War”, “An American Sunrise”, and “Without”.
A wonderful collection. A great place to start in reading Harjo’s poetry to see what styles and time periods you gravitate to.