Joy Harjo, the 23rd United States Poet Laureate and the first American Indian to hold the position, will speak on Saturday, June 5 at Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia history and culture. The program is being held in conjunction with the yearlong special exhibition, “FOCUSED: A Century of Virginia Indian Resilience.”
Harjo, an internationally known award-winning poet, writer, performer and saxophone player of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, is the author of nine books of poetry and two memoirs. She will speak on the theme of resilience at 10:30 a.m. during a limited-capacity event planned outdoors on the museum mall. A book-signing event will follow the presentation.
The one-hour presentation is included with museum admission, and online tickets to this special performance must be purchased in advance to reserve a seat. Buy Tickets.
“FOCUSED,” a contemporary special exhibition on display through March 25, 2022, features personal and professional photography collections charting the past century of change and resilience of Virginia’s Indian population, from the passage and repeal of the Racial Integrity Act in 1924 to the contemporary efforts of 11 Virginia tribes to receive state and federal recognition. In collaboration with Virginia Indian tribal communities, the exhibition highlights themes central to Virginia Indian daily life, including the establishment and maintenance of Virginia Indian reservations and tribal lands, education, fishing and hunting, traditional crafts and cultural heritage.
