Former U.S. Poet Laureate Harjo to give First Peoples of the Plains Lecture

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will present the annual Claire M. Hubbard First Peoples of the Plains Lecture at 5 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts’ Johnny Carson Theater. The event is presented by the University of Nebraska State Museum and the Lied Center.

Harjo will read an excerpt of her poetry and then participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience. The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. Tickets can be acquired here. The lecture will also be livestreamed for free.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In 2019, she was appointed the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms in the role. She is the author of nine books of poetry, several plays and children’s books, and two memoirs. Her awards include the 2022 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 Jackson Prize from Poets and Writers, the Ruth Lilly Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the 2015 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, chair of the board of directors of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and artist-in-residence for the Bob Dylan Center.

“We’re honored to have Joy Harjo join us to share her poetry and insights,” said Susan Weller, director of the NU State Museum. “The Hubbard Lecture series is an opportunity to advance the understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the First Peoples of the Plains and their continuing impact on our lives.”

The lecture is made possible with support from the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation and the Lied Center.

“We look forward to welcoming groundbreaking artist Joy Harjo to the Carson Theater,” said Bill Stephan, the Lied’s executive director. “For more than 50 years, her work has been internationally recognized for its power and beauty, and her timeless words are perhaps more relevant and necessary today than ever before.”

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