How Joy Harjo Realized Poetry Was Her Calling

United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo describes how she knew she'd found her life's calling after hearing other Native American poets for the first time.

-So you grew up during the '50s and '60s,not really a time when women,and certainly not a time whenNative Americans had role models in poetry,as a life path.-I read you said this about your calling,that 'It was the spirit of poetrywho reached out and found meas I stood there at the doorwaybetween panic and love,when did you know that poetrywas your way in?-That was a shock, just like being namedthe US Poet Laureatebecause I was into painting and artlike my grandmother, my Aunt Lois Harjo andthe idea of speaking in public or even writingmy voice down was horrifying.My stepfather stole my journaland started reading passages out,and I decided I would never write.I would not write anything down.But I was a student at The University of New Mexico,we were involved in Native rights movementsand human rights and there was women rights,and at the same time I was starting to--I realized later I was having a breakdownbut I did not have the luxury of having a breakdown,because I had two young children andthere would've been no one,I had been banished from my homefor speaking the truth.So I had to walk through it.And it was around that time I was listening to--there were all of these multiculturalpoetry gatherings and I was listening to poetryof Native--and it was the first time I heard Native poetsand I thought, well, we can write about our livesand they can be in poetryand I loved poetry before thatbut it switched to something thatwas something I admired from a distanceto something that wassomething that I could participate in.