Joy Harjo writes, “The literature of the aboriginal people of North America defines America. It is not exotic. The concerns are particular, yet often universal.” The poets and poems gathered here showcase the universal and the particular approaches Native American authors have taken to writing about diverse, indigenous cultures. 

 

POETS
A collection of established and widely read poets, as well as voices of a new generation, from some of the many U.S. tribes. Their poems bear historical witness, demonstrate the strength of the Native American spirit, argue crucial political and social issues, while illuminating a vibrant cultural heritage.

Simon J. Ortiz, Acoma Pueblo

Linda Hogan, Chickasaw

Louise Erdrich, Chippewa

Joy Harjo, Muskogee Creek

Sherman Alexie, Spokane/Coeur d’Alene 

Gerald Vizenor, Anishinabe and Chippewa

Diane Glancy, Cherokee

Cedar Sigo, Suquamish

Stuart Youngman “Sy” Hoawah, Comanche

Adrian C. Louis, Lovelock Paiute

Allison Adele Hedge Coke, Cherokee, Huron, and Eastern Tsalagi

Roberta Hill Whiteman, Wisconsin Oneida

N. Scott Momaday, Kiowa 

Qwo-Li Driskill, Cherokee

Barney Bush, Shawnee/Cayuga

Duane Niatum, S’Klallam

Gladys Cardiff, Eastern Band of Cherokee

Garry Gottfriedson, Secwepemc First Nation

Sherwin Bitsui, Diné (Navajo)

Elizabeth Woody, Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs

Carter Revard, Osage

Wendy Rose, Hopi and Miwok

Leslie Marmon Silko, Laguna Pueblo

Anita Endrezze, Yaqui

Santee Frazier, Cherokee

Hershman John, Navajo

Natalie Diaz, Mojave

Nora Naranjo-Morse, Tewa, Santa Clara Pueblo

Ralph Salisbury, Cherokee

Nora Marks Dauenhauer, Tlingit

Lorna Dee Cervantes, Chumash

Ofelia Zepeda, Tohone O’odham (formerly Papago) Nation

Esther Belin, Diné (Navajo)

Margo Tamez, Lipan Apache and Jumano Apache

M.L. Smoker, Sioux and Assiniboine

Gail Tremblay, Onondaga/Mi’Kmaq

William Oandasan, Yuki

Mark Turcotte, Chippewa

Sara Littlecrow-Russell, Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) and Han-Naxi Métis

Cheryl Savageau, Abenaki

Ray A. Young Bear, Meskwaki

Gordon Henry, White Earth Chippewa

LeAnne Howe, Choctaw

Marnie Walsh, Datoka native and Sioux

Craig Santos Perez, Chamoru

Phillip Carroll Morgan, Choctaw/Chickasaw

James Thomas Stevens, Akwesasne Mohawk

Kimberly Blaeser, White Earth Chippewa and Anishinaabe

Deborah A. Miranda, Ohlone-Costanoan Esselen

Heid E. Erdrich, Ojibwe (Turtle Mountain) 

 

 

ARTICLES & PODCASTS
Recent explorations of Native American experience in prose and conversation.

‘Indians in T-shirts’: The Institute of American Indian Arts, now in its 50th year, encourages its students to upend conventional expectations of Native American culture

Joy Harjo's weeklong journal 

Craig Santos Perez's posts on Harriet: the blog

“Three Native American Poets”, a Poetry Lectures podcast featuring Sherwin Bitsui, Allison Adele Hedge Coke, and Linda Hogan