An American Sunrise Audiobook By Joy Harjo cover art

An American Sunrise

Poems

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An American Sunrise

By: Joy Harjo
Narrated by: Joy Harjo
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A stunning new volume from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States, informed by her tribal history and connection to the land.

In the early 1800s, the Mvskoke people were forcibly removed from their original lands east of the Mississippi to Indian Territory, which is now part of Oklahoma. Two hundred years later, Joy Harjo returns to her family’s lands and opens a dialogue with history. In An American Sunrise, Harjo finds blessings in the abundance of her homeland and confronts the site where her people, and other indigenous families, essentially disappeared. From her memory of her mother’s death, to her beginnings in the native rights movement, to the fresh road with her beloved, Harjo’s personal life intertwines with tribal histories to create a space for renewed beginnings. Her poems sing of beauty and survival, illuminating a spirituality that connects her to her ancestors and thrums with the quiet anger of living in the ruins of injustice. A descendent of storytellers and “one of our finest - and most complicated - poets” (Los Angeles Review of Books), Joy Harjo continues her legacy with this latest powerful collection.

©2019 Joy Harjo (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing Indigenous Creators Native American Poetry United States World Literature Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Inspiring Feel-Good Funny

Featured Article: The Best Poetry Audiobooks to Listen to for National Poetry Month


It’s a common turn of phrase that poetry is meant to be heard. Tone, pauses, cadence, and vocal inflections all serve to further the emotional pull of modern and historical poetic masterpieces. In audio, poems can be heard and enjoyed just as the poet meant them to be. Taking into account not only the words themselves but the way they are spoken, our list provides a look at the power behind a poem, celebrating those works which have touched our souls.

Featured Article The Best Poetry Audiobooks to Listen to for National Poetry Month
Powerful Imagery • Lyrical Poetry • Emotional Resonance • Rich History • Spiritual Depth • Captivating Delivery
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this was so very good. beautiful and eloquent. a wonderful poet and artist. thank you

fantastic

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What an honor to hear the voice of the poet read her own works. Harjo's work leads us through the trails of history, memory, vison, and dreams. Thank you, Joy, for sharing your work with us twice (first by writing it, then by reading)!

This is what my heart sounds like

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So beautiful. So moving. So poignant. I felt the whisper of nature in Joy’s words. I felt the stories. My heart was opened to this beautiful and rich culture and way of life.

A must listen.

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Joy Harjo, America’s Poet Laureate, brings her Artist’s Eye and Ear to the Sad History of her people through song, poem, story and interviews.

I am always moved by the connection of Indigenous People to the Earth and Sky they possess so closely. Through Harjo’s words we feel their Souls and the Nature they know so well. Her stories of the Trail of Tears bring the Warriors, Chiefs, Children and Elders to life, not as characters in dry History but as feeling, suffering Human Beings.

It is a Tale we need to hear and really listen to. There are migrants today at our Borders who know these stories well. #SAD!

Poetry & Stories from the Trail of Tears

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Mesmerizing, hypnotic, profound, necessary. Unites ancestries of the heart with today’s real world and makes meaning of living in our histories.

A Must Listen

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Such a beautiful work of art! As an American of European descent, it really opened my eyes and inspired me to do something. Beautiful voice and beautiful style. I loved every second. This genre of Native American reading is fascinating and I can’t wait to get my hands on more

Amazing!

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So good, I bought a digital copy to teach to others. So good, I'm considering a book order to hold on to these poems for as many years as I have left. Harjo's poetry isn't something you finish beginning to end. She expresses a lifetime of learning & returning to her pages.

Listening to Harjo Read

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The host of a recent book discussion on American Sunrise that I participated in recommended listening to this slim volume of Poems read by the author. I am so glad I did! Listening to Harjo’s poetry as spoken word is even more powerful, moving & engaging than reading the poems.

Moving & Powerful

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I am happy to discover this poet. I am going to read more of her books.

An American Sunrise

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Beautiful poetry that reads easy and runs deep. I particularly enjoyed her pieces on saxophone, but there is so much here for everyone to enjoy.

Joy Harjo is the voice America needs

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