The Critical Role of Arts in Education: A Conversation with Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo, U.S. poet laureate, discusses the essential role of arts and language in education, the importance of listening and the power of dedicated educators.

This seventh installment in School Administrator’s Thought Leadership Series captures the thinking of Joy Harjo, the poet laureate of the United States, in a conversation with Maria Ott, professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and a former superintendent in California.

In Ott’s interview, the author talked about the essential role of arts and language in education, the importance of listening and the power of dedicated educators.

As witnessed during the inauguration of President Joe Biden, poetry has the power to teach about our history in ways that inspire us to envision a more just and equitable society. The nation’s first youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, stands on the shoulders of poets who speak their truth and challenge us to re-examine our past to build a better future.

Harjo, serving her second term as the nation’s 23rd poet laureate, is a playwright, musician and writer who speaks to educators through her beautiful and compelling poems and narratives. She is the author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children’s books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior: A Call for Love and Justice.

The first Native American to serve as poet laureate, Harjo is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and resides in Tulsa, Okla.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.