Бывший поэт-лауреат США Джой Харжо выступит на церемонии награждения в Бэнде

Former poet laureate Joy Harjo to speak in Bend Published 3:09 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Joy Harjo, a world-renowned literary artist and 23rd U.S. poet laureate, will be the keynote speaker at a writing prize ceremony at Bend’s High Desert Museum on Sept. 17. Tickets are on sale for $10 at the High Desert Museum’s website. A member of the Muscogee Nation and Oklahoma resident, Harjo is the first and only Native American to be named poet laureate. She’s also second poet-laureate to serve three terms. She is the author of 10 books of poetry and numerous other books. Her speech will headline the Waterston Desert Writing Prize award ceremony, an annual event that recognizes the work of those who write about the desert in its various forms. “The (prize) continues to elevate stories that honor the complexity of arid landscapes,” museum executive director Dana Whitelaw said. “Having a literary icon like Joy Harjo join us as keynote speaker underscores the national importance of these narratives.” Last year’s winner of the prize, Heather Quinn, brought personal narratives, reporting and historical research under one roof in the book-length essay, “This is How You Disappear,” which centered on the California desert and Salton Sea. The next winner of the prize will be determined in August. They’ll receive a $3,000 award and a residency at a local art and science retreat. The prize was established in 2012 in honor of Oregon poet laureate Ellen Waterson. The award “brings to light new perspectives on everything from the ‘desertification’ of our oceans to the resilience of arid-land flora,” she said. “Ultimately, it celebrates the timeless power of the desert as a place where we meet ourselves head-on.” Harjo will make another stop in Central Oregon at the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.