I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

Today, Joy Harjo is the first Native American to be appointed by the Library of Congress

as poet laureate of the United States. She is now the nation's official poet. In 1975,

while still a college student at the University of New Mexico, Joy published her first book of poems

called The Last Song. In 1983, when her poem, she had some horses gained a claim, one critic called

it a literary event of importance. Joy has now published eight celebrated collections of poetry.

Her work underscores the hardships endured by her ancestors and the social injustices facing

Native Americans still today. Her evocative writing has been described as instructions for the soul.

As a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, Joy is considered the first lady of American Indian

poetry. She teaches creative writing all over the country, including the University of Colorado,

Arizona State, and UCLA. Joy's new volume, an American sunrise, is inspired by her tribal

history and her spiritual connection to their land. So welcome to Super Soul Sunday, am I garden?

It is so beautiful. Yes. I love your riving saying that you could sense that the flowers are happy

here. Yeah. Yeah. They are. I think they are. So you're the first Native American, the first

ever and the 13th woman in 82 years to be appointed as the United States Port Laureate, the nation's

official poet. Did you see that coming? No. No, I didn't. Didn't see it coming. No. So how does that

call? What does that? I wonder what that phone call is like. Well, I was told to call a number

and because they had a quick question. Yeah. And so I called and next thing I hear, we're all here.

We're all here. We got to speak her phone on and then here's Carla Hayden, the head librarian

...