Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Play by Joy Harjo and a Circle of Responses

by Joy Harjo, Priscilla Page

Overview

Unique perspectives on the roots and reaches of contemporary Native Theater from the 2019 Poet Laureate of the United States

Joy Harjo's play Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light is the centerpiece of this collection that includes essays and interviews concerning the roots and the reaches of contemporary Native Theater. Harjo blends storytelling, music, movement, and poetic language in Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light—a healing ceremony that chronicles the challenges young protagonist Redbird faces on her path to healing and self-determination. This text is accompanied by interviews with Native theater artists Rolland Meinholtz and Randy Reinholz, as well as an interview with Harjo, conducted by Page. The interviews highlight the lives and contributions of Meinholtz, a theater artist and educator who served as the drama instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts from 1964–70 and a close mentor and friend to Harjo; and Reinholz, producing artistic director of Native Voices at the Autry, the nation's only Equity theater company dedicated exclusively to the development and production of new plays by Native American, First Nations, and Alaska Native playwrights. The new interview with Harjo focuses on her experiences working in theater.

Essays on Harjo's work are provided by Mary Kathryn Nagle—an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee nation, playwright, and attorney who shares her insights on the legal and historical frameworks through which we can better understand the significance of Harjo's play; and Priscilla Page—writer, performer, and educator (of Wiyot heritage), who looks at indigenous feminism, jazz, and performance as influences on Harjo's theatrical work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780819578662
Publisher:	Wesleyan University Press
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

JOY HARJO became the first Native American to be named Poet Laureate of the United States in 2019. She is a member of the Mvskoke Nation. Her seven books of poetry, which include such well-known titles as Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, In Mad Love and War, and She Had Some Horses. These titles and her memoir Crazy Brave have garnered many awards. PRISCILLA PAGE is a writer and dramaturg as well as a senior lecturer in the department of theater at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Table of Contents

Joy Harjo's Wings: A Revolution on the American Stage Mary Kathryn Nagle 1

Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Ceremony Joy Harjo 11

Reflections on Joy Harjo, Indigenous Feminism, and Experiments in Creative Expression Priscilla Page 42

Toward the Production of New Native Theater: An Interview with Randy Reinholz Priscilla Page 59

Imagining a Contemporary Native Theater: An interview with Rolland Meinholtz Priscilla Page 69

Learning to Be: An Interview with Joy Harjo Priscilla Page 94

Acknowledgments 105

Contributors 107

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Harjo's play follows an ancient path, that of tribal creation, healing pain, loss, love, and ultimately helps us remember we will survive. Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Play by Joy Harjo and a Circle of Responses is destined to become a classic."—LeAnne Howe, Edison Distinguished Professor in American Literature, University of Georgia

"This play clearly illuminates the collective grief, disconnection and suffering many indigenous people experience because of the brutalities of colonization. But more importantly, Joy's voice gives us strength, by reconnecting us to our ancestors, to our guardian spirits, and to each other."—Victoria Nalani Kneuhbuhl, Pacific Island Author and Playwright

"Joy Harjo is a masterful and remarkable Native artist. She is known as a writer across genres including poetry, essays, and picture books. She is a musician with a lyrical voice holding a saxophone between her tattooed fingers. And she is a national treasure."—Loriene Roy, Professor, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin

"Through the lens of Joy Harjo's mandate 'to follow the mystery' and the 'liminal backroads' of art practice, we arrive at the terror and wonder of the theatrical moment as a site of healing for all of us."—Cherríe Moraga, Playwright, The Mathematics of Love

Editorial Reviews

"Harjo's play follows an ancient path, that of tribal creation, healing pain, loss, love, and ultimately helps us remember we will survive. Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Play by Joy Harjo and a Circle of Responses is destined to become a classic."—LeAnne Howe, Edison Distinguished Professor in American Literature, University of Georgia

"This play clearly illuminates the collective grief, disconnection and suffering many indigenous people experience because of the brutalities of colonization. But more importantly, Joy's voice gives us strength, by reconnecting us to our ancestors, to our guardian spirits, and to each other."—Victoria Nalani Kneuhbuhl, Pacific Island Author and Playwright

"Joy Harjo is a masterful and remarkable Native artist. She is known as a writer across genres including poetry, essays, and picture books. She is a musician with a lyrical voice holding a saxophone between her tattooed fingers. And she is a national treasure."—Loriene Roy, Professor, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin

"Through the lens of Joy Harjo's mandate 'to follow the mystery' and the 'liminal backroads' of art practice, we arrive at the terror and wonder of the theatrical moment as a site of healing for all of us."—Cherríe Moraga, Playwright, The Mathematics of Love

From the Publisher