Cloud Runner
Poems
Coming in October!
Three-term U.S. Poet Laureate returns with a moving collection about grief, loss, and how art can transform suffering.
Losing a child is one of the most unreconcilable griefs. In Cloud Runner, Joy Harjo reckons with the unspeakable pain of losing her daughter: “Reason has no home in this hour,” she writes. Despite a devasting loss, Harjo constructs a shrine to human resilience, reminding us that the most profound revelations can appear in our darkest hours: “I now know why we construct ceremonial epics of mystery and beauty, / Of enemy and failure: it is so we can pick up our burdens / And go on.”
Harjo’s magical poems are known for weaving myth, song, and spirit. In this searing volume, her poems become essential witnesses to history, especially in our current era of compounded loss: mass shootings, missing and murdered Native women, climate disaster, and political violence. Cloud Runner explores how all grief may be connected; it is a testament to poetry’s power to speak what is unspeakable, to touch what the mind cannot carry.
Cloud Runner: Poems by Joy Harjo (October 13, 2026) Joy Harjo’s poetry has always been accessible—and this is coming from someone who used to be scared of reading poetry. This evocative collection is no different in that regard, although it did feel distinct from her previous work to me. I think this is because while her poetry always brings in deeply personal experiences, Cloud Runner moves through Harjo’s grief upon losing her daughter to cancer. At its heart, the collection is an homage to the bond between mother and child. It’s an immersive, musical experience (which fans of the 23rd US Poet Laureate will recognize as a signature aspect of her work) that blends Harjo’s personal grief with Indigenous (Muscogee) mythos and epistemologies. It is one of the most tender poetry collections I’ve ever encountered.
Gathering the Light
Illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
Coming September 29 2026 - Available for Pre-Order now!
From the U.S. Poet Laureate and author of the award winning picture book, Remember, this luminous and lyrical story reminds readers to cherish their place in the world and make a positive impact wherever they go. With rich illustrations by Anishinaabe artist Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, Gathering the Light is a poignant affirmation of the connection between all beings and the responsibility to care for one another.
