Gathering the Light

Author Joy Harjo
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.

We live in a circle; it begins at sunrise.
Go out to greet the day, to respect, to honor.

Beginning at sunrise, this poetic picture book follows a young girl and her faithful dog through the sacred rhythm of a day. She gathers light in the morning and moves through the day, giving thanks, remembering her loved ones, and releasing the day's worries. Her journey is a reminder that we all exist as part of a circle—ever moving, ever bright.

In reverent and rhythmic lines, celebrated poet and member of the Mvskoke Nation, Joy Harjo has penned an original poem in which she invites readers to live each day with gratitude, respect, and honor. 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.
Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States and is a recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s 2024 Frost Medal, Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, and was recently honored with a National Humanities Medal. Harjo has released seven award-winning albums and is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she lives. View titles by Joy Harjo
MANGESHIG PAWIS-STECKLEY is a multidisciplinary Anishinaabe artist and a member of Wasauksing First Nation. He is an award-winning children's book illustrator and author whose work explores themes of language revitalization, ancestral knowledge sharing and memory. Mangeshig's books have received a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, an Indigenous Voices Award and the Blue Spruce Award, and Miimaanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know (written by Brittany Luby) was shortlisted for a Governor General's Literary Award. View titles by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

About

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.

We live in a circle; it begins at sunrise.
Go out to greet the day, to respect, to honor.

Beginning at sunrise, this poetic picture book follows a young girl and her faithful dog through the sacred rhythm of a day. She gathers light in the morning and moves through the day, giving thanks, remembering her loved ones, and releasing the day's worries. Her journey is a reminder that we all exist as part of a circle—ever moving, ever bright.

In reverent and rhythmic lines, celebrated poet and member of the Mvskoke Nation, Joy Harjo has penned an original poem in which she invites readers to live each day with gratitude, respect, and honor. 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.

Author

Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States and is a recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s 2024 Frost Medal, Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, and was recently honored with a National Humanities Medal. Harjo has released seven award-winning albums and is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she lives. View titles by Joy Harjo
MANGESHIG PAWIS-STECKLEY is a multidisciplinary Anishinaabe artist and a member of Wasauksing First Nation. He is an award-winning children's book illustrator and author whose work explores themes of language revitalization, ancestral knowledge sharing and memory. Mangeshig's books have received a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, an Indigenous Voices Award and the Blue Spruce Award, and Miimaanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know (written by Brittany Luby) was shortlisted for a Governor General's Literary Award. View titles by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

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In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we are sharing books by women who have shaped history and have fought for their communities. Our list includes books about women who fought for racial justice, abortion rights, equality in the workplace, and ranges in topics from women in politics and prominent women in history to

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