Talking with the Sun

A "This I Believe" Essay

By: Joy Harjo, Jay Allison - editor, Dan Gediman - editor

Narrated by: Joy Harjo

Poet Joy Harjo reflects on the importance of maintaining her ancestors' connection to the sun, in "Talking with the Sun,"* her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring a star-studded list of contributors that includes John McCain, Isabel Allende, and Colin Powell, as well as pieces from the original 1950's series including Helen Keller and Jackie Robinson, the This I Believe collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer, a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring, funny and always provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of Americans whose beliefs, and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them, reveal the American spirit at its best.

This short audio essay is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of the This I Believe anthology.

*This essay also aired as "A Sacred Connection to the Sun"

Unfortunately a money grab

I love Joy Harjo. Unfortunately this is a 2 minute poem that is on her audio “Conflict Resolution”. If you have that audio, don’t bother purchasing this . I felt like this was a money grab.

taking a trip

I wanted to stay longer. this was a beautiful description of a piece of this poets life.

Poet Joy Harjo is a treasure

I loved how she says the scientists are becoming more like Native Peoples by recognizing what's happening around us.

Beautifully lyrical and gritty

This is becoming my year of reading Joy Harjo. Her words are constantly and consistently moving in such a profoundly real and opulent way. A beautifully lyrical and gritty way of reciting poetry about life, writing, and the human experience. This was a short, sweet, expressive essay in Joy's repertoire.