Writers With Attitude Presents: Joy Harjo's Gathering Place

We'll explore Joy Harjo’s poetry through Indigenous storytelling, memory, tradition & home, followed by discussion and guided writing.
About this Event

Join us for Meeting No. 1 of the 2026–2027 workshop!

This year, our theme isWriting Across the Diaspora and we're beginning this series with Joy Harjo’s "Gathering Place," exploring how Harjo draws upon Indigenous oral storytelling traditions, memory, and place to preserve cultural knowledge and connections across generations.

Through close reading and literary discussion, we’ll discuss what it means to “come from” somewhere and how Harjo expands our understanding of home as more than geography. We’ll examine how everyday spaces hold generations of memory for Harjo, how her personal memories turn into a setting, and how Harjo engages with colonization, Indigenous history, and cultural preservation. We’ll then put these ideas into practice through a guided writing activity.

📚 Mandatory Readings:
Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo
How to Write a Poem in a Time of War by Joy Harjo

Members receive access to all workshop readings for the literary year. Join our free W.W.A. membership

Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026
Time: 3:00pm — Doors open at 2:45pm
Location: Clubhouse Café, 812 River Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451

RSVP is required—spots are limited!

Agenda

🕑: 02:45 PM - 03:00 PM
Settle In

Info: Writers arrive and order a drink or pastry and settle in. Writers can catch up on any readings for the workshop.

🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Discussion

Info: Writers view a presentation guiding them to discuss the readings of the day. We analyze and chat about the readings and how it ties to the focus of the workshop.

🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Writing Activity

Info: Writers engage in a writing activity based on the topic of the workshop. Writing prompts are inspired by the author(s) we're discussing that day and the theme of the overall workshop.

🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Peer Review

Info: Writers share their written pieces. Writers can share works written in response to the writing prompt or share their own personal writing pieces. If writers share any personal pieces, they must align with the theme this year, Writing Across the Diaspora. They also must be within 3 pages and be short fiction, creative nonfiction, or an essay. No screenplays.