The Alabama Writers’ Forum
The Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, works to cultivate our state’s literary culture. We do that through supporting writers at all stages. We encourage our young writers to find their creative voice through the Father Goose Poetry Festival for Kids!–and through our Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards. We support the work of our state’s literary community through our Alabama Authors Directory, First Draft magazine, and other programming and opportunities for writers across the state. And we celebrate our state’s rich literary legacy through the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. We are, above all, a community of writers united by our desire to advance the literary arts in Alabama. If that describes you — join us! There are many ways to get involved.
Girl Warrior
Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age Joy Harjo W.W. Norton, 2025 Hardcover: $21.99 Genre: Memoir For A Girl Becoming Joy Harjo with illustrations by Adriana Garcia Norton Young Editions, 2025 Hardcover: $18.99 Genre: Children’s poetry Washing My Mother’s Body: A Ceremony for Grief Joy Harjo with illustrations by Dana Tiger Ten Speed Press, 2025 Hardcover: $17.99 Genre: Poetry Reviewed by Pam Kingsbury Joy Harjo, who was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame in March, added three book projects - For a Girl Becoming, Washing My Mother’s Body: A Ceremony for Grief, and Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age - to her impressive oeuvre in 2025. Harjo’s work, be it poetry, memoir, or a children’s book, is rooted in the ideals of creativity, empathy, and justice. For a Girl Becoming, originally published in 2009 and republished by Norton Young Editions with illustrations by Pura Belpre Award winner Adriana Garcia, was written to celebrate the arrival of a baby. The welcoming ceremony connects the story of the baby girl’s birth to the family and the community, where she is celebrated and cherished. Her [...]
