Joy Harjo is a poet, author, and musician who became the first Native American Poet Laureate in 2019. Joy was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a citizen of the Mvskoke Nation, a self-governed Indigenous tribe in the United States. She attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a teenager and later graduated from the University of New Mexico. She went on to earn her MFA at the Iowa Writ­ers’ Work­shop. Joy has written several landmark poetry collections, two memoirs, plays and screenplays, musicals, and children’s books.

Joy began writing poetry in the early 1970s, during the US’s civil rights movement and as a renaissance of contemporary Native art was underway. Joy also plays the saxophone and flute and performs with the Arrow Dynamics Band. She has released seven studio albums and has taught <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/creative-writing-vs-content-writing' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/creative-writing-vs-content-writing","linkCopy":"creative writing","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>creative writing</a> at a handful of top colleges and universities.
In poetry, imagery is a vivid and vibrant form of description that appeals to readers’ senses and imagination. Despite the word’s connotation, “imagery” is not focused solely on visual representations or mental images—it refers to the full spectrum of [sensory experiences](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/margaret-atwoods-5-tips-for-using-sensory-imagery-in-your-writing), including internal emotions and physical sensations.
There are a few main types of imagery in poetry, including: 

1. __Visual imagery__: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet appeals to the reader’s sense of sight by describing something the speaker or narrator of the poem sees. It may include colors, brightness, shapes, sizes, and patterns. Examples of imagery include metaphors, similes, or personification, which can help conjure a clear picture in a reader’s mind. 
2. __Auditory imagery__: This kind of imagery invokes a reader’s sense of hearing or sound. It may include music and other pleasant sounds, harsh noises, or silence. In addition to describing a sound, the poet might also use a sound device like onomatopoeia, or words that imitate sounds, so reading the poem aloud recreates the auditory experience. 
3. __Gustatory imagery__: This use of imagery appeals to a reader’s sense of taste by describing something the speaker or narrator of the poem tastes. It may include sweetness, sourness, saltiness, savoriness, or spiciness. This is especially effective when the poet describes a taste a reader has experienced before and can recall from sense memory.
4. __Tactile imagery__: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet focuses on the sense of touch, describing something the speaker of the poem feels on their body. It may include the feel of temperatures, textures, and other physical sensations.
5. __Olfactory imagery__. In this form of poetic imagery, the poet appeals to the reader’s sense of smell by describing something the speaker of the poem inhales. It may include pleasant fragrances or off-putting odors. 
6. __Kinesthetic imagery__: With kinesthetic imagery, the poet describes a sense of motion. It may include the sensation of speeding along in a vehicle, a slow sauntering, or a sudden jolt when stopping, and it may apply to the movement of the poem’s speaker/narrator or objects around them. 
7. __Organic imagery__: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/robin-robertss-tips-for-effective-communication' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/robin-robertss-tips-for-effective-communication","linkCopy":"communicates","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>communicates</a> internal sensations such as fatigue, hunger, and thirst, as well as internal emotions such as fear, love, and despair. 
Strong imagery can help your reader relate to your work. Here are Joy’s tips for incorporating figurative language: 

- __Give yourself space__. With her poetry, Joy gave herself a place to exist, a place for her spirit to “stretch out.” Often, this meant picturing one visual image. “I didn’t have the luxury of spacing out time. Maybe that’s what I did in my poetry… My poems were driven by one image like a warm south wind, a crow riding waves,” she says. “I remember when I wrote that, and I needed that. I needed a place to be far from Earth, and a place to be able to ride waves and have that vantage point… that wasn’t labored and that wasn’t burdened. That was the power of that particular image.”
- __Images should serve a purpose__. Imagery should serve a purpose, whether it’s mental, spiritual, or metaphorical. “I think about how a lot of Native art was created and is created to have a certain purpose,” Joy says. “So a lot of these images… serve a certain purpose. They can open up a moment. It gives a place of peace.” 
- __Lean into metaphors__. You can use metaphors to help you <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills","linkCopy":"effectively communicate","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>effectively communicate</a> your message. “It’s about going sideways so that the meaning is not only direct and literal, but the meaning opens up just like the consciousness opens up when you listen,” she says. “That’s how we humans find meaning; we find it in [metaphor](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-metaphor). It inspires us and keeps us going.”
Become a better writer with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Joy Harjo, Michael W. Twitty, Billy Collins, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and more.
Imagery in poetry is the act of using descriptive language to appeal to a reader’s senses. Learn more about how to use the literary device with Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s tips.

Imagery in poetry is the act of using descriptive language to appeal to a reader’s senses. Learn more about how to use the literary device with Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s tips.

Imagery in Poetry: How Poet Joy Harjo Creates Strong Imagery

Joy Harjo is a poet, author, and musician who became the first Native American Poet Laureate in 2019. Joy was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a citizen of the Mvskoke Nation, a self-governed Indigenous tribe in the United States. She attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a teenager and later graduated from the University of New Mexico. She went on to earn her MFA at the Iowa Writ­ers’ Work­shop. Joy has written several landmark poetry collections, two memoirs, plays and screenplays, musicals, and children’s books.Joy began writing poetry in the early 1970s, during the US’s civil rights movement and as a renaissance of contemporary Native art was underway. Joy also plays the saxophone and flute and performs with the Arrow Dynamics Band. She has released seven studio albums and has taught <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/creative-writing-vs-content-writing' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/creative-writing-vs-content-writing","linkCopy":"creative writing","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>creative writing</a> at a handful of top colleges and universities.

Who Is Joy Harjo?

In poetry, imagery is a vivid and vibrant form of description that appeals to readers’ senses and imagination. Despite the word’s connotation, “imagery” is not focused solely on visual representations or mental images—it refers to the full spectrum of <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/margaret-atwoods-5-tips-for-using-sensory-imagery-in-your-writing' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/margaret-atwoods-5-tips-for-using-sensory-imagery-in-your-writing","linkCopy":"sensory experiences","category":null}'>sensory experiences</a>, including internal emotions and physical sensations.

What Is Imagery in Poetry?

There are a few main types of imagery in poetry, including: <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Visual imagery: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet appeals to the reader’s sense of sight by describing something the speaker or narrator of the poem sees. It may include colors, brightness, shapes, sizes, and patterns. Examples of imagery include metaphors, similes, or personification, which can help conjure a clear picture in a reader’s mind. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Auditory imagery: This kind of imagery invokes a reader’s sense of hearing or sound. It may include music and other pleasant sounds, harsh noises, or silence. In addition to describing a sound, the poet might also use a sound device like onomatopoeia, or words that imitate sounds, so reading the poem aloud recreates the auditory experience. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Gustatory imagery: This use of imagery appeals to a reader’s sense of taste by describing something the speaker or narrator of the poem tastes. It may include sweetness, sourness, saltiness, savoriness, or spiciness. This is especially effective when the poet describes a taste a reader has experienced before and can recall from sense memory. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Tactile imagery: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet focuses on the sense of touch, describing something the speaker of the poem feels on their body. It may include the feel of temperatures, textures, and other physical sensations. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Olfactory imagery. In this form of poetic imagery, the poet appeals to the reader’s sense of smell by describing something the speaker of the poem inhales. It may include pleasant fragrances or off-putting odors. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Kinesthetic imagery: With kinesthetic imagery, the poet describes a sense of motion. It may include the sensation of speeding along in a vehicle, a slow sauntering, or a sudden jolt when stopping, and it may apply to the movement of the poem’s speaker/narrator or objects around them. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 7. Organic imagery: In this form of poetic imagery, the poet <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/robin-robertss-tips-for-effective-communication' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/robin-robertss-tips-for-effective-communication","linkCopy":"communicates","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>communicates</a> internal sensations such as fatigue, hunger, and thirst, as well as internal emotions such as fear, love, and despair. </li></ol>

7 Types of Imagery in Poetry 

Strong imagery can help your reader relate to your work. Here are Joy’s tips for incorporating figurative language: <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Give yourself space. With her poetry, Joy gave herself a place to exist, a place for her spirit to “stretch out.” Often, this meant picturing one visual image. “I didn’t have the luxury of spacing out time. Maybe that’s what I did in my poetry… My poems were driven by one image like a warm south wind, a crow riding waves,” she says. “I remember when I wrote that, and I needed that. I needed a place to be far from Earth, and a place to be able to ride waves and have that vantage point… that wasn’t labored and that wasn’t burdened. That was the power of that particular image.” </li><li class="">Images should serve a purpose. Imagery should serve a purpose, whether it’s mental, spiritual, or metaphorical. “I think about how a lot of Native art was created and is created to have a certain purpose,” Joy says. “So a lot of these images… serve a certain purpose. They can open up a moment. It gives a place of peace.” </li><li class="">Lean into metaphors. You can use metaphors to help you <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills","linkCopy":"effectively communicate","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>effectively communicate</a> your message. “It’s about going sideways so that the meaning is not only direct and literal, but the meaning opens up just like the consciousness opens up when you listen,” she says. “That’s how we humans find meaning; we find it in <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-metaphor' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-metaphor","linkCopy":"metaphor","category":null}'>metaphor</a>. It inspires us and keeps us going.” </li></ul>

Joy Harjo’s Tips for Creating Powerful Imagery

Become a better writer with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Joy Harjo, Michael W. Twitty, Billy Collins, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and more.

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Imagery in poetry is the act of using descriptive language to appeal to a reader’s senses. Learn more about how to use the literary device with Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s tips.

Imagery in poetry is the act of using descriptive language to appeal to a reader’s senses. Learn more about how to use the literary device with Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s tips.
