Joni Mitchell, Amy Tan, N. Scott Momaday join venerable US arts academy

"It’s fun to be part of such a historic roll call along with all of the talented and interesting people who have received this honour," Mitchell said in a statement upon receiving honorary membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Photo: AP

Joni Mitchell's latest honour finds her in company with some giants from other fields.

The celebrated singer-songwriter and musician has received honorary membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the venerable institution based in Upper Manhattan where general inductees have ranged from Henry James and Hannah Arendt to Dizzy Gillespie and Jasper Johns. She now shares honorary status with a peer she knows well, Bob Dylan, along with Meryl Streep, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Martin Scorsese among others.