Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the appointment of poet Laura Tohe, Ph.D., on Jan. 14, as poet laureate for the state of Arizona. Established in 2012, the position of Arizona Poet Laureate is appointed by the governor to champion the art of American poetry, inspire an emerging generation of literary artists and educate Arizonans about poets and authors who have influenced the state through creative literary expression. Tohe is the second person in the state’s history to serve as Arizona Poet Laureate. The position was previously held by Alberto Álvaro Ríos, who served two consecutive two-year terms from 2014 to 2018.
“Over the course of her career, Tohe has distinguished herself as a poet, librettist and writer of both fiction and nonfiction,” Hobbs wrote in a press release. “She is a storyteller whose words reflect the heart, history, and hopes of our state. As Poet Laureate, Tohe will continue Arizona’s tradition of creativity and help inspire the next generation of writers.”
An award-winning poet and writer, Tohe was born in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and grew up speaking both Diné bizaad, aka Navajo, and English. She is a professor emerita of English at Arizona State University, where she taught for 24 years. Tohe previously served as poet laureate of the Navajo Nation from 2015 to 2019.
During her two-year term, Tohe will offer public readings in various regions of the state and pursue a major literary project.
“Growing up with stories all around me in a rural community on the Navajo Nation Homeland inspired me to write poetry, but not until after college,” Tohe wrote. “Never did I imagine I would ever receive this incredible honor. Poetry is alive; it celebrates our human experience with language, voice, and reflection. I especially look forward to sharing and supporting poetry in Arizona’s rural communities. This is an exciting opportunity.”
Tohe’s work has been published nationally and internationally. Her oral history book, “Code Talker Stories,” features a series of interviews with Navajo Code Talkers and their descendants.
She is the author of the poetry chapbook “Making Friends with Water,” the poetry books “Tseyi’: Deep in the Rock, Reflections on Canyon de Chelly” and “No Parole Today” and “Sister Nations” and was the librettist on album “Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio,” recorded by the Phoenix Symphony.
She has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2025 Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award, the Academy of Poets Fellowship Award 2020-2021, the 2019 American Indian Festival of Words Writer’s Award, the Faculty Exemplar Award from Arizona State University, the Dan Shilling Public Scholar Award from the Arizona Humanities and she was nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. She holds a doctoral degree in creative writing and literature from University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
