Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has appointed Laura Tohe, professor emerita of English at Arizona State University, as the state’s next poet laureate.
In this role, Professor Tohe will 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 expression. Professor Tohe will serve as poet laureate for a two-year term, during which she will offer public readings and pursue a major literary project.
An award-winning poet and writer, Professor Tohe was born in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and grew up speaking both Diné bizaad/Navajo language and English. She taught English at Arizona State University for 24 years, retiring in 2018. From 2015 to 2019, Professor Tohe served as poet laureate of the Navajo Nation. Her fifth and most recent book, Code Talker Stories (Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2012), is an oral history of the Navajo Code Talkers, Native American servicemen who used their unwritten language to send, receive, and decipher military code during World War II.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be named Arizona State Poet Laureate,” said Professor Tohe. “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. 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.”
A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Professor Tohe holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.