A former Navajo Nation poet laureate has been recently named by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs as the state's second-ever state poet — a title and distinction made more than a decade ago under Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.
Laura Tohe, who is Diné, has dedicated her life to Indigenous literature but doesn't want that identity to dominate her tenure.
"I don't want people to think that, you know, again I'm just shifting from Navajo Nation to Arizona as a Navajo poet," Tohe said.
Part of her pledge is to help bring poetry to rural communities, like hers.
While most living on the Navajo Nation have no choice but to haul daily essentials like water, coal and wood from far away — for Tohe growing up, it was books.
Born in Fort Defiance, Arizona, Tohe remembers taking long road trips with her mother to the closest library across state lines in New Mexico.
"I didn't think of it as a real hardship," added Tohe, "but to drive that far away, pay for gas when we didn't have much money, and sometimes our car broke down, but we did make it to Gallup, and I got a library card. She wanted to make sure I had access."
Last week, the Diné poet read some of her works from the state Capitol floor amid the Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day. It's a space Tohe had never stepped inside before, where she recited selections on water, weaving, and a sacred tortilla — kicking off her two-year term.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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