Governor Katie Hobbs Appoints Laura Tohe as Arizona Poet Laureate

Phoenix, AZ – Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced the appointment of celebrated poet Dr. Laura Tohe 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. Dr. Tohe is the second person in the state’s history to serve as Arizona Poet Laureate.

“I’m thrilled to appoint Laura Tohe as Arizona Poet Laureate,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Over the course of her career, Dr. Tohe has distinguished herself as a poet, librettist, and writer of both fiction and nonfiction. She is a storyteller whose words reflect the heart, history, and hopes of our state. As Poet Laureate, Dr. Tohe will continue Arizona’s tradition of creativity and help inspire the next generation of writers.”

“I am deeply honored and grateful to be named Arizona State Poet Laureate,” said Laura 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.”

An award-winning poet and writer, Dr. Tohe was born in Fort Defiance, Arizona and grew up speaking both Diné bizaad/Navajo language and English. She is a professor emerita of English at Arizona State University, where she taught for 24 years. Dr. Tohe previously served as Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation from 2015 to 2019.

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 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, and 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.

The Arizona Commission on the Arts facilitated the nomination and selection process. Nominations were open to the public, and all nominees were reviewed by a five-member committee chaired by Nicole Dahl, one of the agency’s 15 Governor-appointed commissioners.

The committee evaluated nominees’ artistic strength, experience in the public presentation and education of poetry, history of community engagement, and their ability to uphold responsibilities of the role. Committee members included:

• Amber McCrary, poet, Programs Manager at AZ Humanities, and owner and founder of Abalone Mountain Press, Phoenix
• Dr. Dexter Booth, Residential English Faculty at Paradise Valley Community College and poet, Phoenix
• Raquel Gutiérrez, Professor for Institute of American Indian Arts’ Master of Fine Arts in Writing program and poet, Tucson 
• Lawrence Lenhart, Associate Chair of English at Northern Arizona University and Executive Director of the Northern Arizona Book Festival, Flagstaff 
• Tyler Mitchell, Teaching artist, Editor at Salina Bookshelf Inc, and poet, Chandler

Panelists were impressed by Dr. Tohe’s stature in the literary community, citing her time as the Navajo Nation’s Poet Laureate, her professorship at Arizona State University, and her award-winning published work. Panelists also appreciated the depth of Dr. Tohe’s experience working in and with communities across Arizona.

As outlined in state legislation, Dr. Tohe will serve a term of two years. During her tenure, she will offer public readings in various regions of the state and pursue a major literary project.

The position of Arizona Poet Laureate was previously held by Alberto Álvaro Ríos, who served two consecutive two-year terms from 2014 to 2018. 

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