Laura Tohe
Arizona Poet Laureate, Poet, Librettist
“Dancing from the south / cloudy cool and gray / pregnant with rainchild” — Laura Tohe
Laura Tohe
Poet, Writer, Librettist, Scholar
About Us
About Laura Tohe
Laura Tohe is a Diné poet, writer, and librettist from Crystal, Crystal, New Mexico, near the Chuska Mountains on the Diné homeland. A member of the Tsénahabiłnii (Sleepy Rock People) clan, born for the Tódich’inii (Bitter Water) clan, her work explores Indigenous language, history, and identity. She is the author and editor of several books and collaborated with the Phoenix Symphony on the oratorio Enemy Slayer.
Tohe holds a doctorate in creative writing and literature and serves as Professor with Exemplar Distinction in the English Department at Arizona State University. She was named Navajo Nation Poet Laureate (2015–2017) and has received recognition from Arizona Humanities for her public scholarship.
- Editorial Elegance to Precise language, structure, and narrative refinement
- Timeless Aesthetics to Visual design that feels classic yet relevant
- Creative Partnership to Supporting authors at every stage of their creative journey
- Literary Integrity to Prioritizing quality over quantity
FEATURED POEMS
A collection of our most loved and inspiring poems.
Meeting the Spirit of Water for Glen Tohe
When you come to a river
or lake or pond
one you haven’t met
you must meet its spirit
place your hand into its belly
feel the energy
stroke its power
caress the life source
let it run through your hands
say a prayer
you must meet its spirit
and it will never steal you
was what she told us as children
Map Songs of the Sandhill Cranes
In Mexico
they laid open the maps again
written for them in the 2nd world
in blue light spoken with blue voices
they learned songs that would guide them through all the worlds to come
songs they placed in the spiral of their throats and called them maps
in the blue world they danced with Wind
who liked these feathered beings
so Wind molded and formed their bodies
and taught them to ride on its breath
when the fights and quarrels broke the blue world apart
the cranes gathered their songs and dances and maps
and flew towards the stars
turned their bodies and broke
through a hole in the sky
into the Glittering World
where a grandmother sprinkles corn pollen for their return each year
in the month of The Eagle’s Young they find their way to the river that ribbons
past cornfields and cottonwood trees
near the hightway and electric wires
they are calling me now
back to the land of the moonshell river
so I follow their tracks to the water
I stand in the cold wind
in awe and humility
because they have made this journey for me too
Explore the Books
View Laura Tohe’s Award-Winning Works
From Code Talker Stories to No Parole Today, Laura’s writing bridges history, culture, and voice.
BOOK & CDs
BOOKS & CDs
Code Talker Stories, my most recent book, is an oral history book that contains storytelling interviews with 20 of the remaining Navajo Code Talkers who devised a secret code using the Navajo language that was never deciphered during WWII. It is a bilingual text in English and Navajo with images by Deborah O’Grady.
Making Friends with Water (Out of Print)
No Parole Today, West End Press (Out of Print)
She co-edited with Heid Erdrich, Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community, an anthology of poetry and fiction by Indigenous women. Published by the Minnesota Historical Society, it was nominated for an award.
In 2007 the Phoenix Symphony commissioned me to write the libretto for Enemy Slayer, A Navajo Oratorio, which made its 2008 world premiere as part of the Phoenix Symphony’s 60th anniversary in collaboration with composer, Mark Grey, sung by Scott Hendricks, baritone, conducted by Michael Christie, the Phoenix Symphony’s Virginia Piper Music Director and with images by Deborah O’Grady. A compact disc recording of Enemy Slayer is on the Naxos classical music label. Enemy Slayer was part of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado in July 2008 and was also performed by the Salt Lake Choral Artists at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah in 2009.
Artistic Collaborations
Librettos & Musical Interpretations
Musical Interpretations of My Poetry: Several composers and musicians have adapted my poetic works into musical compositions performed at symposia, festivals, and cultural events.
April 2024
“Female Rain”
Composed by Connor Chee
- Shił Nahólne’: Literary Arts & Oral Stories Symposium, Flagstaff, Arizona
March 29, 2024
“Map Songs of the Sandhill Cranes”
Composed by Monica Demarco
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
August 21, 2023
“Map Songs of the Sandhill Cranes”
Composed by Monica Demarco
- John Donald Robb Composers Symposium, University of New Mexico
April 2023
“Nali, Her Solo”
Composed & Performed by Delbert Anderson
- Shił Nahólne’ Symposium, Flagstaff, Arizona
March 13–20, 2022
“For Kathryn”
Musical Performance
- Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, Leo Rich Theatre, Tucson, Arizona
September 10, 2021
“My Body Holds Stones”
Composed by Brett Wery
- Recorded Live at Caffè Lena, Poetry Night: Quarry Songs, Schenectady, NY
"When poetry meets melody, the words find a new breath, a resonant space where silence and sound coalesce to tell a deeper story of our shared cultural landscape."
The Synergy of Art
Arizona Poet Laureate Appointment
Governor Katie Hobbs Appoints Laura Tohe as Arizona Poet Laureate
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 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.
“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.”
— Governor Katie Hobbs
Contact with Me
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