{"id":22524,"date":"2025-04-25T19:59:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T19:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/shil-naholne-literary-arts-and-oral-stories-symposium-announces-new-navajo-nation-poet-laureate\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:14:13","slug":"shil-naholne-literary-arts-and-oral-stories-symposium-announces-new-navajo-nation-poet-laureate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/shil-naholne-literary-arts-and-oral-stories-symposium-announces-new-navajo-nation-poet-laureate\/","title":{"rendered":"Shi\u0142 Nah\u00f3lne\u2019: Literary Arts and Oral Stories Symposium announces new Navajo Nation Poet Laureate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Matthew
Matthew Jake Skeets, stands with current Laureate Laura Tohe, left, and inaugural Laureate Luci Tapahonso for a photo inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. (Courtesy Navajo Technical University)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In recognition of National Poetry Month, the Navajo Technical University BFA Creative Writing Program and the Navajo Nation Poet Laureate Committee celebrated the literary arts on April 17 and 18 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque that included poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and script writing.<\/p>\n

The third annual symposium announced the new Navajo Nation poet laureate, Matthew Jake Skeets of the Navajo Nation. Inaugural laureate Luci Tapahonso, current laureate Laura Tohe and NTU Arts & Humanities faculty committee gathered to present Skeets with an NTU robe and plaque to recognize his achievement.<\/p>\n

Tapahonso and Tohe also emphasized the importance of creative writing and oral storytelling in everyday life, offering endless opportunities for personal growth, expression and connection within the community.<\/p>\n

Skeets holds a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts and teaches at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

He is the author of \u201cEyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers\u201d and winner of the National Poetry Series, Kate Tufts Discovery Award, American Book Award, and Whiting Award.<\/p>\n

Elmer Guy, president of NTU, delivered the opening remarks on the second day, expressing gratitude for being invited to speak at the third annual event.<\/p>\n

He reflected on his personal history with the university, including when he first became president of Crownpoint Institute of Technology. He emphasized the significance of events like the symposium, highlighting their social and economic impact and vital role in strengthening the university\u2019s mission and outreach.<\/p>\n

The symposium is hosted by the NTU BFA Creative Writing program, the School of Arts & Humanities and the Navajo Nation Poet Laureate Committee.<\/p>\n

The symposium is bilingual and featured guest speakers including Tanaya Winder of the Southern Ute Tribe, who presented in their Native languages.<\/p>\n

Local and regional writers and emerging singer-songwriters of different tribes including Pyramid Lake Paiute, Din\u00e9, and Duckwater Shoshone nations, showcased the powerful and healing nature of narratives, particularly within the context of Indigenous cultures and healing practices.<\/p>\n

Storytellers and artists such as songwriter and musician Hataa\u0142ii, writer and director Billy Luther, renowned poet Hershman John, singer and performer Talibah Begay and costume designer Asa Benally each presented on their work, sharing personal stories and creative methods that have shaped their artistic journeys.<\/p>\n

Through their experiences, they offered practical techniques and insights into overcoming challenges in the creative process.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy organizing this symposium, Navajo Technical University affirmed its commitment to academic excellence and ongoing support for developing emerging voices in the literary and creative arts,\u201d a news release said.<\/p>\n

NTU students shared poems and short stories with guest speakers and high school students from To\u2019Hajiilee Community School and the Cuba Independent School District.<\/p>\n

Tamara June Yazzie, NTU student enrolled in the Early Childhood Multicultural Education program, was passionate about sharing her grandmother\u2019s stories and inspiring new perspectives for young readers and writers during her presentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cStories serve as medicine, offering solace, guidance, and a sense of belonging. Language arts educators, literature instructors, and teachers of Navajo language and culture presented and attended the event,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

Joe Kee, an associate professor at the University of New Mexico campus in Gallup, emphasized Din\u00e9 philosophy in his presentation \u201cHod\u00edlzingo Ood\u00e1\u00e1\u0142 \u2013 Walking in Reverence,\u201d which encourages living in harmony with the natural world and respecting all forms of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cNavajo Technical University is happy to have hosted such an epic gathering, and we look forward to welcoming even more artists and attendees next year,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indigenous language and culture showcased <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1240,1222,155,799,28,1241],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-22524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-aztec","tag-bloomfield","tag-education","tag-farmington","tag-headlines","tag-kirtland"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77747,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22524\/revisions\/77747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22524"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=22524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}