Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories: Poetry Workshop Series
Event description
- Arts and entertainment
- Free
- Open to the public
In partnership with Arizona Humanities, Phoenix Public Library at South Mountain Community College and the Labriola National American Indian Data Center, join a free four-part creative writing workshop program open to writers, storytellers and community members – all levels welcome! Each poetry workshop takes place at a different location and includes an online option.
In her poem “‘Álastsii Dah Deidijaa’”, Nia Francisco writes: ‘álastsii’ dóó nínit’i’ii niidlįh / seeds that does not cease we are. These seeds are language and stories. These seeds, carried in the palms and hearts of our ancestors, have sustained and inspired generations of Diné storytellers and cultural knowledge holders. With these seeds, we continue storytelling traditions that have supported our people through adversities. As we continue to live, we plant these seeds in the hearts and minds of the next generation. In this way, the stories continue. Never-ending and always growing.
In honor of this legacy, the program “Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories” will feature multiple creative writing sessions centering Indigenous language and storytelling. Led by Diné writer and educator Manny Loley, the four sessions will take place throughout February 2026, culminating at the Blue Corn Festival on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Arizona Humanities in downtown Phoenix
Session 1: Nitsáhákéés (Thinking Creatively)
Thursday, February 12 from 4 to 6 p.m.
South Mountain Community Library and Online (7050 S 24th St, Phoenix, AZ 85042)
To think about how we build a relationship with our languages, this initial session will focus on a single word—naadą́ą́’ (simply translated as corn). We will be thinking about our relationship with naadą́ą́’ (and in extension planting) to generate ideas about how we can expand our thinking about and engagement with language. How are we looking at our languages on a deeper level? How can we create a deeper understanding? What are the philosophies present within words in our languages? What can these ideas teach us about being human and about our relationship with the physical spaces we inhabit? While we will be looking at a Diné conceptualization of the word “corn,” participants are encouraged to also work from the word for “corn” in their ancestral/heritage language. This initial meeting will focus on creativity and generative writing exercises and discussion.
Session 2: Nahat’á (Framework or Guiding Principles)
Thursday, February 19 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Phoenix Indian Center and Online (4041 N Central Ave, Building B, Phoenix, AZ 85012)
Building off of ideas discussed in session one, this follow-up session will focus on materials (ex: poems, excerpts from longer works, ancestral stories, family stories, songs, etc.) centering naadą́ą́’ (simply translated as corn), planting, growth, and creativity. We will engage with materials written/created/passed down by other Indigenous writers, thinkers, and elders to deepen our understanding of language and storytelling. What have other people written or said about these concepts? What are some existing frameworks and ways of thinking about these concepts? How is our thinking fitting into this conversation? What are some new ways to approach these ideas? This session will be a practice in honoring pre-existing knowledge while finding our own voice and creating new material. This second meeting will involve discussion, writing exercises, group activities, and sharing.
Session 3: Iiná (Living or Embodied Knowledge)
Thursday, February 26 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Hayden Library, Labriola Center and Online (300 E. Orange Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281)
In this third session, expand on ideas from the first two sessions and move toward the physical and embodied aspect of language and storytelling. We will physically handle corn seeds and objects in some kind of way. This could look like creative exercises using physical corn seeds or corn objects, learning from a traditional knowledge holder and planting, or another kind of engagement activity. The idea is that we’ll be putting our ideas and writing about corn, planting, and growth into action through physical engagement with these materials. How does our understanding of language and storytelling change when we engage in physical action? What can this teach us about the connection between language/stories, knowledge, and our physical bodies? This third meeting will involve some physical aspect of engaging with the ideas we’ve discussed thus far, discussion, and potential writing exercises. Participants are also invited to share their creative work at an Indigenous Open Mic held at the ASU Library’s Labriola Center later in the evening.
Session 4: Siihasin (Reflection and Thinking Ahead)
Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 3 to 4 p.m.
AZ Humanities and Online (1242 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004)
The final session of this series will take place at the Blue Corn Fest on March 7, 2026. In this final session, we will reflect on what we’ve learned in previous sessions and think about creative ways we can pass on this knowledge. Now that we’ve thought about corn, planting, and growth, what are some ideas that we’ll take away from this experience and how can we incorporate those ideas into our living? What are some creative ways that we can pass on this knowledge? What are some bigger ideas or epiphanies we’ve had in this process? Participants will create some kind of object to pass on ideas from this series. We will brainstorm and work together to create these objects in our time together.
About Manny Loley
Manny Loley is 'Áshįįhi born for Tó Baazhní'ázhí; his maternal grandparents are the Tódích'íi'nii and his paternal grandparents are the Kinyaa'áanii. He holds a Ph.D. in English and Literary Arts from the University of Denver, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing-Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Dr. Loley is an inaugural Indigenous Nations Poets Fellow, a founding member of Saad Bee Hózhǫ́: Diné Writers' Collective, and the editor for Leading the Way: Wisdom of the Navajo People. Since 2018, he has served as director of the Emerging Diné Writers' Institute. His work has found homes in Poetry Magazine, Pleiades Magazine, the Massachusetts Review, the Santa Fe Literary Review, Broadsided Press, the Arkansas International, The Gift of Animals, Nihikéyah: Navajo Homeland, and the Diné Reader: an Anthology of Navajo Literature, among others. His writing has been thrice nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Dr. Loley is at work on a novel titled They Collect Rain in Their Palms. He is from Tsétah Tó Ák'olí on the Navajo Nation.