Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories: Siihasin (Reflection and Thinking Ahead)
2026-03-07 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | Arizona Humanities, 1242 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
In partnership with AZ Humanities and the Labriola Center, this session is the final four of a four-part creative writing program that is open to storytellers at all levels and to the general public. This is the final workshop session for Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories, hosted by Manny Loley at AZ Humanities on Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.
About Workshop Session
The final session of this series will take place at the Blue Corn Fest in March 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.
Materials needed: something to write and take notes with.
Dr. 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.

Seeds of Language Seeds of Stories: Nahat'á (Framework or Guiding Principles)
2026-02-26 16:00 - 18:00 | ASU Labriola Center
In partnership with AZ Humanities and the Labriola Center, this session is the third of a four-part creative writing program that is open to storytellers at all levels and to the general public. The four sessions will take place throughout February 2026 with a culminating event held at the Blue Corn Fest on Saturday, March 7, 2026. This is the third workshop session for Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories, hosted by Manny Loley at the Labriola National American Indian Data Center.
About Workshop Session:
In this third session, we will expand on ideas from the first two sessions and move toward the physical/embodied aspect of language and storytelling. We will physically handle corn seeds/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 Labriola Center later in the evening.
Dr. 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.

Seeds of Language Seeds of Stories: Nahat'á (Framework or Guiding Principles)
2026-02-19 16:00 - 18:00 | Phoenix Indian Center, 4041 N Central Ave Building B, Phoenix, AZ, 85012, United States
In partnership with AZ Humanities, Phoenix Indian Center, and the Labriola Center, this session is the second of a four-part creative writing program that is open to storytellers at all levels and to the general public. The four sessions will take place throughout February 2026 with a culminating event held at the Blue Corn Fest on Saturday, March 7, 2026. This is the second workshop session for Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories, hosted by Manny Loley at Phoenix Indian Center.
About Workshop Session
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.
Materials needed: something to write and take notes with and participants are welcomed to bring in any materials they would like to share that relates to corn/planting/growth.
Dr. 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.

Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories: Nitsáhákéés (Thinking Creatively)
2026-02-12 16:00 - 18:00 | South Mountain Community Library, 7050 S 24th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85042, United States
In partnership with AZ Humanities, Phoenix Public Library at South Mountain, and the Labriola Center, this session is the first of a four-part creative writing workshop program that is open to storytellers at all levels and to the general public. The four sessions will take place throughout February 2026 with a culminating event held at the Blue Corn Fest on Saturday, March 7, 2026. This is the first workshop session for Seeds of Language, Seeds of Stories, hosted by Manny Loley at South Mountain Community College Public Library. Parking is accessible and close by to the South Mountain Community Library (see attachments for a map),
About Workshop Session 1: Nitsáhákéés (Thinking Creatively)
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.
Materials needed: something to write and take notes with, the word for “corn” in your ancestral/heritage language, and an open mind.
About our host:
Dr. 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.
The room at SMCL will be L162, on the first floor of the library.
