[4] Spending his late childhood and adolescent years in Southern Arizona, Joe picked up the Spanish that would become an integral part of his storytelling and writing.
[9] His interest in storytelling deepened, partly due to the early influence of his father, and he started to share the tales with a broader audience.
[3] In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas and developed his interest in Cuban and African folk tales there.
[8] For children and adults alike, Hayes' storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe were a summer tradition that has continued for over 40 years.
But, when we begin to learn their stories, we recognize all we share in common with them and we delight in how the unique beauty of their traditions enriches our own lives.