Simon J. Ortiz

Simon J. Ortiz is a leading figure in the Native American literary renaissance that emerged in the 1960s. Simon has published many books of poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction. His writing is concerned with modern man’s alienation from others, from himself, and from his environment—urging humanity to reconnect  the wisdom of ancestral spirits and with Mother Earth. His poetry collections include Going for the Rain, A Good Journey, From Sand Creek, Woven Stone, After and Before the Lightning, and Out There Somewhere. Simon is an Acoma Pueblo Indian, was born and raised near Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up speaking the Acoma tongue. He currently teaches at Arizona State University, where he founded and coordinates the Indigenous Speakers Series.