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Simon Ortiz is a contemporary Native American writer who continues to be a strong voice in literature today. His many writing accomplishments include creating poems, short stories, essays, and children’s books.

Biographer A. Walton Litz recounts that as a child, Ortiz would listen closely to adults telling traditional stories and gossip and through this fascination with stories was given the nickname of “the reporter” by his father (American Writers, 500). This interest in culture and history fueled his passion for writing. Having grown up in the Acoma Pueblo community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ortiz experienced the hardships of Native American and English cultures colliding from a very early age.

According to biographer A. Walton Litz, “at most of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and mission schools, the children were punished by a sharp crack on the knuckles if they were caught speaking their native language” (American Writers, 501). As a result, he found literature to be a way to express his frustration and passionate beliefs. This medium provided a way to embrace his Acoma culture while sharing it with others.

According to an article by A. Walton Litz in the American Writers Supplement series, Ortiz is unlike most Native American contemporary writers in that he is full blooded Native American and his first language was his native tongue of Keresan (500). By learning English, he found a way to communicate with those outside of his immediate culture. His writing was first supported by teaching at several institutions such as the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa. A. Walton Litz tells of how Ortiz entered writing in the 1960’s when equal rights and social justice were at the roots of everyday life (American Writers, 497). This timing proved fruitful because it provided a foundation of readers that wanted to “fix” our nation, both environmentally and socially.

Simon Ortiz’s writing is a success because it describes events in everyday life. Readers can relate to his works because they reveal that, by introspection and experiences, anyone can learn from past experiences and gain personal growth. He writes about everyday life and how our industrial culture has effected environment and society. These issues not only affect Native Americans, but all Americans, all people. Biographer Kathy Whitson suggests that “Ortiz has used the language of the colonizers to fight against oppression” (Native American Literature, 178). In this way, his works provide a reader with the sense of self-respect that they need in order to to stand up for their rights and preserve their way of life.

He's also listed in 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.

Check out this website to find some of his works as well as more information: http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/poetry/so/ortizmain.htm