Simon J. Ortiz was born on May 27, 1941, and raised on the Acoma Pueblo, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. His father was a stonemason and later a railroad worker, and his mother was a potter. As a child, he spoke the native Acoma language, Keresan. Early in his education, however, while attending a reservation school, he was forced to learn English, giving him a bicultural world-view that has characterized his writing.

In 1961 and 1962, Ortiz attended Fort Lewis College. He served in the army from 1962 through 1965, at the height of the Vietnam War. After his return, he attended the University of New Mexico, earning his bachelor of arts degree and then went on to earn a master's of fine arts from the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. After graduating, he supported himself by working in public relations at Rough Rock Demonstration School in Arizona and as...