Simon Ortiz (1941– ) was born in New Mexico. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, he attended the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is currently a professor at the University of New Mexico. Widely regarded as one of the country's most important Native-American poets, Ortiz places his focus on language. His poetry is rooted in the ancient oral traditions of the Acoma tribe. To Ortiz, Pueblo oral tradition "embodies the ceremonial, social life that has been kept within the continuum of the Acoma people. It includes advice and counsel, those things told to you by your elders to ensure that you're living responsibly, to ensure that the relationships among family members are correct and according to Acoma ways of life." Ortiz's collections of poetry include Going for the Rain (1976), A Good Journey (1977), and Fight Back (1980).