Biographies & Memoirs, United States, Native American Studies 

At Acoma Pueblo meetings, members rise and announce their intention to speak. In that moment they are recognized and heard. In "Speaking for the Generations", Acoma Pueblo poet Simon Ortiz brings together contemporary Native American writers to take their turn. Each offers an evocation of herself or himself, describing the personal, social, and cultural influences on her or his development as a writer.

Although each writer's viewpoint is personal and unique and although their backgrounds are different, they share common themes of their relationship to the land, to their ancestors, and to future generations of their people. Together they offer an inspiring portrait of what it means to be a Native writer in the twentieth century. With passion and urgency, these writers are speaking for themselves, for their land, and for the generations.