Donate Simon Ortiz Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Simon Ortiz donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the poetry (Going for the Rain, A Good Journey, From Sand Creek, Woven Stone, After and Before the Lightning), the stories (Men on the Moon, Fightin'), the children's books, and the anthologies he edited. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all; first printings and signed copies are recognized, and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project

Simon Ortiz, from Acoma Pueblo west of Albuquerque, is one of the most important voices in Native American poetry — a foundational figure read alongside Silko, Harjo, and Momaday. His work is taught and treasured across New Mexico, and when a collection gets cleared, most people just want it to go somewhere that honors it. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole thing, free, and I check every book.

What I take: all of it

You don't have to know what's valuable

Here's the honest picture: most of Ortiz's trade editions are common and modest in value — but first printings and signed copies are collected, especially the early collections Going for the Rain (1976) and From Sand Creek (1981), and small-press first printings of poetry can be quietly scarce, since the runs were small. You don't have to figure out which printing you have; bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the first printings and signed copies, set them aside, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any value put to good use near the pueblo he came from.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a signed first you know is special, selling on your own is fine. For the rest — paperbacks and later printings — listing each book is more work than it's worth. Donating handles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, reading copies to new readers, and any first printing or signed copy recognized and supporting New Mexico literacy. Here's where donated books go.

How free pickup works

Call or text 702-496-4214 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and we set a time. I come to you and load it all. I cover Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, the East Mountains, and the surrounding metro, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I donate Simon Ortiz books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the poetry, the stories, the children's books. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are Simon Ortiz books collectible?

Most trade editions are common, but first printings and signed copies (especially Going for the Rain 1976, From Sand Creek 1981) are collected. Bring it all and let me check.

Paperbacks too?

Yes — worn paperbacks, University of Arizona Press editions, reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.