Gary Snyder is widely regarded as a member of the Beat Generation circle of writers: he was one of the poets that read at the famous "Six Gallery" event, and was written about in one of Kerouac's most popular novels, "The Dharma Bums". Some critics argue that Snyder's connection with the Beats is exaggerated and that he might better be regarded as a part of the San Francisco Renaissance, which developed independently. Snyder himself has some reservations about the label "Beat", but does not appear to have any strong objection to being included in the group. He often talks about the Beats in the first person plural, referring to the group as "we" and "us".