Gary Anthony Soto (born April 12, 1952) is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.

Life and career

Soto was born to Mexican-American parents Manuel (1910–1957) and Angie Soto (1924-). In his youth, he worked in the fields of the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

. Soto's father died in 1957, when he was five years old. As his family had to struggle to find work, he had little time or encouragement in his studies. Soto notes that in spite of his early academic record, while at high school he found an interest in poetry through writers such as

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

and

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...

. Soto attended

Fresno City College Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a public community college in Fresno, California. It is part of the State Center Community College District within the California Community Colleges system. Fresno City College operates on a semester ...

and

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

, where he earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in English in 1974, studying with poet Philip Levine. He did graduate work in poetry writing at the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

, where he was the first Mexican-American to earn a M.F.A. in 1976. He states that he wanted to become a writer in college after discovering the novelist

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

and the contemporary poets Edward Field,

W. S. Merwin William Stanley Merwin (September 30, 1927 – March 15, 2019) was an American poet who wrote more than fifty books of poetry and prose, and produced many works in translation. During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin's unique craft was thema ...

Charles Simic Dušan Simić ( sr-cyr, Душан Симић, ; born May 9, 1938), known as Charles Simic, is a Serbian American poet and former co-poetry editor of the ''Paris Review''. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1990 for ''The World Doesn't ...

, James Wright and

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

, whom he calls "the master of them all." Soto taught at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

and at

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

, where he was a Distinguished Professor. Soto was a 'Young People's Ambassador' for the

United Farm Workers of America The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...

, introducing young people to the organization's work and goals. Soto became the sponsor for the Pattonville High School Spanish National Honor Society in 2009. Soto lives in northern California, dividing his time between

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

and Fresno, but is no longer teaching.

Work

Soto's poetry focuses on daily experiences,Gary Soto at NotableBiographies.com
accessed August 28, 2009. often reflecting on his life as a

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

. Regarding his relationship with the Mexican-American community, Soto commented "as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life." Soto writes novels, plays and memoirs, and has edited several literary anthologies. His story "The No-Guitar Blues" was made into a film, and he produced another film based on his book "The Pool Party." He is a prolific writer of children's books. About his work

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

noted "Gary Soto's poems are fast, funny, heartening, and achingly believable, like Polaroid love letters, or snatches of music heard out of a passing car; patches of beauty like patches of sunlight; the very pulse of a life."

Awards and honors

Soto's first collection of poems, ''The Elements of San Joaquin'', won the United States Award of the

International Poetry Forum The International Poetry Forum (IPF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966 by Samuel John Hazo. The IPF has hosted poetry readings by over 800 poets and performers at the Carnegie Lecture Hall, Heinz Hall, and other public venues in Pittsbur ...

in 1976 prior to its publication in the

Pitt Poetry Series The ''Pitt Poetry Series'', published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, is one of the largest and best known lists of contemporary American poetry. History The Pitt Poetry Series was established in 1968 by pre ...

in 1977. The

New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

also honored the book by reprinting six of the poems. In 1985, his memoir ''Living Up the Street'' received the

Before Columbus Foundation The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, "dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature". The Foundation makes annual awards for books published in ...

American Book Award The American Book Award is an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "the ...

. In 1993, Soto received the

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

Medal for Film Excellence from the

Association for Library Service to Children The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association, and it is the world's largest organization dedicated to library service to children. Its members are concerned with creating a better future ...

for his production work on the film ''The Pool Party''. In 1999, Soto received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, and the

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...

Center West Book Award for ''Petty Crimes''. Other honors include the "Discovery"/

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

Prize, the Bess Hokin Prize and the

Levinson Award Levinson is an Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish Jewish surname, surname meaning "son of Levi". Notable people with the surname include: * André Levinson (1887–1933), French dance journalist * Arik Levinson, American economist * Arthur D. Levinso ...

from ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

''. He has received The California Library Association's John and Patricia Beatty Award (twice), a Recognition of Merit from the

Claremont Graduate School The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Col ...

for ''Baseball in April'', the Silver Medal from the

Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone. Act ...

, and the

Tomás Rivera Tomás Rivera (December 22, 1935 – May 16, 1984) was a Mexican American author, poet, and educator. He was born in Texas to migrant farm workers, and worked in the fields as a young boy. However, he achieved social mobility through educatio ...

Prize. The library at Winchell Elementary School in Fresno was named after Soto. In 2011, the Old Administration Building at Fresno City College became the permanent home of the Gary Soto Literary Museum. In 2014, Soto received the

Phoenix Award The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the bo ...

for his 1994 children's book ''Jesse''. The award committee stated: "''Jesse'' is both a coming-of-age story of one Mexican-American boy with a poetic sensibility and the story of a community and a country at a difficult time—facing poverty and prejudice and war, problems we are still facing today. ''Jesse'' offers an unembellished slice of life in Vietnam-era

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

Bibliography

Poetry collections

* ''Meatballs for the People: Proverbs to Chew On'' (

Red Hen Press Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a final ...

, 2017) * * ''Partly Cloudy: Poems of love and longing'' (Harcourt, 2009) * ''A Simple Plan'' (

Chronicle Books Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children. The company was established in 1967 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. ...

, 2007) * ''One Kind of Faith'' (

, 2003) *''A Natural Man'' (

, 1999) * ''Junior College'' (1997) * ''New and selected poems'' (

, 1995)

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

finalist * ''Canto Familiar/Familiar Song'' (1994) * ''Neighborhood Odes'' (1992) * ''Home Course in Religion'' (1991) * ''Who Will Know Us?'' (1990) * ''Black Hair'' (1985) * ''Where Sparrows Work Hard'' (1981) * ''The Tale of Sunlight'' (1978) * ''The Elements of San Joaquin'' (1977) * ''Waiting at the curb: Lynwood California (1967) * ''Saturday at the Canal '' (1991)

Young adult/children's books

* ''Baseball in April'' (1990) * ''A Fire in My Hands'' (1991) * ''Taking Sides'' (1991) * ''Pacific Crossing'' (1992), sequel to Taking Sides added by DaeQuan Jones * ''Too Many Tamales'' (1992) * ''The Skirt'' (1992) * ''The Pool Party'' (1993) * ''Local News'' (1993) * ''Jesse'' (1994) * ''7th grade'' (1995) * ''Crazy Weekend'' (1994) * ''Boys at Work'' (1995) * ''Summer On Wheels'' (1995) * ''Canto Familiar'' (1995) * Buried Onions (1997) * ''The Cat's Meow'' (1997) * '' Jessie De La Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker'' (2000) * ''Fearless Fernie'' (2002) * ''If the Shoe Fits'' (2002) * '' Marisol'' (2005) * ''When Dad Came Back'' (2011), ebook

Chato

Beginning in 1995 with ''Chato's Kitchen'' (''Chato y su cena''), Soto released a series of children's picture books in Spanish and English about a real, cool cat (''gato''), a low rider from the

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

. They were illustrated by Susan Guevara, and the second one ''Chato and the Party Animals'' (''Chato y los amigos pachangueros.'') (2000) won the Pura Belpre Medal for best illustration in 2002. The series continued with ''Chato Goes Cruisin (2004) and ''Chato's Day of Dead'' (2006).

Anthologies as editor

* ''Entrance: Four Latino Poets'' (1976) * ''California Childhood'' (1988) * ''Pieces of Heart'' (1993) * ''Afterlife''(1999)

Memoir

* ''Why I Don't Write Children's Literature'' (2015) * ''What Poets Are Like: Up and Down with the Writing Life'' (2013) * '' Living Up the Street'' (1985),

* ''Small Faces'' (1986) * ''Lesser Evils: Ten Quartets'' (1988) * ''A Summer Life'' (1990) * ''The Effects of Knut Hamsun on a Fresno Boy'' (2001) * ''The Jacket'' (1983)

Plays

* ''Novio Boy: A play'' (2006)

Film

* ''The Pool Party'' (producer, 1992) Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence (1993) * ''The No-Guitar Blues'' based on a story from ''Baseball in April''

References

External links

*
Profile and poems
at the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

Profile and poems
at the

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is an American literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Rut ...

* (1977–2013) * Gary Soto Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Soto, Gary 1952 births American male poets American children's writers American writers of Mexican descent American writers of young adult literature University of California, Riverside faculty Living people Fresno City College alumni Writers from Fresno, California American Book Award winners