Gary Soto

Biography
Gary Soto was born to Mexican-American parents, Manuel and Angie, on April 12th, 1952. During his younger years, Gary worked in the fields of San Joaquin Valley. As his father passed away, both him and his family struggled to find employment which led Gary to lose focus on his academics. As a high school student, poets such as Jules Verne, Robert Frost, and Thornton Wilder sparked an interest in him to engage with poetry. In 1974, Gary went on to receive a B.A in English from California State University, Fresno. He then went on to become the first Mexican-American to graduate from University of California, Irvine in 1976 with a M.F.A in Poetry.

His desire to become a writer surfaced after he found the work of novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez and contemporary poets such as James Wright and Pablo Neruda. Gary Soto now lives in Northern California after having spent years being a Distinguished Professor at both University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Riverside. As a promoter of writing, Soto now encourages teachers to have students write him letters in which he takes time to respond back.

Themes
Majority of Soto's work focuses on his lived experiences and reflections growing up as a Chicano. His literary work often addresses narratives of those who come from underprivileged backgrounds and themes young adults are able to make a connection with. For instance, in his most anthologized poem in contemporary literature, Oranges, he talks about love, maturation, and poverty.

Honors and Awards
1977: United States Award of the International Poetry Forum for The Elements of San Joaquin

1985: Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award for Living Up the Street

1999: Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature, Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes

2014: Phoenix Award for Jesse

* Library at Winchell Elementary School in Fresno was named after Gary Soto*

* Sold over 400 million copies of his books nationwide with books being translated into French, Japanese, Italian, Korean, and Spanish.