2. Gary Soto, born April 12, 1952, was raised in Fresno,
California.
Mexican-American author and poet
As his family had to struggle to find work, he had little
time or encouragement in his studies, hence, he was not a
good student.
Soto notes that in spite of his early academic record,
while at high school he found writers such as Ernest
Hemingway, and John Steinbeck.
Soto attended Fresno City College and California State
University, Fresno, where he earned his B.A. degree in
English in 1974.
He did graduate work in poetry writing at the University
of California, Irvine, where he earned his M.F.A. in 1976.
He states that he wanted to become a writer in college
after discovering writers such as the contemporary poet
James Wright.
3. He is the author of eleven poetry collections for
adults and his poems have appeared in many
literary magazines.
In 1999, he received the Literature Award from
the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-
Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National
Education Association, and the PEN Center
West Book Award.
Gary admires people who have done great
service for others.
As for his own service commitment, Gary has
taught English to Spanish speakers as a
volunteer.
In his free time he likes to play tennis, tend his
garden, attend musical concerts, and travel.
Recently he has discovered that he enjoys baking
cookies. He divides his time between Berkeley,
California and his hometown of Fresno.
4. See more on Gary at
http://www.garysoto.com/gallery.html
