Gary Soto, born on April 12th, has written many books of poetry and fiction which give readers an insight into Mexican-American life, sharing scenes from his childhood in the San Joaquin Valley of California where his family worked in fields and factories.

In 1994, he won the Pura Belpre Award from the ALA for his book, Baseball in April and Other Stories (Harcourt). He has also won the Levinson Prize from Poetry, the Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for his film "The Pool Party." In 1995, his New and Selected Poems was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Awards.

He was the first American poet asked to participate in a NASA launch.

For the Los Angeles Opera, he wrote the libretto to the opera “Nerdlandia.”

He is currently the Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California at Riverside.

—Vicki Palmquist