Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California, on April 12, 1952. He did not become interested in poetry until he was in high school and he wrote all throughout college. Soto attended Fresno City College, California State University–Fresno, and University of California–Irvine, where he earned his MFA. His first collection of poems, The Elements of San Joaquin won the United States Award of the International Poetry Forum in 1976 and was published in 1977 and has since wrote many more books of poetry. Soto has received the Andrew Carnegie Medal and fellowships from the California Arts Council, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He currently lives in California.
Movement: Confessional Poetry
Prevalent Literary Themes: love, kindness, poverty, alienation, family life, choices
Prevalent Literary Devices: simile, metaphor, personification, imagery
When matched to Gary Soto, it means that similarities have been found between your poetic style and the themes and literary techniques typically seen in works by this famous poet. For example, you might use powerful metaphor or simile in the same way that Soto does. Recognizing these similarities is important because it gives you information about the history of your poetic style, which poets might inspire you, and what writing techniques you should try next.
Which Writing Techniques Should You Try Next?
Try using strong imagery and personification more often. You might also like experimenting with writing more free verse poetry and using sound patterns to create rhythm.
Make sure to check out poets.org for more information!