Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California, California, in 1952. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including New and Selected Poems (Chronicle Books, 1995), which was a National Book Award 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); and The Elements of San Joaquin (1977). Soto has also written two novels, Poetry Lover (University of New Mexico Press, 2001) and Nickel and Dime (2000); the memoir Living Up the Street (1985), for which he received an American Book Award; numerous young adult and children's books; and edited three anthologies: Pieces of Heart (1993), California Childhood Entrance: Four Latino Poets (1976). His honors include the Andrew Carnegie Medal, the United States Award of the International Poetry Forum, The Nation/"Discovery" Prize, and the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award from Poetry. He has also received fellowships from the California Arts Council, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in northern California.