image of Gary Soto
Gary Soto
Author and Poet,

Fresno State

B.A. English (1974)
  • Award-winning author and poet having written more than 40 books. He is a self-described "cheerleader for reading."
  • More than a dozen of his published books include characters of diverse, ethnic backgrounds.
  • Winner of Bess Hokin Prize, Levinson Award, Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence, NBC’s Person-of-the-Week, Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, PEN Center West Book Award.
  • Received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundations.
  • Fresno City College recently opened the Gary Soto Literary Museum.

Notable CSU Alumni in artists & authors

artists & authors
Fresno