Gary Soto
Gary Soto can be described as an exceptional and distinctive poet of his time, however he wouldn’t be such an extraordinary poet had it not been for the influence of Philip Levine’s style and Robert Lowell’s poetry. ... Gary Soto describes poetry as an intense structure of writing the experiences and feelings with a measure of one’s creativity that is shared with others. ... Soto’s subject matter gives readers the perspective of the poor, and giving them the mind-set of the characters in his poems. ... His short lines, fit descriptions, and fervent tones are distinctive characteristics of Soto’s poetry. ... The “magical realm” of Latin American writing had influenced some of Soto’s poetry, however his American influence of working-class knowledge is evocative of Philip Levine. Soto had studied with Levine who he had called “a constant master of the nuts and bolts on how to read, analyze, and critique a poem”. ... His poetry depicts the lives and the stuggles of Detroit’s lower class citizens the same way Gary Soto had written about San Joaquin Valley at its lower-class populace.