Michael Soto
Visiting Assistant Professor
Biography
Mike Soto is a Mexican-American author and translator. His debut collection of poetry, A Grave Is Given Supper, is described as a Narco Acid Western told in a series of interlinked poems, using themes from the ongoing drug war taking place in a fictional U.S./Mexico border town. It was adapted for the stage in a unique collaboration of literary theater with Teatro Dallas, and featured in the ICE Factory Festival in New York in 2021. Isles of Firm Ground, his translation of poet Ignacio Ruiz-Pérez (Chiapas, México), was published by Deep Vellum/Phoneme in 2022. His first collections of poetry include the chapbooks, Beyond The Shadow’s Ink, (published by Thomas Lux’s Jeanne Duval Editions) and Dallas Spleen, a dystopian vision of Dallas where brutalist architecture has run amok. Soto is currently working on a new collection of poetry, a multimedia collaboration with photographer Diego Flores.
Education
BA, 2005, English Lit, Spanish Lit, University of North Texas
MFA, 2009, Creative Writing (Poetry), Sarah Lawrence College
Publications and Projects
Nunca Solo: Alma Allen, Museo Anahuacalli + Kasmin Gallery (Translation), 2023
Isles of Firm Ground, Ignacio Ruiz-Pérez (Translation), Deep Vellum/Phoneme, 2022
A Grave Is Given Supper, written by Mike Soto, directed by Claudia Acosta, starring Elena Hurst, Nov. 9-14, 2020 Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, TX; July 28-31, New Ohio Theatre, New York, NY
A Grave Is Given Supper, Deep Vellum, 2020
Nowhere To Go But Home, photos by Xavier Tavera (Essay), Cottage Industry, 2020
Dallas Spleen, Deep Vellum, 2019
Beyond The Shadow’s Ink, Jeanne Duval Editions, 2010