Victor Martinez

Victor L. Martinez (1954–2011) was an American poet and novelist born in Fresno, California, to Mexican migrant farmworkers as one of twelve children. He earned degrees from California State University, Fresno, and Stanford University on a Wallace Stegner Fellowship, working various jobs including welder, firefighter, and teacher while writing. His notable works include the poetry collection Caring for a House (1992) and the young adult novel Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida (1996), which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Fresno State bio via Letras Latinas