Gary Silva was born in Hayward, CA and went to school in Castro Valley, Napa, and Carmel. He graduated from Carmel High School, and subsequently received his A.A. from Monterey Peninsula College. He then transferred to California State University, Fresno, as an English major, but also met there the well known contemporary poet, Philip Levine, who also inspired him to write poetry. During the 1970's, he taught high school in Fresno, Seaside, and Merced. Meanwhile, he worked on his M.A. Next, he was accepted at U.C., Irvine, to work on his M.F.A. degree, specializing in creative writing.
He taught both high school and night classes at Merced Community College. In the 1980's, he went to the University of Utah to work on a doctorate in creative writing. There he had many valuable experiences, including teaching composition, technical writing, business writing, and creative writing to university students. He also studied literature and worked poems for the poetry workshops.
After four years in Salt Lake City, he returned to California and accepted an offer from Napa Valley College. He taught English 100, 120, 121, Creative Writing, and Shakespeare, among other courses, at Napa Valley College for almost twenty years before retiring in 2008.
Now, he is married, with two kids (cats), and still writes poetry. He has published dozens of poems in small magazines all across the U.S., and he is looking forward to his new position as Poet Laureate of Napa County to help create exciting and ongoing poetry events in the communities of the beautiful Napa Valley!
1.
Cold February rain falling
like thumbtacks
on my wet shoulders
my feet soggy in Nike
running shoes.
The sign "Library"
catches my breath
the way the Great Blue Heron
astounds with its eight foot wing span
and legs long as golf clubs.
I pass through the metal detector
undetected
and check my email at one of the public
screens, for free
and browse the magazines,
National Geographic, Newsweek, Atlantic Monthly
for free
and chew on the book titles
and take a handful of novels
stacked like bread slices
with Orlando, by Virginia Woolf
on top of the sandwich of writers
and read and read and read
for free
warm, cozy, dry, and smiling.
2.
Libraries are like forests
where we can touch the bark of redwoods.
Libraries are parsley and tomatoes and Mr. Lincoln roses.
Libraries harbor diversity and freedom and knowledge.
Libraries are digital and real. We can touch and hold the books.
Libraries are electrons, and India ink, spiraling through our brains.
--Gary Silva
--Retired Professor of English, NVC
& Poet Laureate of Napa County, 2008-10
