Luis Omar Salinas was a leading Chicano poet who published a number of well-received collections of poetry, including the Crazy Gypsy, which has been described as "a classic of contemporary and Chicano poetry".
Education
After graduating from Bakersfield High School, he served in the United States Marines Reserves and attended Bakersfield City College, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in History. He then studied under Henri Coulette at California State University at Los Angeles before transferring to California State University Fresno.
Career
Salinas is regarded as "one of the founding fathers of Chicano poetry in America," with many of his poems being "canonized in United States. Born on June 24, 1937 in Robstown, Texas, Salinas" father, Rosendo Valdez Salinas, was a second generation Mexicano-Tejano. Salinas was raised under poor circumstances in Robstown until, as a teenager, he moved with his family to California. Salinas dropped out of college and supported his writing through most of his life by doing various jobs.
Toward the end of his life he returned to California State University Fresno, where he taught poetry.