The local literary community lost one of its leading lights with the passing of Alan Soldofsky this past weekend.
Soldofsky was a poet and published author who retired in 2024 from San Jose State University, where he was a professor of English and Creative Writing and headed the MFA Program in Creative Writing.
He directed the San Jose Poetry Center after joining the faculty in 1985. As past director of the university’s Center for Literary Arts, he expanded the program’s profile and brought legendary authors and poets to San Jose, including Allen Ginsberg and Ken Kesey. His secret talent, though, was championing emerging talent, guiding his students’ creativity and recruiting fresh voices for residencies, readings and faculty positions.
Metro Silicon Valley and other publishers benefited from his efforts to build the local creative community.
He was the author of “In the Buddha Factory” (Truman State University Press, 2013), a book of poems with his son, “Holding Adam; My father’s books” and the poems “Morning in Paradiso” (2002), “Openin’ Statement” (1999), “Thirteen” (1994) and “The Beginning of Summer” (1992)
He is survived by his loving wife, Pamela Pennington, his two sons—Adam (Mimi) and Neal (Michelle), as well as two grandchildren, Eden and Ayla.—Dan Pulcrano, editor
