GARY SNYDERis a poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for poetry (1975), the American Book Award (1984), the Bollingen Prize for Poetry (1997), the John Hay Award for Nature Writing (1997), and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (2008). Often associated with theBeat Generationand theSan Francisco Renaissance, he is known as ""the Poet Laureate of Deep Ecology,"" and his poetry reflects an immersion in bothBuddhistspirituality and nature. Snyder has translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese. For many years, Snyder served as a faculty member at theUniversity of California, Davis, and he also served for a time on theCalifornia Arts Council.