Silvester Brito

American poet and academic

Silvester John Brito (September 26, 1937 - October 7, 2018) was an American poet and academic. He was an associate professor of anthropology and folklore at the University of Wyoming.

Early life and education

Brito was born September 26, 1937, in Delta, Colorado. He was of Comanche and Purépecha descent. Brito completed a Ph.D. in Folklore at Indiana University Bloomington in 1975.^[1]

Career

Brito was an associate professor for the University of Wyoming, teaching anthropology, American folklore studies, Chicano, and religious studies. Brito was a member of M.E.C.h.A. and Keepers of the Fire.^[2]

Brito published several books of poetry, Man From a Rainbow, Looking Through A Squared Off Circle,^[3] and Red Cedar Warrior,^[4] and an ethnography, The Way of A Peyote Roadman.^[5] His poetry has appeared in CALLALOO (a creative writing publishing forum at the Texas A&M University in College Station), in the American Indian anthology, Studies In American Indian Literature: Returning The Gift (University of Arizona Press), and in The Blue Cloud Quarterly Volume 28, Number 4 .^[1]

Personal life

Brito was married to Carol (Coble) Brito for 56 years and had four children: Desiree, Michael, Juan and Jude. His parents Benjamin and Jessie Brito predeceased him.^[2] Brito died October 7, 2018, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Author biography from Brito, Silvester J. (Fall 2000), ""Red Man" Courted in Texas", Weber Journal, 18 (1)
^ ^a ^b Laramie Boomerang Obituary, October 11, 2018.
^
Review of Looking Through a Squared Off Circle:
- McCormick, Theresa E. (Summer 1986), "Review", Explorations in Sights and Sounds, 6 (1): 7–8, doi:10.1525/ess.1986.6.1.7
^
Review of Red Cedar Warrior:
- Ortiz, Simon J. (Summer 1988), "Review", Explorations in Sights and Sounds, 8 (1): 8–10, doi:10.1525/ess.1988.8.1.8
^
Reviews of The Way of a Peyote Roadman:
- Cole, D. C. (Summer 1991), "Review", Explorations in Sights and Sounds, 11 (1): 8–9, doi:10.1525/ess.1991.11.1.8
- Herring, Joseph B. (Fall 1991), American Indian Quarterly, 15 (4): 529–530, doi:10.2307/1185370, JSTOR 1185370{{citation}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Gehlen, Rolf (1991), Anthropos, 86 (1–3): 232–233, JSTOR 40462415{{citation}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)