Michael Battisto, an incoming transfer student at UC Berkeley, found his path to poetry and a career in cooking through a lifelong love of books. He is now a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar studying English.
A Secret Love for Books
Battisto grew up in Chicago in a working-class family. His father struggled with bipolar disorder and alcoholism and believed "book smarts" were useless. Despite this, Battisto discovered reading in first grade, which he says "saved his life."
He would secretly walk to the library after school, spending hours there. His room became a safe haven where he read books like Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a child, he was fascinated by different versions of the Bible, drawn to the "luxurious" language of the King James version.
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Start Your News DetoxAt age 15, Battisto was institutionalized. During this difficult time, the only book he had was Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. He found solace in Whitman's detailed descriptions and the idea that writing connects people across time. This experience solidified his identity as a poet.
From Kitchen to Classroom
After years of working in warehouses, Battisto moved to Wyoming and took a dishwashing job. There, he discovered a passion for cooking. He saw it as creative and challenging, similar to writing a poem. He read cookbooks in his spare time and worked his way up in prestigious restaurants, eventually becoming a lead cook at Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 2015.
Throughout his cooking career, Battisto continued to write in secret. He never showed his work to anyone. When Chez Panisse closed temporarily during the pandemic, he dedicated himself to writing for about a year, often for 12 hours a day.
He began submitting his poems to journals and has since published over 170 pieces. His work often explores themes like food and housing insecurity, intergenerational trauma, and urban history.
Pursuing a Future in Poetry
Battisto transferred from Berkeley City College to UC Berkeley to major in English and minor in creative writing or rhetoric. He values freedom of expression and looks forward to studying in Berkeley's English department, which he describes as "heaven."
He plans to pursue an MFA in poetry and a Ph.D. overseas, aiming to become a poetry professor. Battisto finds teaching rewarding, especially after his own struggles to find knowledge. He remains inspired by the endless possibilities for writing.
Deep Dive & References: Michael Battisto's website Michael Battisto's Substack newsletter, Continuum What It Took
