Raymond Zachary Ortiz is a native of Santa Fe with deep roots in Northern New Mexico where his extended family and ancestors have lived for over four centuries. He was first inspired by poetry as a child listening to his grandfather recite poems in the shade of a willow by a ditch after a long day of chores. Poetry has been an integral part of his life since then, initially as he continued listening and reading, then as a student of poetry and literature. He received his BA from the University of Notre Dame, then lived in Costa Rica while volunteering as a social worker. He continued his formal education at the University of California Berkeley (Boalt Hall) where he received his JD. After over twenty years of law practice in Santa Fe in late 2005, he was appointed district court judge. The pre-dawn hour often finds him at a small table in a dark part of the house, writing out poems in longhand by candlelight.