Anton Ray

I grew up a child of two worlds. My parents divorced when I was a toddler, so my youth was spent bouncing between my father's French Catholic outlook, and my mother’s post-reservation Lakota spiritualism. I’ve always been drawn to fantasy; from the mythopoeic of Greek mythology, the legends of the high middle ages, to the shamanistic animism of pre-colonial American Tribes. These stories, and the balancing act between disparate family perspectives, have been the great inspirations of my life.

I joined the Army at twenty, serving in the Infantry for eight years during the opening and height of the Iraq war. I witnessed and experienced things both glorious and horrible, like literally pulling a sharp stick out of my own eyeball. It’s only mostly blind now. Like many veterans of war, I manage controlled PTSD. After nearly going back for another tour, a month after coming home, my family and fiancée gave me the ultimatum, “the military or them”. I ended my military career and pursued theatre and film full time. First at CalArts for my BFA, then my MFA in London.

At the core, I am a giant nerd. My DnD street cred is undeniable. My primary hobby is competitive medieval heavy armored combat in the Society for Creative Anachronisms. Hell, I teach theoretical alchemy classes for fun! I am, however, very serious about what I do. I now spend most of my time writing, fighting, traveling and doing research.