Otis, Raymond

Raymond Otis (1900-1938) was a novelist who resided in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the last ten years of his life. The New Mexican landscape was the setting for his novels ( Fire in the Night, Miguel of the Bright Mountain, and Little Valley ). Otis was involved in many civic activities. He volunteered for the Santa Fe Volunteer Fire Department, worked for the Indian Arts Fund, and worked with the League of Spanish-Speaking workers (la Liga Obrera de Habla Espa?ol). Marta Weigle, in her introduction to Otis' novel Miguel of the Bright Mountain, writes that "Ray Otis was briefly but vitally a part of the New Mexico literary scene." He formed part of the Santa Fe arts colony of the late 1920s and early 1930s as well as being an associate of Writers' Editions (a local cooperative publishing venture) and participating in the Federal Writers' Project as an editor. In addition to his novels, Otis published three short stories. He also published Fire Brigade, Indian Art and the Southwest: An Exposition of Methods and Practices, and The Santa Fe Volunteer Fire Department: a History of its Life and Reputation . He died of chronic nephritis at age 38 in Santa Fe.

From the guide to the Raymond Otis Papers, 1925-1966, 1938, (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)

Raymond Otis (1900-1938) was a novelist who resided in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the last ten years of his life. The New Mexican landscape was the setting for his novels. Otis was involved in many civic activities. He formed part of the Santa Fe arts colony of the late 1920s and early 1930s as well as being an associate of Writers' Editions (a local cooperative publishing venture) and participating in the Federal Writers' Project as an editor.

From the description of Papers, 1925-1966, (bulk 1938). (University of New Mexico-Main Campus). WorldCat record id: 45535229