Jimmy Santiago Baca was born in New Mexico of Indio-Mexican descent. Baca was raised first by his grandmother and later sent to an orphanage. A runaway at age 13, Baca was sentenced to five years in a maximum security prison; where he learned to read and write and developed a passion for poetry. He holds a BA in English and PhD honorary degree in Literature from the University of New Mexico. Baca is the author of numerous poetry collections, his latest Esai Poems and Lucia. He is the winner of the Pushcart Prize, the American Book Award, the International Hispanic Heritage Award and for his memoir A Place to Stand. In 2006 he won the Cornelius P. Turner Award. The national award recognizes one GED graduate a year who has made outstanding contributions to society in education, justice, health, public service and social welfare.  Baca has devoted his post-prison life to writing and teaching others.

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