We, Who Walked Beneath The Stars was written by Ray Dio Ryterski over the span of about two years. The idea to compose a collection came to Ray after the title poem lost a poetry contest. After failing to publish the title poem as a stand alone piece, Ray thought about what they wanted to do with the poem, not wanting to let it sit and collect dust. It was then that Ray had the idea to write a collection based upon and woven around the title piece.
The initial conception of this collection was focused on expanding the imagery and message of the title piece. With a brainstormed list of titles, Ray began writing what would one day become the book you are reading now. As they were writing this book, Ray’s vision of the book’s message changed. At first, Ray just wanted to expand upon the imagery and message of the title poem. But as Ray kept writing, Ray realized that there was something beyond simple expansion that they wanted to showcase. What started out as a fun little project became more serious and personal.