Welcome! Donald Paul Benjamin is a novelist, journalist, cartoonist, and photographer. He’s a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a regional group of authors based in Denver. However, he lives on the Western Slope of Colorado about as far from the teeming metropolis of Denver as he can get without falling into Utah. It’s rural country with lakes, rivers, and streams; mountains, mesas, and valleys; cattle, sheep, and sheep dogs; apples, peaches, cherries, and corn. And breathtaking vistas.
Recent Posts
One Finger or the Wave?
I live in a rural community where it’s common practice to acknowledge a passing motorist. If the acquaintance is a casual one or even a complete stranger, lifting a single index finger will suffice. If the relationship is closer, a purposeful wave is best. When creating a fictional character, I apply the passing motorist test. … Continue reading One Finger or the Wave?
Famous Writers School
After high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army for a three-year tour of duty. Never having traveled farther than a car trip from Colorado to Iowa, I took the train to basic training in Missouri. Before I completed basic, President Kennedy was assassinated, and our inexperienced platoon of raw recruits and reluctant draftees was … Continue reading Famous Writers School
Googly-Eyes and the Writing Life
Once upon a time, I taught cartooning and storybook illustration to elementary school children. At our first class meeting, I came prepared with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and inanimate objects like a stapler, a bottle, and a cup. I lined these objects up on a raised box and invited the children to tell me … Continue reading Googly-Eyes and the Writing Life
Packing to Perfection in Pompeii
Around lunchtime, in the year 79 of the Christian Era, on the coast of what is now modern-day Italy, a once-dormant volcano rumbled. Ash rained down on the first day as residents of the nearby city of Pompeii gathered their belongings and debated whether to leave or stay. A day later, Mount Vesuvius erupted in … Continue reading Packing to Perfection in Pompeii
d.p. BENJAMIN 