David Benjamin
David Benjamin is a prolific and oft-awarded storyteller, author of more
than twenty books, most of them published under his imprint, Last Kid
Books. Benjamin and his wife, technology journalist Junko Yoshida, live
sometimes in Madison, Wis., and the rest of the time in Paris.
David Benjamin began his career as a storyteller in Mrs. Poss’ second-
grade class at St. Mary’s School in Tomah, Wisconsin. His fictional memoir, The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked, originally published by Random
House, was reprinted by Last Kid Books in 2019. His Last Kid Books
include his Paris memoir, An Apartment in Paris, two essay collections,
Almost Killed by a Train of Thought and Benjamin’s Mess, two short story
anthologies, The Melting Grandmother and Other Short Works and
Christmas in a Jugular Vein and sixteen novels, Three’s a Crowd, A
Sunday Kind of Love, Summer of ’68, Skulduggery in the Latin Quarter, Black Dragon, They Shot Kennedy, Fat Vinny’s Forbidden Love, Witness to the Crucifixion, Choose Moose, Bistro Nights, The Voice of the Dog and
Benjamin’s Jim Otis mystery series, Jailbait, Bastard’s Bluff, Woman
Trouble, Dead Shot and Cheat. As a journalist, Benjamin has edited
newspapers, published and edited several magazines, and authored
SUMO: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to Japan’s National Sport.
Since its launch in 2019, Benjamin’s publishing imprint, Last Kid Books, has received more than fifty literary awards in nineteen genres from
a dozen independent press organizations, including “Winner” honors six times from the Independent Press Awards and the NYC Big Book Awards.
Benjamin and his wife, Junko Yoshida, have been married for ages. They live sometimes in Madison, Wis., and the rest of the time in Paris.
BookCAMP Presentor
From the OG: An Author’s Progress: Walls and Passages
4/24, 2:30PM
A “writerly” talk. In the spirit of the conference, the OG intends to emphasize the practical lessons that an author learns—and puts to use—from every setback and step forward.
Every professional writer’s career is unique to the individual. But there are milestones along the way—and lessons for fellow authors—that are virtually universal. I refer to these as walls and passages. Each wall, stopping the writer in his or her tracks, seems insurmountable. Each passage, through which the determined writer presses on to the next wall, is a combination of learning, creativity and perseverance. In my writing career, I can count twelve walls that I’ve either climbed over, circumvented, punched through or just ignored.
This presentation is a brief chronicle of those walls and passages, with emphasis on how many authors face similar obstacles and what a writer must be ready to do to scale those barricades and keep going.