Episode 43 - Benjamin Gorman

Benjamin Gorman is the author of The Sum of Our Gods (2013, Not a Pipe Publishing), Corporate High School (2015, Not a Pipe Publishing), and The Digital Storm: A Science Fiction Reimagining of William Shakespeare's The Tempest (2017, Not a Pipe Publishing), and Don’t Read This Book (2019, Not a Pipe Publishing). Corporate High School became an Amazon bestseller in 2016, and The Digital Storm was named a “Top Five Book Pick” by the San Diego Union Tribune. Benjamin is a high school English teacher. He lives in Independence, Oregon with his son, Noah. Benjamin believes in human beings and the power of their stories. He places his confidence in his students and the world they will choose to create if given the chance.

Benjamin was born in Michigan, grew up in Illinois, California, and Ohio, and graduated with a BA from Whitworth University in Washington before moving to Oregon to get an MAT at George Fox University. He teaches at Central High School and loves his job. He’s passionate about the classes he teaches, like Creative Writing and Science Fiction Literature, but he enjoys the students even more than the content.

He is a strong advocate for public education and for elevating and honoring the profession of teaching, so he served as the president of his local teachers’ union and now serves on the board of the Oregon Education Association. He has also been named to the National Writing Project's Writer's Council.

Meanwhile, he writes every chance he gets. In 2013, he decided to start his own publishing company, Not a Pipe Publishing, and venture into the exciting and growing independent publishing industry.  “I’m luckier than a lot of writers who slog their way through day jobs they hate. I get to work on my craft with the help of my students at a job I love, and as we learn together, I get better. I hope that shows in The Sum of Our Gods, Corporate High School, The Digital Storm, and Don’t Read This Book. Like much of the union work I’ve done at the bargaining table, the meaning of a novel is a negotiation between the reader and the writer. I hope I’ve brought my readers a fair offer, something they’ll be pleased to accept.”