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Paul Benkendorer is a writer, poet, essayist, and educator from Scottsdale, Arizona. His works have been featured in Back Roads Literary Review, Poet's Choice, The Write Launch, Black Hare Press, Allegory Ridge, and many other journals and anthologies around the world. Paul is an adjunct professor of English at Arizona Christian University. He also works as an educator, specializing in teaching special needs youth reading and writing skills, and has been doing so for upwards of ten years. Paul's work in the classroom has helped students who struggled in conventional classrooms excel. He has worked as an assistant editor, a ghostwriter, and a copywriter. During his time as an assistant editor, he interviewed authors and brought their stories to life for future generations of young authors. His most recent essay, "Being a Brother and Teacher of Neurodivergent," was selected to be featured in Encephalon Journal. Paul's work with special needs students (particularly his brother) have been influential in his writing.
Paul holds a BA in creative writing from the University of Arizona, where he studied under the tutelage of Ted McLoof and Dr. Ander Monson. He holds an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under Mark Farrington, Tim Wendel, Heidi Rosenbrock, and many other prominent authors. He is currently in the process of completing his MFA in Fiction at Drexel University and is set to graduate in May 2024. While at Drexel, Paul was fortunate to work under the mentorship of authors Tim Bascom, Teresa Messineo, and Nomi Eve. Paul also worked as a proofreader for the university's literary journal, Paper Dragon.
Paul is currently working on his debut novel, "A Terrible Innocense." It is a historical novel based on the life of a young Irish nationalist set during the Easter Uprising. It is inspired by the real life events of his own great-grandfather.