Today we’d like to introduce you to David W. Berner.
David W., we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Much of my career has been spent in broadcast journalism and education. I worked for CBS Radio and other broadcast entities as a radio anchor and reporter. My first job was at a country music station outside Pittsburgh where I learned to be a good broadcaster and eventually a storyteller. After a long career in radio, I moved to education, teaching at the university level. But today, I foremost consider myself a writer. I am an award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, short stories, and poetry.. My work includes the novels A Well-Respected Man, The Islander, Night Radio, Sandman, and Rainbow Man, and the nonfiction books Accidental Lessons, Any Road Will Take You There, Walks with Sam, The Consequence of Stars, and most recently Daylight Saving Time.
I’ve been honored with the Eric Hoffer Book Award, the NYC Big Book Award, the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors Award for Literary Fiction, and the Book of the Year Award from the Chicago Writers Association. He’s also been recognized by the Paris Book Festival, The Society of Midland Authors, the Hawthorne Prize, the Royal Dragonfly Awards, and the Readers’ Choice Awards..
I have also been honored as the Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando, Florida and the at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home and Museum in Oak Park, Illinois.
I am a retired associate-professor at Columbia College Chicago, a long-time Chicago broadcast journalist, and now teach writing at Gotham Writers Workshop of New York City.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never a smooth road. And that’s good. You don’t learn from successes, you learn from failures. I have been fired from my job. been threatened with firing, and lost jobs due to consolidation in the broadcast industry. And being a writer, one must get used to rejection early and often. It’s a big part of the gig, so to speak. My first book, for instance, received over 40 rejections before it found a publisher.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
All in all, I am a storyteller. When I was a radio journalist, I told true stories in sound. As a writer, I tell personal stories and fictional stories through books, short stories, and poetry.
I am always proud that my work has touched others. When I get an email or someone comes up to me at a book signing and tells me how my work has touched them in some way, well, that’s the best moment any writer could ask for.
Career wise, I am most proud of winning the Fugere Book Prize for Finely Crafted Novellas from Regal House Publishing. My novella, American Moon is expected to be published by Regal in 2026. But I have also been privileged to have been the Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando, Florida and to live in the great writers home for three months working on my stories. I was then named the Writer-in-Residence at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home and Museum in Oak Park, Illinois. Those were both wonderful honors.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am a constant reader, and reading great writers is the best education any writer can hope for. Great writers read . . . a lot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.davidwberner.com
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/davidwbernerwrites/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@davidwbernerwrites
Image Credits
All photos except the feature photo are credited to the author, David W. Berner
The feature photo is credited to my son, Casey Berner