Dennis Mathis

Dennis Mathis earned his M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he studied under Vance Bourjaily and Jack Leggett — mentors who shaped a generation of American writers. Those years at Iowa forged both a rigorous literary discipline and lifelong friendships that would define his career.

From Iowa, Dennis carved a path through the American literary landscape: teaching writing, working in public relations, and writing plays that found their way to the stage. He was awarded a coveted NEA grant for his creative work and served as a resident writer at Yaddo, the legendary artists' colony. He taught at Hotchkiss, one of New England's most prestigious preparatory schools, bringing the craft of writing to a new generation.

Today, Dennis lives near Durango, Colorado, in a log cabin he built with his own hands — a home as singular and self-reliant as the man who made it. Surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, he writes adventure-fantasy novels steeped in the tradition of H. Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Jules Verne, while maintaining a literary voice honed at one of America's finest writing programs.

His life is a study in contrasts: the Iowa-trained literary craftsman who writes pulp adventure with genuine conviction; the playwright who built his own cabin; the mentor to one of America's most celebrated authors who lives quietly among the pines.