R.B. Shifman in Hutzinfutz, Pennsylvania.
Author R.B. Shifman writes dark, edgy YA stories that fight the power. His gritty YA novel, PAPER AIRPLANE, BROKEN BONES, inspired by an originator of the troubled teen industry, was a finalist for the 2025 Somerset Award for Literary Fiction, and his 2026 novels, WE WERE THE CUCKOO BEES and TAKING BACK AUGUST, respectively skewer theocracy and racism/white nationalism. R.B. writes speculative/horror short stories as Richard Shifman, including weird, corporate horror stories like “Mayo Monday,” which headlined Cosmic Horror Monthly, and “Such a Catch” in the Dread Mondays anthology. R.B. resides near Doylestown with his wife, his partner teaching ESL.
R.B. writes (but has not yet published) MG horror stories using the pen name, R.B. Shudderman.
R.B. is a lifelong learner. He started writing seriously in his fifties, and he took many writing courses to improve his craft. He believes in ongoing self improvement because why not?
Nearly every semester, R.B. is lucky to be a special guest instructor for Central Bucks High School West’s Creative Writing class in Doylestown, PA. On 10/23/2025, he discussed the drafting/writing process, hooks, the mechanics of good writing, and other topics with the students. If you’re a teacher, he’d be happy to speak with your class, too. A download of the material reviewed is available here:
See this website’s homepage for some of R.B.’s social media links.
Check back throughout 2026 for news on exciting projects in the works.
WELCOME TO R.B. SHIFMAN, AUTHOR 