About Richard Banks

Richard Banks is a novelist, playwright, award-winning short story writer, and occasional background actor.

An explorer at heart, Rick trained as a nature guide in Botswana,  worked for the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and  flew helicopters in Croatia, Macedonia, and Alaska. He spent years as an airline pilot before turning to writing full-time. His home in Texas—affectionately dubbed Base Camp—serves as the launch point for both travels and creative work.

His debut novel, The Price of Ash, was a finalist for the 2023 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Rush Award. His short story “Rent Money: A Me and Mickey Story” won a Zebulon Award from Pikes Peak Writers, with additional honors from the E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Contest, the Writers-Editors Network, and the Denver Women’s Press Club. His work appears in The Nefarious North Anthology.

As a playwright, his full-length drama The Weigh Station received staged readings at the Questors Theatre Q-Extra in London (July 2024) and with Actors and Writers London (November 2024). He is currently developing several new works, including Look Left, Look Right, Being Ernest, and Painting with Water.

He also writes the weekly Substack newsletter That’s My Window on the World, exploring the intersection of curiosity, memory, and the idea of living one good life—with stories that blend travel, reflection, and quiet humor.

In addition to fiction and theatre, he has written features for Colorado publications and was a regular contributor to Colorado Community Media.

Richard Banks is the pen name of Rick Gustafson, who holds a Master of Liberal Studies in Global Affairs and a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Denver.