Daris Howard, an award winning author and playwright, grew up on an Idaho farm. He was a state champion athlete, competed in college athletics, and lived for a time in New York.

He has worked as a cowboy, a mechanic, in farming, and in the timber industry. He is now a college professor. In his wide range of experience, he has associated with many colorful characters who form a basis for his writing.

Daris has had plays translated into German and French, and his plays have been performed in many countries around the world.

For many years Daris has written a popular column called Life’s Outtakes that consists of weekly short stories, and is published in various newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and Canada including Country, Horizons, and Family Living

Daris, and his wife, Donna, have ten children and were foster parents for several years. He has also worked in scouting and cub scouts, at one time having 18 boys in his scout troop.

As a math professor, Daris’s classes are well known for the stories he tells to liven up discussion and to help bring across the points he is trying to teach. His scripts and books are much like his stories, full of humor and inspiration.

He and his family have enjoyed running a summer community theatre where he gets a chance to premiere his theatrical works and rework them to make them better.

His awards include:

Deseret Drama Award Winner (2004) - for the play The Mail-Order Bride

American Theatre Co-op Award (2005) - for the play April Fools

Deseret Drama Award Winner (2005) - for the play April Fools

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2005) - for the play The Three Gifts

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2005) - for the play The Will

Semi Finalist (2006) Moondance International Film and Theatre Award - for the play The Mail Order Bride

Semi Finalist (2006) Moondance International Film and Theatre Award - for the play April Fools

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2006) - for the play Lilacs In The Valley

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2006) - for the play Cultural Differences

Second Place (2007) Jackie White National Play Writing Contest - for the play Jacob and Marie

Eliza R. Snow Award for the Performing and Visual Arts (2008) for a lifetime distinction in the performing and visual arts

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2009) - for the play Debt And Deliverance

Deseret Award of Excellence (2009) - for the short story All’s Well Here

Deseret Drama Award of Excellence (2009) - for the short story Things I Resolve Before It Is Too Late