[1] He has published work in a variety of genres, including literary fiction, murder mysteries, fantasy, short stories, memoir and non-fiction,[1] and is known for being one of the most prominent LGBT figures in contemporary Jewish American literature.
[1] He studied English at Fordham University[2] and creative writing and English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,[1] where he won the Harvey Swados Fiction Prize awarded by Martha Foley, editor of The Best American Short Stories, for his first published short story which later appeared in Redbook.
He won the Crossing Boundaries Award from International Quarterly for "Losing My Mother", an essay contained in his memoir Writing a Jewish Life.
In 1996, Raphael began publishing a series of mystery novels centred on Nick Hoffman, an English professor and amateur detective investigating murders in the academic world.
He has been a book reviewer for The Detroit Free Press and The Washington Post,[2] and has published both short stories and essays in a wide variety of both LGBT and Jewish publications.