AUTHOR: Benjamin Lodmell
Ben was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1971 and lived the most formative years of his childhood in Huntsville, Alabama. After undergraduate at Connecticut College, Universidad de Sevilla, and, later, graduate studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts, he established careers in banking, sales, and a nonprofit. Living and traveling in Europe, Latin American, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa opened a window of insights for the future, reflections about the past, and thoughts on the state of American identity in an inexorably transforming world. Poetry, for Ben, is the crafted balance of natural curiosity, honesty, silent observation, and wisdom expressed through the love of the aesthetic splendor, magical tone, and mystical vibration of words. Ben is married, has five children, and lives in Lisbon, Portugal.
PUBLISHED BOOKS
COVID Poetry
Mr. Lodmell’s “COVID Poetry” is not for the faint of heart. A lover of the English language and all of its nuances, he twists imagery in new ways, redefines even the way we are used to poetry looking. His work demands attention. It cannot be read and fully grasped while multitasking. The sheer volume of verbal art and emotion will require that you savor each word, each phrase, rereading and breathing them in, digesting them, and then sighing in empathy. These are much more than random musings of a poet going crazy in a world of lockdowns and fear of disease. It is a love letter to family and to Portugal. It is clear that each word comes from deep within Mr. Lodmell’s soul…and will creep into yours.
