Ben Langston

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“Uniformity has both kept me from writing and inspired it. Every job I’ve worked has come with a uniform and name tag. The harder they worked me, the less creative I felt. The reason blue-collar workers don’t usually write books isn’t because they’re dumb or untalented—they’re just too damn tired. Energy is energy. It’s burned up loading trucks or writing chapters, and there’s a finite daily supply.”

  • Program: 2011 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Jefferson City, MO
  • Hometown: State College, PA
  • Age: 35

Biography

Profile:  Graduate Arts Award recipient Ben Langston is not your typical college student.  After high school Ben joined the Army in the mid-90s and began what he calls “a bunch of lousy jobs” culminating with a position as a correctional officer in Pennsylvania. But those less than desirable jobs turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ben, a talented writer.  Through those “lousy jobs I’ve met hundreds of interesting characters and have been in situations and settings that gave me great material to write about.” Along the way he married, had two wonderful kids, quit his job at the prison and for a year became a stay-at-home dad while his wife went to work.  During that period Ben’s wife had a temporary assignment in France and he decided to take a quick French language course.  That classroom experience was a pivotal time for Ben.  “I enjoyed being in the classroom so much that by the end of the trip I had decided to go back to school. That year off from work was kind of like detox from jobs and their uniforms for me. There's nothing uniform about writing. That's why I chose it.”  Ben graduated with honors in May 2011 from the University of Missouri, one of two grads from that school to earn 2011 Graduate Arts Awards from the Foundation.

Inspiration:  Ben said two professors at U of Missouri’s creative writing program had a positive influence on him. “Marly Swick and Maureen Stanton gave me the most important and influential push that teachers can give their students: encouragement. Plus they're amazing writers whose honest advice and challenging critiques not only taught me how to write, but how to read as a writer.”

Aspiration: The future is wide open for Ben and his family.  The immediate plans are to begin graduate school in Montpelier, Vermont with the goal of earning a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.  Once completed Ben said he may wish to return to a career in law enforcement or work with troubled youth in some capacity. 

Making a Difference: Ben claims the most important thing he’s done was not as a paratrooper during his Army years and it was not guarding hardened criminals at a penitentiary in Pennsylvania, no it “was surviving one month on my own in Montpelier, France while taking care of my two-year-old son.”

Accolades: Receiving the Foundation’s Graduate Arts Award is Ben’s top honor.  At Missouri “I actually managed to win the McKinney Short Fiction Contest the last two years in a row. I was the first undergraduate to win the award in ten years--usually the honor goes to M.F.A.-holding P.h.D. candidates.”

Interesting Fact: “Itchy fact: I get poison ivy every summer--I even got it once in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter (I was cutting firewood).”

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