BEN WEAKLEY SPENT FOURTEEN YEARS IN THE U.S. ARMY, BEGINNING WITH DEPLOYMENTS TO IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND FINISHING AT A DESK INSIDE THE PENTAGON. HE WRITES POETRY AND ESSAYS ABOUT THE ENDURING NATURE OF WAR AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. HIS FIRST COLLECTION OF POEMS, HEAT + PRESSURE IS FORTHCOMING IN NOVEMBER 2022 FROM MIDDLE WEST PRESS. BEN’S WORK APPEARS IN THE ANTHOLOGIES, "OUR BEST WAR STORIES", BY MIDDLE WEST PRESS, AND “WE WERE NOT ALONE”, BY COMMUNITY BUILDING ART WORKS. OTHER POEMS AND ARTICLES APPEAR OR ARE FORTHCOMING IN SEQUESTRUM, CUTLEAF JOURNAL, THE WRATH-BEARING TREE, AND ARMY UNIVERSITY PRESS., AMONG OTHER PUBLICATIONS. HIS AWARDS INCLUDE FIRST PLACE IN THE 2019 HEROES’ VOICES NATIONAL POETRY CONTEST, AND FINALIST IN THE 2020 COL. DARRON L. WRIGHT MEMORIAL WRITING AWARDS. TODAY, BEN LIVES IN NORTHEAST TENNESSEE WITH HIS WIFE, THEIR CHILDREN, AND A VERY MISCHIEVOUS HOUND DOG. YOU CAN READ MORE OF BEN’S WORK AT HTTPS://WWW.JBENWEAKLEY.COM/.
