Interview with Ben Ditmars

I've known author/poet Ben Ditmars for a few years now (online). He's very friendly. One of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to meet online. He's always refreshingly open and honest about his thoughts. A true poet. I read his book Ten Minutes in Heaven in 2012.




It's a funny and clever collection of short plays. I really enjoyed it. Since then I've read a lot of his poetry as he's a regular contributor to our Mind's Eye series of books. He also posts his poetry online quite regularly.




INTERVIEW WITH BEN DITMARS



Welcome to my blog, Ben! Please introduce yourself.

Hi I’m Ben Ditmars. I write poetry, mostly short-verse and romantic. I’m also a teacher and enjoy reaching people. Expression came hard to me growing up, but always came easier with writing. I think it channels your thoughts in a way.

Why should people buy your books?

I can’t speak for others, but I write because I feel something needs said. If I wish something were a poem, and it isn’t, I usually create it. And I hope it matters to you as much as me.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book was actually a poetry collection published two years ago, Inhale the Night. It was a collection of free-verse, tanka, and haiku.




I expand on this in my next book, Sleeping with Earth, which is due out later this summer. It is a collection of romantic poetry with a focus on issues related to earth: fracking, global warming, etc.

Ooh, that sounds interesting. Will look out for it!

What’s your favourite genre to read?

My favorite fiction genre to read is fantasy or science fiction. My favorite non-fiction is definitely poetry. I love the power and emotion behind it.

What genre do you write in?

I’ve done plays and fantasy, but poetry has been my main focus for the past few years.



Who does your cover design? Is there anyone you’d recommend?

Mollie Evans has done several of my past covers. My haiku collection, Haiku in the Night, was taken from a photograph by Jon Konrath.



What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

Wow. I would like to tell 16 year-old Ben to be less crazy and focus on life, but who knows? 28 year-old Ben might be a very different person if not for the antics of that wild youngling.

Hahaha!

Which social media sites can you most often be found on?

Lately, I’ve enjoyed using Instagram for poetry. But I post a lot of random thoughts on Facebook.

What was the last book you read? Was it any good?

I read a good deal of Harper Lee’s Go Tell the Watchman in the store and have been meaning to get a copy of my own. I really like learning about Jean Louise as an adult in the same world.

What are you currently reading?

Right now I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series to catch up before the new book. But more recently I finished an amazing poetry collection from debut writer Freya Holloway called, The Night Is My Own.

Do you have a pet?

I have a gecko named Harley. He’s getting enormous!

Wow!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I would like to live in an old city with a lot of history, perhaps Munich or Berlin, because I can speak a little German.

Sounds nice; the perfect place for a poet to live :)

Thanks so much for joining me here, Ben, and for taking the time to answer my questions.

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Author links:

Website/blog: https://benjaminditmars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benjaminditmars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/benditty
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benditmars/