Benjamin J. Kirby

Benjamin J. Kirby is a writer of fiction, essays, and poetry. He is a communications and public relations professional. Cathexis Northwest Press chose his poem, Train, for their October 2022 issue. The journal Wingless Dreamer included his poem, “The Fountain of Youth,” in their 2021 Spring Anthology. CANEBRAKE, an unpublished Florida crime novel, received Honorable Mention in the 2020 Black Spring Press Crime Fiction Prize. He won first place for his prompt in the 2020 Lewis County Writer’s Guild competition, benefiting the Doyle McKim Legacy Annual Scholarship, which supports writing students at Centralia College. Benjamin worked in collaboration with acclaimed cellist Natalie Helm exploring Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello. He wrote a short story, “The Queen’s Cookfire”, inspired by the music, and read it before a live audience at the Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company. Born in western North Carolina and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Benjamin lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his his children and his dog.