Made From Stardust

Ben has left again. his poem won this week..........

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/made-from-stardust-ben-dutton/1126505228

I'm assuming everybody received this PM ?

Has this anything to do with his leaving?

I certainly hope that's him! I've ordered it to download.

Was that ordered before he left ?

Ben emailed me this morning and has asked me to pass this on.

He has been going through a terribly difficult time recently and I feel from his email that poetry and everything that comes with it is just a stretch too far for him at the moment.
I know that he loved this place and many of the people on it who have always supported him and read his - quite frankly - wonderful, heartfelt poetry. In my opinion, there aren't many who can match the man for raw passion on here. He also says that for those who have his details, feel free to contact him but, for now anyway, he won't be reopening his account.

I too got this email and its certainly him.

I am sad to see him leave. He'll be missed dearly.

The book on Barnes & Nobles is his. A compilation of previous material from here and some new stuff as well.

I hope Ben is able to work through his difficulties and eventually make it back here. I have full confidence in his resilience.

Lovely words, Larry, and I second that.

I really will miss him, he's truly a talented writer. I hope he gets through the issues that are weighing him down.

As always, Ben wish you the best of all.

Wonderful and very creative mind for poetry. I hope Ben you tap into your own inspiration and pull it all through :)

I do hope hes okay. :(
Ben thank you for the update!! However in regards to his poetry, you are high up there with him with amazing words..

I do hope he comes back

It is his work and I too will be acquiring the book so long as I can get in paper or hard back (I like paper books to keep)

And everyone relax, he'll be back at some point. Maybe not with the same name but he'll be back.

This place is too addictive, he's Arnold not the terminator. "He'll be back"

Craig

Thanks for letting us know, Ben. I was just wondering this earlier today.
I truly hope he'll be able to work through everything he is going through and find peace and healing. He really is an extremely talented writer and will be missed around here.

I was wondering what ever happened to Ben and asked Ren if she has an idea. I was looking for his poems earlier and knew his poem won but couldn't find it. At least my questions are now answered, but this is definitely sad. Going to miss his sweet love poems so much. Hoping really that he is fine and coping well.

This is incredible to hear, and while I am happy that this has come through for him, I am also quite devastated to hear that life got in the way of poetry for him.

I noticed his madness, the madness the real souls experiance. How mad he was, I think he was holding on us, on P& Q, and most of all, on his own poetry.
He erased all his works including his winner poem, right after his name came up, and then posted over 100 poems in few days. He is one of the most genuine souls I have ever come across in this site.

Life does not get in the way of poetry, it is poetry. Without life poetry would not exist.

Joy, pain, elation, deflation all aspects of life and part of what we write.

Poetry without life, life without poetry.

Hand in hand one cannot exist without the other.

Regards

Craig