Bio

Ben Smith is a 20-year-old writer and author of the The Lazy River, a blog that combines fiction and non-fiction to create for the reader an experience that is both engaging and enlightening. You can read it at http://www.thelazyriver.wordpress.com. He is currently a student at Indiana University studying English and Creative Writing. His life experience so far has been filled with adventure and good fun. Nowadays, he meditates regularly and doesn't do a whole lot of thinking.

Skills and talents

I'm a writer by trade. I have experience in journalism, but most of my efforts now are focused on fiction. Like any writer, I read a whole lot. I like stories that are warm and colorful, but I don't mind a little tragedy, because I'm a strong believer in catharsis. I love the classics, and just a good story in general. I'm also a musician and music enthusiast. I play guitar and piano. I love any song that produces an image in my mind, and any artist that recognizes music as an experience, not just a sound. My all-time favorite is the Grateful Dead - I can throw on a show from my collection and play along on the piano all day, or else just sit back and listen. I'm a bit of an adventurist as well, I like to explore something, be it in the woods or in the city, at least once a day.

Interests

adventure, eastern philosophy, Love, Meditation, Nature, spiritual, writing

What I'm Reading

The books on my "required reading list" are: The Baghavad Gita Be Here Now A New Earth Siddhartha Into the Wild (sort of a true American Siddhartha, almost) The Four Agreements

What I'm Listening To

Grateful Dead. I also love the Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), the String Cheese Incident, Phish, and all kinds of stuff that everyone likes, like the Beatles, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.

Movies I've Seen Recently

The Fall (probably the most visually beautiful movie I've ever seen) 8 1/2 Into the Wild Synechdoche, NY

Education

High school

Carmel High School - Indiana Honors Diploma (what am I going to do with that?)

College

Indiana University - English

Additional study

I dabbled in the School of Metaphysics, but I have a hard time prescribing to any spiritual institution.