The Boy in The Wild Orchard (no longer for sale)

Made on Ben's home of Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, The Boy in the Wild Orchard is a personal creation story told with images, and a sacred honoring of place and people. The story begins as a seed with vulnerable reflections on fragmentation, isolation, and fear that took grip of Ben's young adulthood. He recalls long nights spent curled on the ground, a boy in a man's body, in front of his mentor's woodstove dying of shame. The story tracks and follows offerings, guidance, and love given to him. The images expand as he did, using the camera as a practice and meditation, a connector to hearts, and a vessel to the soul. The story depicts his mentors, of which some are human, some more-than-human, some mere light flares dancing among the ferns. Ben states: "I saw all of my teachers standing with their roots planted deep in the earth, their bodies enrobed in lichen. I entered this world as a boy, its branches held me and its fruit nourished me. In the wild orchard, I found my soul."

This is a pre-order for the book. This will be the only opportunity to purchase this edition of "The Boy in the Wild Orchard." Books will be shipping in January 2023.

We are selling this book on a sliding pay-scale of $35-$70 in an effort to provide more folks in our community the chance to view Ben's book. If you have the means, consider paying above the suggested price of $45.