Author Bio

Benjamin Fortier grew up in a small village in northern Rhode Island. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and within ten days of high school graduation, he was standing on the yellow footprints at Parris Island. Less than nine months later he was patrolling the streets of Fallujah with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines. His latest book, Phantoms (published in 2023 by Dead Reckoning Collective) was awarded the Robert A. Gannon award for poetry dealing with Marine Corps life. 

 

His short play, The Path at Belleau Wood, was a vignette of the full-length play Across Time, produced by Returning Soldiers Speak and ArtsUp! LA. His second play, Michael and the Saints, has been used by the Grief Dialogues to facilitate conversations between veterans, their families, and the loved ones in their life.

 

He is currently serving on the board of directors for the veteran non-profit group, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines Association. When he's not writing, he's playing video games, cuddling his dog, gardening, or trying to get better at one of the many instruments he's determined to master.