On a ragingly hot Mississippi summer day in 2017, my twin brother Ben committed suicide.This collection, of his hilariously dark short stories, is my effort to preserve his legacy and honor his memory. While I wish Ben could be here to see his dream of being a fiction writer become a reality, my sincere hope is that Dreams About Food can provide some comfort, commiseration, and laughter to the (often absurd, according to him) world my brother has left behind.For these same reasons, all proceeds from the sales of Dreams About Food will go toward the endowment of the Benson Reed Ingram Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi, formed by my family in July 2018 on the one-year anniversary of Ben's death (more on this below).Thank you for supporting Dreams About Food, - Lee Ingram Dreams About Food: Stories by Ben IngramThe world drove Ben Ingram crazy, and in these cynical and dark stories - written while he studied at the Honor's College at "Ole Miss" - no one is spared from his quick wit or his self-righteous ranting.If you enjoy dark situational humor, captivating dialogue, and stories influenced by the sometimes-backwards (yet always fascinating) culture of Mississippi, then you will not regret buying Dreams About Food. Praise of Ben and His Writing"Ben was a natural storyteller. He loved short stories and fiction, and I admired his writing. It was as funny as he was. Ben was a true class clown in the best way possible." - Tom Franklin, Ben's Mentor and Author of NYT Bestseller Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter"Ben spoke up regularly, always being the first one to answer my hardest questions. Ben loved learning and was truly generous and kind to those around him."- Leigh Anne Duck, one of Ben's English professors at Ole Miss. TABLE OF CONTENTSPreface by Ben IngramWhy Ben Thinks We Should ReadForeword by Lee IngramIn a Language Only a Twin Can UnderstandShort Stories By Ben IngramBy a Conjunction of PlanetsHypnagogia The Angel Taxi Good MondayCharlie BanksWhirlpool in Winter Bonus MaterialThe manuscript for Dreams About Food also includes short stories and poetry contributed by Ben's best friends, and other fellow Mississippi writing talent. About Ben IngramBen grew up in Madison, Mississippi with a loud and slightly-dysfunctional Southern family. He studied English, Philosophy and Creative Writing at the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"), in the same small town of Oxford where William Faulkner once lived, wrote, and drank. The stories in Dreams About Food were uncovered from Ben's honor's thesis dissertation, completed just months before his untimely suicide in July 2017. Ben is survived by his parents, older sister, twin brother, and his loyal and loving canine companion, Charlotte. The Benson Reed Ingram Scholarship Fund All proceeds from Dreams About Food go toward the endowment of the Benson Reed Ingram Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi. The fund was formed by Ben's family in July 2018 on the one-year anniversary of his suicide. The fund awards those who, like Ben, courageously apply to join the Ole Miss Honor's college late during their junior year. If Ben never made the decision to buckle down and apply himself, he would have never discovered his talent as a writer, and these stories would not exist to survive him. With the scholarship, we hope to reward other students who take a risk on themselves and, as a result, unlock their hidden creativity. To learn more or to make a direct donation, please visit DreamsAboutFood.com.
