Ben Shattuck (born 1984) is an American writer, painter, and curator.[1][2] Born in Massachusetts, he received a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a master's degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He has written one book and a number of short stories.

Ben Shattuck
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationWriter, curator
EducationCornell University (BA)
University of Iowa (MFA)
Spouse
(m. 2021)
Children1

Early life and education

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Shattuck was born and raised in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.[3][4] His parents both work in the arts in Massachusetts;[5] his mother owns an art gallery, while his father is a painter.[6] Shattuck attended Deerfield Academy for high school, Cornell University for college, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop for his Master's of Fine Arts in fiction.[7][8] He taught fiction writing while at the University of Iowa as a graduate teaching assistant, and then at Victoria University of Wellington.[citation needed]

Career

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Shattuck's first book, Six Walks, was published in 2022. The memoir tracks the author's retracing of six walks taken by Henry David Thoreau, which brings about personal memories and emotional insights.[9][10] It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[11]

In 2021, Shattuck and his brother bought the general store in their hometown, Davolls General Store, which was originally built in 1793.[12][13]

His first published short story, "Edwin Chase of Nantucket" was published in 2016.[citation needed] Shattuck's short stories and essays have been published in a number of magazines.

His 2018 story "The History of Sound," first published in The Common,[14] was published in the Pushcart Prize anthology.[15] As of 2021, the story was being adapted for a film to be distributed through End Cue, Embankment Films, and Film4.[16][17] In 2021, Oliver Hermanus said of his decision to adapt the story and direct the film: "I instantly fell in love with Ben Shattuck's flawlessly beautiful short story and knew I had to be involved in its journey to the screen."[18] When the casting was revealed as two romantic leads played by Emmy winner Josh O'Connor and BAFTA winner Paul Mescal, there was controversy about whether two straight actors should play gay characters.[19][20][21]

Personal life

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In 2019, Shattuck lived with girlfriend Jenny Slate in Massachusetts, where she was also born and raised.[22] They got engaged after Shattuck proposed during a picnic at a French castle later that year.[23][24] Their daughter was born in late 2020.[25][26][27] Their wedding was postponed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[28][29] and they married in their living room on December 31, 2021.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "A Curator Boyfriend is the Hottest Accessory for 2020". ELLE. 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  2. ^ Langmann, Brady (2019-09-11). "Jenny Slate's Fiancé Ben Shattuck is Living Out Every English Major's Dream". Esquire. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  3. ^ Daley, Lauren (December 6, 2019). "6 things to know about Ben Shattuck (psst, he's Jenny Slate's fiance)". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  4. ^ Mahoney, Melissa (2021-09-02). "A Trip To One Of The Oldest General Stores In Massachusetts Is Like Stepping Back In Time". OnlyInYourState®. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. ^ Murphy, Linda. "Dedee Shattuck Gallery thriving in Westport". Fall River Herald News. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  6. ^ Boyce, David B. "Ben Shattuck soars at career's start". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  7. ^ Shattuck, Ben. "Ben Shattuck". Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "Ben Shattuck". Dedee Shattuck Gallery. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  9. ^ Sullivan, James (March 7, 2022). "The songs these 11 Bostonians play to chase the winter blahs". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  10. ^ WRAL (2022-03-28). "Spring Books from Small Presses :: Out and About at WRAL.com". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  11. ^ "Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck". www.publishersweekly.com. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  12. ^ "Fall River Herald News". www.heraldnews.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  13. ^ Tallman, Kerri. "Shattuck brothers preserve small-town feel at Davoll's General Store in Dartmouth". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  14. ^ "The History of Sound". The Common. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  15. ^ "Pushcart Prize XLIV: Best of the Small Presses, 2020 Edition by Bill Henderson". www.publishersweekly.com. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  16. ^ Ravindran, Manori (2021-10-29). "Josh O'Connor, Paul Mescal Unite for Gay Romance 'History of Sound' From Oliver Hermanus – AFM". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  17. ^ Lutkin, Aimée (2021-10-31). "Everything We Know About WWI Love Story 'The History of Sound'". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  18. ^ Ravindran, Manori (2021-10-29). "Josh O'Connor, Paul Mescal Unite for Gay Romance 'History of Sound' From Oliver Hermanus – AFM". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  19. ^ "As Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal are cast as gay lovers in History of Sound, this is why we should we be safeguarding queer roles for queer actors". Glamour UK. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  20. ^ "Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal Will Play Gay in "The History of Sound"". them. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  21. ^ ""Supernova" Raises the Question: When Is It Okay for Straight Actors to Play Gay?". them. 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  22. ^ "Jenny Slate is 'deeply in love' with her new boyfriend". www.boston.com. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  23. ^ Garvey, Marianne (2019-09-10). "Jenny Slate is engaged to art curator boyfriend Ben Shattuck". CNN. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  24. ^ Perez, Lexy (2019-09-09). "Jenny Slate Engaged to Boyfriend Ben Shattuck". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  25. ^ "Jenny Slate and fiance welcome 1st child, a daughter named Ida". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  26. ^ "Jenny Slate Welcomed Her First Child with Ben Shattuck". W Magazine. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  27. ^ "Jenny Slate Gives Birth to Baby Girl (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  28. ^ "Jenny Slate Invited a Total Stranger to Her Wedding". Vanity Fair. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  29. ^ "Jenny Slate Reveals She Married Ben Shattuck in Living Room Ceremony on New Year's Eve | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  30. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (January 18, 2022). "Jenny Slate Reveals She Married Ben Shattuck in Living Room Ceremony on New Year's Eve". people.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.