Ben Hewitt

A village store is often the heart of a small community. It takes commitment and a special love to keep it alive.

With gun violence elsewhere roiling the nation, Ben Hewitt sets out to better understand his firearms-friendly state.

The most perfect day of the year will most likely arrive in late September, though it’s also been known to come sometime in October. Last year it was October 21, if memory serves, but it had been an unusually warm summer; the creeks had been running low all fall, and it wasn’t until the middle […]

On the hunt for new wheels, a father ponders how his son will navigate today’s world.

In rural Vermont, happiness can be found in hard work with a trusty friend.

Where the pavement ends, both community and self-reliance begin.

When rural land is worth more than ever, what of those who value it most?

In this installment of “Life in the Kingdom,” Ben Hewitt reflects on the necessity of building a home for the wood that heats yours.

In the warmer months, I like to ride my bicycle early in the mornings. I ride after coffee and chores but before breakfast, early enough that the day is not yet fully formed, late enough that I have a pretty good sense of what sort of day it’s shaping up to be. Sometimes the clouds […]

As his sons grow into young men, the author ponders a future without them nearby.

Compression wood inspires a meditation on the gifts of resilience and being OK with imperfection.

In remedying generations of environmental damage done to Lake Champlain, a master tinkerer finds his ultimate fix-it project.