Ben Slote
Ben taught English at Allegheny College for 33 years and wrote about late-19th and 20th century U.S. fiction and culture. Since retirement, his writing interests have turned toward non-academic forms—essays and plays. A recent essay of his in The American Scholar, “We Contain Multitudes,” features John Mangine. A native of Ann Arbor, Ben moved with his wife Susan to Meadville in 1990 to begin their teaching careers and start a family. A journey of one stop, it turned out. He retired from the college in 2023, she in 2024. They have lived in the same house, among kind and interesting people, all these 35 years.
John Mangine
John is a photographer and painter who grew up in Lakewood, NY and moved to Meadville, PA almost 20 years ago. In addition to his art and photography work, he’s a full-time higher education administrator. His photography and paintings have been featured and exhibited at many galleries and events in PA and NY. In 2023, he undertook Project 365, a daily portrait series, photographing everyday people in and around Meadville. That project helped inspire this one. John lives in Meadville with his three teenage children.