BENJI SMITH

author. coder. artist. entrepreneur.


Hi, I'm Benji.

I was born in 1977 in Clearwater, Florida. I'm married to the remarkable composer, Emily Lau. I have three kids, and two dogs.

I've been a computer scientist and a computational linguist for over twenty years, living and working in Salt Lake City, Boston, and now finally Portland, Oregon.

In 2012, Emily and I survived the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia. After months of PTSD therapy, we changed our outlook and decided to make something beautiful and inspirational from the disaster. I wrote a book (Abandoned Ship) and Emily released an album of original compositions (Isle of Lucidity).

Writing that book — and telling the world our story — was one of the most fulfilling experiences I've ever had. So I'm making it my life's work. I've started a company, called Shaxpir, with a mission of nurturing storytellers and building tools for the craftsmanship of story construction.

Life is good.