Hi! I’m Ben Orenstein.

Throughout my life, the same thing has always made me happy: creating containers and filling them with wonderful people.

Sometimes the container is an institution like a company or community, sometimes it’s artistic like a barbershop quartet, and sometimes it’s a recurring event like the dinner I host every Sunday. But it's always about finding wonderful people and doing life with them.

After failing out of college, I tended bar at The Olive Garden, broke into the tech industry, discovered a love for programming, got a little famous teaching it, started a software company, stepped down when I needed a break, discovered a passion for local politics, and co-founded a pretty thriving community in my city.

I live in Somerville, MA and love it here. I want to see the city achieve its (substantial) potential, so I've been getting very involved politically. I started a publication about the city government, moderated a mayoral debate, and built SomerTools, a collection of free tools for following City Council, reading local law, finding your ward, and weighing housing policy.

As an Enneagram 7, I am excitable, optimistic, and pain-avoidant. Sometimes, as Sasha says, in the search for moreness, I miss the suchness. Growth edge.

If you’d like to write me an email, I am—and expect to be until the bitter end—ben@ben.net.