Conversations with Lenard Moore

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenard Moore.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I loved listening to my grandfather tell stories. I am convinced that his storytelling sparked an interest in language. I also read books on the school bus on our long rides to school and back home. My father and mother also had books in the house, including the set of Ebony books. My third-grade teacher provided an opportunity for me to participate in a play at school. Years later, my third-grade teacher informed me that she made the costumes. My seventh teacher instructed the class to write a play. I was excited to perform my play, along with classmates, in class. My tenth-grade teacher instructed the class to keep a diary. He also instructed us to write three short stories during the course. My eleventh-grade teacher and twelfth-grade teacher
taught us the classics, showed films, and instructed us to memorize and recite poems. I loved the poems we were taught. In addition, I spent a lot of time reading in the library. At church, however, we had to recite Bible verses.
In boyhood, I listened to Gospel, R & B, Blues, Funk, Disco, and Jazz. Moreover, I listened to Pop Music. I did a lot of gardening, working on tobacco farms, blueberry farms, etc. I played basketball and ran track. Today I am the author, editor and/or co-editor of more than twenty books, including Forever Home; One Window’s Light; The Geography of Jazz; Long Rain, among several others.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I had to do institution-building. For example, I am the Founder and Executive Director of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective. To that end, I created a safe place for other writers and myself. I have been teaching and mentoring.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a poet, essayist, fiction writer, songwriter-singer, collaborator, editor, book reviewer, anthologist, workshop leader, public speaker, educator, and mentor. I am known for writing poetry in Japanese poetic forms, such as haiku, tanka, senryu,
renga, renku, tan-renga, sequences, etc. I am also known for jazz poetry, jazzku, and rengay. I am also known for reading/performing my poetry accompanied with jazz musicians and jazz bands, I am most proud of my late daughter.
I am an innovator.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I hope to acquire a literary agent and publish a novel, a collection of short stories, and a memoir.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/book-reviews/poetry-way-life-conversations-lenard-d-moore-miho-kinnas