Lenard Moore
Encyclopedia
He is a writer of more than 20 forms of poetry, drama, essays and literary criticism, and has been writing and publishing haiku
Haiku in English
Haiku in English is a development of the Japanese haiku poetic form in the English language.Contemporary haiku are written in many languages, but most poets outside of Japan are concentrated in the English-speaking countries....
for over 20 years.
In 2008, Moore became the first Southerner and the first African American to be elected as President of the Haiku Society of America
Haiku Society of America
The Haiku Society of America is a non-profit organization composed of haiku poets, editors, critics, publishers and enthusiasts that promotes the composition and appreciation of haiku in English. It was founded in 1968 and sponsors meetings, lectures, workshops, readings and contests...
. He is Executive Chairman of the North Carolina Haiku Society, founder and Executive Director of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective, and co-founder of Washington Street Writers' Group. He has won the Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award for his contribution to the fine arts of North Carolina.
Poetry
Moore's poetry has been translated into several languages. He is the author of:- Poems of Love & Understanding (Carlton Press, 1982)
- The Open Eye (NC Haiku Society Press, 1985)
- Forever Home (St. Andrews College Press, 1992)
- Desert Storm: A Brief History (Los Hombres Press, 1993)
Moore has taught workshops, served on literary panels, and given hundreds of readings at schools, festivals, colleges and universities, including National Black Arts Festival
National Black Arts Festival
The National Black Arts Festival was founded in 1987 after the Fulton County Arts Council commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of creating a festival dedicated to celebrating the work of artists of African descent. The study provided compelling reasons why the Atlanta community was the...
, Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
Festival, People’s Poetry Gathering, Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center (Camden, New Jersey) and The Library of Congress.
Awards
- 1983, 1994, 2003 Haiku Museum of Tokyo Award
- 1987-1988 Japan Air Lines Haiku Contest Finalist out of 40,000 entries
- 1992 First Prize Winner in Traditional Style Haiku, Mainichi Daily News:Tokyo, JAPAN
- 1992 Third Prize Harold G. Henderson Award, Haiku Society of AmericaHaiku Society of AmericaThe Haiku Society of America is a non-profit organization composed of haiku poets, editors, critics, publishers and enthusiasts that promotes the composition and appreciation of haiku in English. It was founded in 1968 and sponsors meetings, lectures, workshops, readings and contests...
- 1996 Indies Arts Award
- 1997 Margaret Walker Creative Writing Award
- 1998 Tar HeelTar HeelTar Heel is a nickname applied to the state and inhabitants of North Carolina as well as the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans....
of the Week Award - 1998-2000 Cave Canem Fellow
- 2000 Alumni Achievement Award
- 2001 The Heron's Nest Award, First Runner-up for poem "summer moon-"
- 2006 Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award for contributing to the fine arts of North Carolina
Features
His poems, essays and reviews have appeared in over 350 publications, such as:- AGNIAgniAgni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
- CallalooCallalooCallaloo is a popular Caribbean dish served in different variants in across the Caribbean. The main ingredient is a leaf vegetable, traditionally either amaranth , taro or Xanthosoma. Both are known by many names including callaloo, coco, tannia, bhaaji, or dasheen bush...
- African American ReviewAfrican American ReviewThe African American Review is a quarterly academic journal and the official publication of the Division on Black American Literature and Culture of the Modern Language Association. The journal covers African-American literature and culture, including theatre, film, the visual arts, interviews,...
- Midwest Quarterly
- North Dakota Quarterly
- Obsidian III
- Poetry Canada Review
Anthologies
Moore's poetry appeared in over forty anthologies including:- Gathering Ground (University of Michigan Press, 2006)
- The Haiku Anthology (Norton, 1999)
- Trouble The Water: 250 Years of African American Poetry (Mentor Books, 1997)
- Spirit & Flame: An Anthology of African American Poetry (Syracuse University Press, 1997)
- Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac (Kodansha International Ltd., 1996)
- The Garden Thrives: Twentieth Century African American Poetry (Harper Collins, 1996)
- HEIWA: Peace Poetry in English and Japanese (University of Hawaii Press, 1995)
- In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of African-American Poetry (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1994)
- Haiku Moment: An Anthology of Contemporary North American Haiku (Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1993)
He is co-editor (with Michael Dylan Welch) of the 2007 Haiku North America conference anthology, titled Dandelion Wind.
Electronic media
Moore has been featured on several radio and television programs, including:- The Story: with Dick Gordon (broadcaster), Finding Haiku, a radio interview that aired August 20, 2007.
- Spirit of the Ark, a TBS Documentary that aired August 5, 1996
- Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, radio program.
Speaking engagements
He is a co-presenter in An Evening with Sonia SanchezSonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez is an African American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement. She has authored over a dozen books of poetry, as well as plays and children's books...
, African Americans Writing Haiku, and African American Quilts and the Women Who Make Them.
Education
Moore earned his M.A. degree in English/African American Literature from North Carolina's A&T State University, and his B.A. degree with Magna Cum Laude honors from Shaw UniversityShaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
. He was also educated at Coastal Carolina Community College and the University of Maryland.
He is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Mount Olive College
Mount Olive College
Mount Olive College is a private liberal arts college located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Founded in 1951, the college is supported by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention of North Carolina...
. He is a former adjunct professor at Shaw University
Shaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
. He has also taught at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
-Raleigh, N.C. A&T State University-Greensboro, and Enloe High School
Enloe High School
The William G. Enloe GT/IB Center for the Humanities, Sciences, and the Arts, more commonly called Enloe High School , is a Wake County public magnet, Gifted & Talented, and International Baccalaureate high school located in east Raleigh, North Carolina. The school is named after William Gillmore...
. He is a former writer-in-residence for United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County.
Background
Moore worked with his great-grandmother on a farm while growing up. He has lived in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he served in the U.S. Army. He writes about family, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, identity, and global issues. Moore is working on two poetry collections, a novel, short stories, a play, and literary criticism.
External links
- Interview with Moore on The Story with Dick GordonThe Story with Dick GordonThe Story with Dick Gordon is a weekday interview program hosted by Dick Gordon, former host of WBUR's The Connection and, before that, fill-in host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national radio program This Morning...
website.