Lenard D. Moore reading

Onslow County Public Library in partnership with Harriotte B. Smith Library (Camp Lejeune) host distinguished poet, Lenard D. Moore, for an evening of poetry

Onslow County Public Library in conjunction with Harriotte B Smith Library (Camp Lejeune) and the North Carolina Center for the Book, will host an evening of poetry with 2007-2009 Eastern North Carolina Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet, Lenard D. Moore and local student poets, Patsy Lain and Donna M Graham, as part of the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poets Series. The poetry reading will take place during Poetry Open Mic for Adults on Thursday, June 25 at 6:30 pm at the Harriotte B Smith Library aboard Camp Lejeune.

The goal of the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series (GCDPS) is to support the mission of the North Carolina Poetry Society (NCPS) in fostering the reading, writing, and enjoyment of poetry across North Carolina with particular emphasis on outreach, student involvement, and mentorship.

Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet, Lenard D. Moore is the Founder and Executive Director of Carolina African American Writers’ Collective and Co-founder of Washington Street Writers Group. He is Director of the Mount Olive College Literary Festival and faculty advisor to the Mount Olive College Literary Journal, Trojan Voices. His poems, essays and reviews have appeared in over 350 publications, such as Agni, Callaloo, African American Review, Midwest Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Obsidian III and Poetry Canada Review. His 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 and Flame: An anthology of African American Poetry (Syracuse University Press, 1997); Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac (Kodansha International Ltd., 1996); and The Garden Thrives: Twentieth Century African American Poetry (HarperCollins, 1996) among others. His poetry has been translated into several languages. He is the author of The Open Eye (NC Haiku Society Press, 1985), Forever Home (St. Andrews College Press, 1992), and 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, Zora Neale Hurston Festival, People’s Poetry Gathering, Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center (Camden, New Jersey) and The Library of Congress. He has also been featured on several radio and television programs, including the TBS Documentary “Spirit of the Ark” and “Voice of America.” He is recipient of the Museum of Haiku Literature Award (1983, 1994 and 2003), 1992 First Prize Winner in Traditional Style Haiku sponsored by Mainichi Daily News (Tokyo, JAPAN), 1992 Third Prize Harold G. Henderson Award (Haiku Society of America), Indies Arts Award (1996), Margaret Walker Creative Writing Award (1997), Tar Heel of the Week Award (1998), Alumni Achievement Award (2000), and Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award (2006). He also was a Finalist in the 1987-88 Japan Air Lines Haiku Contest in which more than 40,000 entries were received. His poem “summer moon—“ was selected First Runner-up for The Heron’s Nest Award (June 2001). He is a Cave Canem Fellow (1998-2000). He is Executive Chairman of the NC Haiku Society. He has taught at NC State University (Raleigh), NC A&T State University (Greensboro), and Enloe High School. Former Writer-in-Residence for United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, he currently is an Assistant Professor of English at Mount Olive College. He also is a former adjunct professor at Shaw University. He has lived in South Carolina, Virginia, California, and Germany. An avid reader and listener of music, he writes about family, jazz, identity, and global issues. Mr. Moore earned his M.A. degree in English/African American Literature from NC A&T State University, and his B.A. degree with honors (Magna Cum Laude) from Shaw University. He is working on two poetry collections, a novel, short stories, a play, and literary criticism. Mr. Moore mentors several other poets and writers.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 910.455.7350, ext. 242.

Submitted by:

Marie-Jose Solomua, Marketing Coordinator
Onslow County Public Library
58 Doris Avenue East, Jacksonville, NC 28540
Marie_Jose_Solomua@onslowcountync.gov


Contact: Philip Cherry III
Onslow County Public Library Director
910-455-7350
Philip_Cherry@onslowcountync.gov