cold evening–
the smell of chili beans
and cornbread
Lenard D. Moore, a North Carolina native, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective and Co-founder of the Washington Street Writers Group. Moore’s poems, essays and reviews have appeared in over 350 publications including over forty anthologies 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), DESERT STORM: A BRIEF HISTORY (Los Hombres Press, 1993) and A TEMPLE LOOMING (WordTech Editions, 2008). 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, The People’s Poetry Gathering, The 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” that aired on August 5, 1996, at 8:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, and the radio program “Voice of America.” He is recipient of the Haiku Museum of Tokyo 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), Sam Ragan Award in the Fine Arts (2006) and Raleigh Medal of Arts for Lifetime Achievement (2008). He also was a Finalist in the 1987-88 Japan Air Lines Haiku Contest in which more than 40,000 entries were received. He is a Cave Canem Fellow (1998-2000). He is President of the Haiku Society of America and Executive Chairman of the North Carolina Haiku Society. He has taught at North Carolina State University (Raleigh), North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro), Shaw University and Enloe High School. He also has been Writer-in-Residence for the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. 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 North Carolina A&T State University, and his B.A. degree with honors (Magna Cum Laude) from Shaw University. Currently, Mr. Moore teaches Advance Poetry Writing and African American Literature at Mount Olive College, where he directs the literary festival and advises The Trojan Voices. He is working on two poetry collections, a novel, short stories, a play, and literary criticism. Mr. Moore mentors several other poets and writers.To see information about his most recent book of poetry, “A Temple Looming” or to see the Haiku Society of America home page please click on these links: