Worldly Poet who speaks truth and power about our experiences as a collective.
The act of writing are thoughts in motion. There is dramatic action and shaping silhouettes taking place between pages. Words dancing to the authors song of choice, singing its truth in each step. Crowds gather and the rhythm ensues a reflection of the masses joining once more. There is a warm welcome in the act, to bring an awareness to our minds and bodies, of the stirring changes in the world’s tempo. Poets are no different in their effects on our perceptions. One writer for sure is M. Palowski Moore, who does this definitely through his life and work.
In recent interview with the proclaimed author, he goes into depth about his childhood upbringing. Although he has made his way to the Kansas City Metropolitan area within the last few years, Moore’s background began in Huntsville, Alabama. As a kid in primary school is where he started his journey into writing, while being raised in a home that required him to identify with and understand the history of Black people in this country. Leaving home after high school, Moore ventured to Georgia State University where this knowledge of self and the culture was expanded further.
During this time, Moore received many impressive awards for previous collections of poetry including the Phi Beta Kappa Artistic Creation Award and going on to receive the Sammy Davis Jr./Zora Neal Hurston Award for Arts and Humanities. Esteemed critics discussed how his work deserved more visibility, which encouraged him further to continue publishing his 3rd and 4th collection of poems. Moore went on to state that this was a pivotal moment in life where he saw how much people believed in him and his work.
This related to the discussion of additional mediums being presented in the early 2000’s for written work. The widespread audience that the internet brought forth played a role in how artists shared their work. “It allows people to show themselves without jumping through hoops”, says Moore. A hurdle many writers and other artists find themselves struggling with, especially during their early stages of development of their craft.
Although working to master his craft in writing, Moore did not hesitate to explore other creative outlets. He witnessed the importance of diversity while participating in City and State orchestras, playing the trombone. Also mentioning his time singing in Morehouse College’s Glee Club. “Music gives you a different way to think. The language is universal”, Moore states intently. This presented a clear understanding of the connectedness between writing and music. One that I am quite sure many other writers have felt as well.
When asked about his influences in pursuing writing, Moore response felt familiar in so many ways. “Had different people in your life who nurtured my talent. My grandmother letting me be creative and crazy was one of them”. Like many artists, he stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe and encourage your vision. Genuinely, he writes stories that come to his soul. “We are all on an atomic scale, we are interconnected, he spoke.
This was found true through his work in his latest collection of poetry: Burning Blue. Moore’s poems cover a range of emotions and topics, as he delves into perspectives regarding artist struggles, diverse culture, suicide, surrealism, and existentialism. He describes the enthralling contradictory cover as humanity, “Hurling to our own self-destruction”, and relates the color choice to one of beauty.
I found that the book brought a dangerously drawing perspective, seeing myself reflected on its many pages with tear filled eyes. The photo selections between poems enhanced his intentions with visual aid to the shifting words. Poems like Darker Than Blue, Phyllis Hyman, and Adam’s Truth bring life and new meaning to music, heartbreak and our internal struggle in simply being of the world we know. In addition, his poem Menagerie feels like an indicator of the elusive security and clarity of the times in which we are in.
“We are all here together in this mass melting pot fanciful fragments always colliding In the peculiar stirring of the world, some strange mystery giving rise to a deliciously deceptive dawn.”
His work does not just allow us to see ourselves for where we are currently but beyond us and behind, as we grow from our past and build our futures. There is great mystery within our mists, and it is one that must be solved two-fold: for ourselves and for humanity. Where do we stand in this race of time? Reflecting on ourselves in the current moment is where we place our feet on the starting lines. Writers such as M. Palowski Moore help us see and adjust accordingly, moving us forward to our collective victory.
Join us next week for our upcoming artist review: Tori Stewart
