Honor Moore
November 17, 2011
Distinguished Writer in Residence uses life experience and literature to teach writng
Author Honor Moore, distinguished writer in residence with the Department of English, experienced an uncommon introduction to her semester at Richmond.
She had prepared a lesson plan for her first class—then the Earth shook.
About an hour before Moore’s class Aug. 23, a 5.8 earthquake rattled Richmond—and Moore’s apartment—while she gathered her books. After what “seemed like forever,” the earthquake stopped and she headed to campus to use the event to her advantage.
“I scrapped what I was going to do in class and had everybody write about the earthquake,” Moore said. “It was literally an hour afterward, fresh in everyone’s minds. So we had this chronicle, which we’re now trying to get published.”
Moore, a New York-based poet, playwright and author, is adept at writing from her own life. She has published a memoir, “The Bishop’s Daughter,” which was named an “Editor's Choice” by The New York Times, a “Favorite Book of 2008” by the Los Angeles Times and was chosen by the National Book Critics Circle as part of their "Good Reads" recommended reading list. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Moore has also written a biography, “The White Blackbird, A Life of the Painter Margarett Sargent by Her Granddaughter,” and three collections of poetry, “Memoir,” “Darling” and “Red Shoes.” Her play, “Mourning Pictures,” was produced on Broadway.
Expanding upon her areas of expertise, Moore is teaching two writing workshops at Richmond this semester: one in nonfiction and one in poetry. She brings her extensive writing experience and 30-year teaching career to the seminars, adding another perspective on writing to the English department.
“I love teaching writing,” she said. “I think it’s so much about getting students to put to work what they have learned about sentences and literature—and also I think it’s a place where students can transform the experience of being who they are into art.
“I’m working with really talented students,” she said, “and that’s exciting.”
Teaching writing to undergraduates means a lot of reading assignments alongside the writing, Moore said. She asks her students to read a poem or essay, then imitate it in their own words.
Because students come with preexisting ideas about what a piece of writing is, or approach writing with their own life experiences, Moore uses the opportunity to show her students that there is another dimension to writing beyond experience.
“You bring a history of literature,” she said, “in which writers who have gone before you have tried certain things. It’s fun to try to do what they did. It’s learning from doing like a master did. It’s a kind of apprenticeship.”
Senior Nabila Rahman, a student in Moore’s nonfiction seminar, said taking her class has been “one of the best decisions I could make,” but it hasn’t come without its challenges.
“It's definitely been tough for me at times since it was a growing experience in so many ways,” Rahman said, “probably owing to the fact that it's a non-fiction class. She's really been a mentor in the fullest sense, and I've learned not only how to be a better writer but also gained a keener sense of myself.”
Fellow student Erick Brucker agreed that Moore’s contribution to campus has been a positive one. He said she has helped students’ writing become more engaging and has made personal connections with him and his classmates.
“She's great at knowing where students are as writers and bringing them to the next level of self-expression,” Brucker said, “using individuals' skills to bring out the best in their writing, and recognizing opportunities for the elegant where they aren't being fully exploited.”
As the distinguished writer in residence, Moore also gave a public lecture as part of the annual Writers Series. She is the English department’s sixth writer in residence since 1999.
She had prepared a lesson plan for her first class—then the Earth shook.
About an hour before Moore’s class Aug. 23, a 5.8 earthquake rattled Richmond—and Moore’s apartment—while she gathered her books. After what “seemed like forever,” the earthquake stopped and she headed to campus to use the event to her advantage.
“I scrapped what I was going to do in class and had everybody write about the earthquake,” Moore said. “It was literally an hour afterward, fresh in everyone’s minds. So we had this chronicle, which we’re now trying to get published.”
Moore, a New York-based poet, playwright and author, is adept at writing from her own life. She has published a memoir, “The Bishop’s Daughter,” which was named an “Editor's Choice” by The New York Times, a “Favorite Book of 2008” by the Los Angeles Times and was chosen by the National Book Critics Circle as part of their "Good Reads" recommended reading list. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Moore has also written a biography, “The White Blackbird, A Life of the Painter Margarett Sargent by Her Granddaughter,” and three collections of poetry, “Memoir,” “Darling” and “Red Shoes.” Her play, “Mourning Pictures,” was produced on Broadway.
Expanding upon her areas of expertise, Moore is teaching two writing workshops at Richmond this semester: one in nonfiction and one in poetry. She brings her extensive writing experience and 30-year teaching career to the seminars, adding another perspective on writing to the English department.
“I love teaching writing,” she said. “I think it’s so much about getting students to put to work what they have learned about sentences and literature—and also I think it’s a place where students can transform the experience of being who they are into art.
“I’m working with really talented students,” she said, “and that’s exciting.”
Teaching writing to undergraduates means a lot of reading assignments alongside the writing, Moore said. She asks her students to read a poem or essay, then imitate it in their own words.
Because students come with preexisting ideas about what a piece of writing is, or approach writing with their own life experiences, Moore uses the opportunity to show her students that there is another dimension to writing beyond experience.
“You bring a history of literature,” she said, “in which writers who have gone before you have tried certain things. It’s fun to try to do what they did. It’s learning from doing like a master did. It’s a kind of apprenticeship.”
Senior Nabila Rahman, a student in Moore’s nonfiction seminar, said taking her class has been “one of the best decisions I could make,” but it hasn’t come without its challenges.
“It's definitely been tough for me at times since it was a growing experience in so many ways,” Rahman said, “probably owing to the fact that it's a non-fiction class. She's really been a mentor in the fullest sense, and I've learned not only how to be a better writer but also gained a keener sense of myself.”
Fellow student Erick Brucker agreed that Moore’s contribution to campus has been a positive one. He said she has helped students’ writing become more engaging and has made personal connections with him and his classmates.
“She's great at knowing where students are as writers and bringing them to the next level of self-expression,” Brucker said, “using individuals' skills to bring out the best in their writing, and recognizing opportunities for the elegant where they aren't being fully exploited.”
As the distinguished writer in residence, Moore also gave a public lecture as part of the annual Writers Series. She is the English department’s sixth writer in residence since 1999.