Professor Moore Receives North Carolina Award for Literature
Professor Moore Receives North Carolina Award for Literature
MOUNT OLIVE- Raleigh resident Lenard D. Moore, an associate professor of English at the University of Mount Olive, has recently been awarded the 2014 North Carolina Literature Award.
The North Carolina Awards have been given annually since 1964 to citizens who have distinguished themselves and obtained distinctions for notable accomplishments in the fields of public service, science, literature, and fine arts. It is the highest honor the Governor and the State of North Carolina can bestow.
In 2005, Moore began working at UMO and immediately fell in love with the institution. Moore has collaborated with the Visual Arts Department and the UMO Symphonic Band to encourage creative writing in an interdisciplinary approach. He is also the director of the UMO Literary Festival, and his favorite courses to teach are advanced poetry writing, African American literature, public speaking, and advanced fiction writing. Moore’s passion at UMO lies in his opportunity to mentor the countless emerging writers at UMO and hopes to influence them with his courses.
Moore has written more than 25 forms of poetry, drama, essays and literary criticism, and has been writing and publishing haiku for over 30 years. His writings are featured in nearly four hundred major journals, anthologies, and several full-length collections. Many of his poems are prize-winning works and some of his writings have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
In 2008, Moore became the first Southerner and the first African American to be elected as President of the Haiku Society of America. Additionally, Moore is the 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. His repertoire of accomplishments includes the Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award for his continual contribution to the fine arts of North Carolina.
“It is such an honor for me to be selected for the 2014 North Carolina Award,” said Moore. “I am grateful and humble to be recognized for my work. I hope I can continue to teach, mentor, write, publish and speak effectively. In addition, I hope my leadership will continue to evolve. For me, this award is about the literary community, the teaching community, and the mentoring community because others have helped with my growth as a person, a professor, and a poet.”
Moore was recognized by NC Governor Pat McCroy and NC Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz during the 50th anniversary celebration of the NC Awards at the North Carolina Awards Gala on November 13th at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Durham.
Throughout the month of November, an exhibit of Moore’s books will be on display in Moye Library. The presentation includes eleven books, including ones that Moore has authored, edited, and co-edited. There will also be a reception honoring Moore on November 18 at 2 PM in the Moye Library Atrium.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit old.umo.edu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3EZlRdgwdk&index=3&list=PL0D3Ny2CaPzmqO7lvmx09f2lAyLZQP2g4