Another Renaissance for Beat Precursor Poet

Last Tuesday night, the welcomed special guest Richard O. Moore, 91, whose anthology, Writing the Silences, was edited by Brenda Hillman and Paul Ebenkamp and published by UC Press last year. The collection of poetry includes Moore's work from over 60 years.

Outside of poetry, Moore is best known as a pioneer of public radio in Northern California and in the Midwest. He was a founder of KPFA and later worked extensively with KQED to produce several documentary films on politics, technology, jazz and literature in the 1960s. Choosing to pursue public media, Moore stepped away from the San Francisco Renaissance poetry circle he developed, which included such poets as Kenneth Rexroth.

Moore continued writing in solitude until the 1990s, when he connected with a writers' group in Squaw Valley. One of the writers he met there was Hillman, an established poet who coaxed Moore out of relative poetic obscurity and convinced him to open up his private manuscripts and put together a collection.

Helping Hillman in the project was Paul Ebenkamp, a former student of Hillman's and a published poet in his own right. Explaining their process for the collection Hillman said, “Paul and I lovingly extracted, with as much force as we could, manuscript after manuscript from Richard, from which we chose, with his significant help, this really beautiful collection.”

It took about a year and a half, but the editors had the pleasure of working at Moore's home nestled in the redwoods.

“From my point of view it was a journey of mutual self-discovery. We were finding my poems that I'd forgotten all about," said Moore, "We were redefining my sense of myself as a poet and reminded that I haven't always identified as such.”

Hillman had great praise for Albany's poetry night and said, “This is the loveliest community. It's the dearest readings there. There's a community, you read to each other and it somewhat defines not just Albany, but parts of Berkeley, and parts of Kensington and El Cerrito.”

The setting for this reading compelled Hillman to read a pair of short library-themed poems that hinted at the curious, hidden and even sensual quality of libraries and the information and secrets that their shelves keep. But before she began she noted, “I've been in mourning about libraries and what's happening to libraries. Not just the underfunding, but just that they're just computer labs now.”

Her poetry seems to find its rhythm not only in the speed of her delivery, but also in the number of lines she chooses to dedicate to each of the images she creates in the listener's mind.

Catherine Taylor is one of the main reasons behind this lovely community that has been fostered at the library. Knowing that the three prolific authors collaborated on this project, she asked each poet to read a selection of his or her own, and introduce the next. Ebenkamp introduced Hillman who in turn introduced Moore.

All three are outspoken about their political beliefs and Ebenkamp read several poems that expressed frustration with the political and economic status quo, and Hillman made a special mention of her involvement with Code Pink, a grassroots organization of women for peace.

When asked how he reconciles his politics and his poetry, Moore said quickly, “I began in radical doubt and I've never left that sphere. That is automatically political.”

But not all of Moore's poetry is political. One of the most powerful moments of the evening was during his reading of a poem he wrote after an early morning drive to the hospital with his then terminally ill wife. The poem reflected the human confusion and the absurdity of life which still keeps Moore very occupied.

“Yesterday I was giving a lecture on terrorism in Mill Valley. Tonight it's a poetry reading. That's a very rewarding kind of life,” said Moore. Despite this he noted that the further he gets up the, as he calls it, “shaky ladder of the 90s,” he experiences similar frustrations that he had as a beginning writer. He recalled asking himself, “Do I have anything left to say? Am I still in contact with language? That for me is part of the great adventure of existence.”

Everybody makes mistakes ...  ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com.