Author/Poet/Playwright Interview: James Moore

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR/POET/PLAYWRIGHT—the multi-talented James Moore  

Today I’m interviewing James Moore, one of the first and definitely one of the most interesting people I’ve met in the James River Writers here in Richmond, VA.  His latest work Blues Poetics: Collections of a Performing Artist is a collection of stories and poems and will be released soon.

Please tell us a little bit about your book.  

I am writing a book chronicling my evolution as a writer and a performing artist, one which celebrates the tradition as was passed down by the likes of Hemingway and his first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems. This idea was born out of my treading down two roads, as both a poet and a short story writer; I probably have enough material in both mediums to make two books, but I like the idea of compilations and wanted to explore the possibilities.

What is the book’s genre?  

The poetry section is a cross between experimental Beat poetry and Southern poetry, while my stories are mostly Southern fiction and the occasional Science Fantasy with the Southern twist.

Is this the only genre in which you write?

I have started into writing screenplays—largely Southern dramas and comedies—and I have also begun work in writing comics.

What is it about these genres that interest you?

I grew up reading old school comic books and watching classic Western movies, and as I grew older, the more obsessed I became with film and old school comic books in general. The panning shots (in both comics and film), the music (film), the art (comics)—the use of both word and image to create a story (comics and film).

How did you come up with this latest plot?  

As it’s a compilation of various stories and poems, there is no point. But I came up with each of these pieces as I do just about everything else I come up with—off the top of my dome, one word at a time.

What is your writing routine like?

I write at least one poem a day (no matter the quality), and write about four to eight stories every two months.

What is the most rewarding thing about having finished this latest book?    

That I can actually get to the editing process.

(TOSK says: I hear ya on that, James….)

What’s next in the writing queue?

Editing this book, and then working on two unfinished screenplays.

BOOK BLURB

Blues Poetics compiles both poetry and short stories by performing artist James Moore. Experimental, Beat, and Southern and Science Fiction by one writer, this book celebrates the grand tradition of multi-medium writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Walt Whitman, and Tennessee Williams.

AUTHOR BIO

James Moore is a college student residing in Richmond, Virginia, working a cruddy waiting job and hoping to direct his first feature film. Having been writing poetry and fiction since he was fourteen, he thinks he’s finally found the secret to life: pretend to be writing stuff down on loose leaf so that nobody can stop you to get you to do actual work, because writing is more rewarding.

His stories and poems have appeared in the online paper 360 View, as well as in the John Tyler Community College literary journal, Sherwood Forest. James hopes to one day be published by Asimov’s Science Fiction.

How can we buy your book?  

Ask me once it hits shelves.

And now, some fun questions:

1)      Favorite author? Ray Bradbury

2)      Favorite character in a book you’ve read? Joe (from Larry Brown’s Joe)

3)      Favorite vacation?  Going smack-dab in the middle of New Orleans for a week.

4)      Coffee or tea? Coca-cola

5)      Favorite color?  Dodge Ram red

6)      Favorite dessert?  Chocolate Shake