The director of the School for the Humanities and Global Cultures achieved the successful publication of her second book.
Associate Creative Writing Professor Dr. Jennifer Moore inspires the community as she celebrates the publication of her second poetry collection, Easy Does It. She had been crafting and polishing poems from as early as 2005 to as late as 2019 for her publication.
The writing process was different from her first book, The Veronica Maneuver. Instead, she chose to forgo a set narrative. “I wrote poems with no agenda or with a “project” or “book” in mind; I simply wrote poems I wanted to write” Dr. Moore stated. She wanted a challenge. Something new.
She decided to take a different approach with her writing environment, too. “Those years [2010-2018] I was fortunate to attend a few writing residencies, where I was given time and space just to write” Dr. Moore claims. “That’s where the bulk of the poems came from: solitude in quiet, unfamiliar areas, surrounded by nature and by books.”
After her decision of wanting to piece together a poetry book in 2016, she was excited for the next process of choosing where they went. “When I had enough poems for a book,” she continued, “I said in essence, “OK: how do these work together? What are their shared obsessions? How can I structure this?”.” Dr. Moore carefully crafted a narrative, but it was not an easy task.
Fitting the poetry together proved to be a challenge. “I wanted thematic interests to emerge organically; I didn’t want to write “toward” one central idea or trope” she claimed. Dr. Moore decided to reach out to trusted editors and friends in the community for feedback. This feedback was vital for her work.
“My editor-friends were enormously important at this stage: they showed me what they could see and envision as readers,” she said. After at least two hefty revision sessions with the company of her cat, Scrap, Dr. Moore stated that “I was able to align my desires for the book with what they were actually experiencing.” The process became much more clear once the connection was made.
“the speaker brings the reader on an exploration of multiple worlds: the social, the domestic, and the pastoral, considering the difficult questions and problems of the self—of memory, history, grief, and desire.” Easy Does It
Easy Does It was selected for publication in 2019. “After that stage, there’s the contract stage, then the production schedule, contacting authors to write blurbs, contacting potential book cover artists”, the list continued. “The completion of an author questionnaire and information-gathering for metadata” and “going through several rounds of page proofs” were part of the task too. The collection was published on March 21, 2021.
This long publication process has not gone unnoticed by the community.
The publication of Dr. Moore’s Easy Does It has become an inspiration amongst the community of writers at ONU. Watching her success in the creative writing field has inspired both celebration and a stronger sense of community in the English department.
“Seeing a professor succeed in their field really showcases their credibility,” Senior Creative writing major Elizabeth Dornbusch praised. “I have a lot of respect for her work.”
Junior Creative Writing major Storm Matthews stated “It’s so fun to see publications happening for our professors.” She believes it is an important moment because “It’s a time that connects us all when we get to cheer them on as peers recognizing that we’re all working towards the same goals in the same industry.”
Dornbusch also chimed in and said “I’m super happy for Dr. Moore, because getting a collection published is a huge and exciting accomplishment!” The excitement didn’t stop there.
“I always get really excited when I see my peers or even professors in print,” stated Bel Mancuso, another ONU English student. “They are all so incredibly talented and deserving of the success, and I think it just sheds more light on the amazing community within the English department” she added.
Matthews believes that moments of success like these “builds an extra level of camaraderie that spans across traditions professor/student interactions” where we all support one another.
The support for the successful release of Easy Does It has grown beyond the ONU community. Many positive reviews have been left for Dr. Moore on GoodReads, such as the user Ace Boggess claiming that the collection is “captivating.”
Goodreads user Erica also left a heartfelt comment of praise on the poetry collection. They go as far as stating their favorite line of the book.
“It’s a looong process, but when your actual book arrives in a box on your doorstep, it’s just exhilarating.” Dr. Moore states. “And knowing that it will be in hands of readers is even more rewarding.”