“Night Of The Living”: Six Questions for Susan Leslie Moore
Susan Leslie Moore is a Portland, Oregon based poet, writer, editor, and director of Programs for Writers at Literary Arts, where she organizes writing programs and events. Moore’s writings are known for exploring the course of identity and the tension between imagination and reality, as well as her connections to the natural world through observations of nature and personal life experiences. For 13 years she was an editor for the online magazine Caffeine Destiny and co-edited the community-based anthology Alive at the Center, which features contemporary poems from the Pacific Northwest. Her poems have been featured in multiple publications including Best American Poetry, the New York Times Magazine, Kenyon, and Iowa Review. In 2019, Moore won the Juniper Prize for her first full-length book, That Place Where You Opened Your Hands.
Moore has emphasized that writing is about the daily connections. During the Pandemic, she noted that many people of all ages joined virtual writing classes because “they [were] eager to connect to write together and share out as a group.” She explained that one of the programs, called One Page Wednesday, hosted by Literary Arts, allows writers to share a piece of writing they’ve been working on or finished and get feedback from other members. Participating in the programs influenced Moore’s writing by allowing her to see the importance of connection and expression of emotions, a notable example being her piece “The Night of the Living.” This poem, featured in Best American Poetry 2020, reflects on the reality of the world, where people often move through life without paying attention to the little details along the way.
I noticed that you often like to write about the tension between reality, imagination, and exploring the course of identity. What inspired you to explore these kinds of themes in a poem? I’m curious about your writing process of sticking with this particular focus when writing.
I like how language allows us to move between reality and imagination in a poem. I think it’s one of the things that has always interested me about poetry. I appreciate its ability to let us try on different identities and explore reality.
You included this line, “a hand moves across your face in a dream you are having about being alive. When you wake up, the hand disappears”. What was the significance of adding this line? Could you elaborate more on your interpretations of the hand’s symbolism in dreams and how they connect to other parts of the poem?
I think it’s kind of a connection between being in a dream, and being awake, and the hand as part of a body is kind of a bridge between those two.
Is there a deeper meaning behind the mysterious figures, ones such as “the sound of branches against the window is someone breaking in” and “the shadows of owls against the trees are not owls”?
I don’t think there’s a deeper meaning, it’s more an attempt to evoke a sense of mystery and some danger.
Who were your biggest influencers who inspired you in writing poetry as you do now?
Probably my biggest influences, in no real order, are Mary Jo Bang, Matthew Zapruder, and Diane Seuss
In your mind, what do you consider the advantages and disadvantages of writing poetry in America today?
I don’t think there’s ever a disadvantage to writing poetry. There’s a lot of poetry being published today, and some of it will speak to you as a reader and some won’t. Find the work that speaks to you, leave room for curiosity and new voices, and enjoy all that poetry has to offer.
Considering the unique title of this poem, how would you differentiate the idea between the “living” as you portrayed in the piece and your experience of living in real life? Do they give off the same concept, ideally?
It was meant as a play on the horror movie title “Night of the Living Dead”.. I called it Night of the Living as a kind of nod to, you’re alive, it’s your sky now…