Author Dinty Moore says he's gained a solid sense of humor because of his name. Moore is named for a character in a comic strip published in the 1920s called “Bringing Up Father.” The same name was later applied to canned beef stew. It inspired a childhood of teasing and ribbing, and an adulthood of constant questioning about the origins of his name. Moore says he's found humor to be an excellent distraction from all of that.
But Moore also knows how to be serious with serious focus, He's written nearly a dozen books used by new and aspiring writers who are learning the craft. Moore directs the Creative Writing Program at Ohio University.
Moore will visit Kalamazoo Valley Community College on March 23 and 24 as part of the college’s annual “About Writing” Visiting Writers Series. From 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on both days, he'll read selections from his work. And from 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m., Moore will talk about the process of writing. All events are free and open to the public.
Kalamazoo Valley's Visiting Writers series is coordinated by English instructor Rob Haight and offers students the opportunity to talk with professional writers and listen to readings of their work. Moore's The Mindful Writer was included in several KVCC writing classes during the last semester. Moore’s readings and talks will take place in the Student Commons Theater, Room 4240, on the Texas Township Campus, 6767 West O Avenue.
“Writing is an act of discovery,” Moore says. “You don’t sit down to tell people what you’ve already figured out. You sit down with a question. You sit down with a character and wonder what that character would do in a given situation.”
Moore lives in Athens, Ohio, where, along with teaching and writing, he grows heirloom tomatoes and edible Italian dandelions. He's currently at work on a book tentatively titled “What the Hell.” In it, he'll explore the concept of “hell” and how it has influenced and molded contemporary society.
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