Nathaniel G. Moore is non-performing stand up comic and artist living on stolen land somewhere in Atlantic Canada. He has published books of fiction and poetry to moderate acclaim for someone writing at the skill level he writes at for his age and weight. He fondly recalls going to malls with his maternal grandmother Thelma, who passed away when Nirvana was at its peak, about a year before “In Utero” was released.
You can read The Star-Vue Mall, 1981 in the July 2024 issue.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
Lately, I’ve been nostalgic for the late seventies and early eighties (from the 20th century) which was a joyous time for me. I enjoy piling things on top of each other in my writing, regardless of genre garrisons that keep them all separated and malnourished.
Why was the poetic form the best fit for this particular piece of work?
I wanted to write a poem that looked like it could be in the New Yorker. I think if you set aesthetical goals such as this, you take the pressure off yourself from feeling like you fell short of living your best lexical life.
Do you have a collection of poetry or even a single poem that acts as a touchstone?
If I did I wouldn’t tell anyone because it would mean too much to me.
If you didn’t write poetry, how do you think you might access the same fulfillments that poetry offers in your life?
After consulting my doctor to determine the right kind of supplement to take for the lack of actual poetry fulfillment in my new life, I would more than likely write, produce, sing and perform top 40 music for a living and live in Cleveland, Ohio, which has a good farm system when it comes to underground artistic practices. Also, it’s where Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, oh wait, is that confidential? Akron, Ohio might be confidential. Do people know about Ohio in general? I would teach myself the trumpet and hang out by the harbour, late at night creating moody pieces for all the polluted world to enjoy by force.
How do you revise your work?
I email my work to complete strangers, never hearing back from them for the most part. Sometimes I change all the characters names and import other stories in from other drafts and change all their names and then wait a couple of years, delete sixty-two per cent of that original years-old effort, put that away for another nine months, maybe a year and a half, start another project, revise it, decimate it, revive it, exorcise it. It’s not that hard, really. I have a lot of stories to tell all the time and have a tough act to follow, because I can’t imagine writing a story more exciting than this one here, for example. I mean, COME ON!
As a poet, what does creative success or achievement look like for you?
You’re looking at twenty-plus years of absolute domination in Canadian poetry. With over sixty copies of my four books of poetry sold since the first one came out in 2007, and don’t forget three nominations for a now defunct and always obscure book award, plus I once got fifty dollars for being on stage near Lake Ontario to read a poem once. So, it’s a pretty clear portrait of utter stupendous success – to the letter.
We love the artistic underdogs, the experimentalists, the lovely weirdos — who or what might you get creative joy or energy from that others might not be aware of yet?
The Pet Shop Boys? In these atrocious days of cut and paste newsfeeds, of copy editor-less mastheads, and the sad state of advertising in the arts, media, (which includes the mainstream underground), if you hear about a book by way of media in which this information goes beyond its press release, it’s catchy synopsis (or “copy” as we say in the industry that time forgot), well, that could very well be a book worth checking out. Same with a band or a play, etc. We live in a world where when a new movie comes out the radio deejays ask their listeners casually if they’ve seen the new Garfield movie, in an effort to keep innocent taxpayers from ever trying to even consider finding the Canadian underground.
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
My creative practice takes me far and wide when it comes to other art forms. So the answer is yes. I try to tell stories through music, art, poetry and fiction on a nearly weekly basis. Have a listen to some of it here!
In terms of poetic style or craft, is there a big question you are trying to find an answer for?
I am always in search of the answer to this question: When will I write a poem that truly matters. I want to write a hit poem one day. Whether or not the world sings on a hilltop drinking a sponsored beverage whilst this miracle occurs is entirely up to someone else.