Jessica Care Moore



Jessica Care Moore (born October 28, 1971) is an African-American poet. born in Detroit, on October 28, 1971.

Life
Moore was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Career
Moore first won acclaim as the first poet to ever win the nationally televised Showtime at the Apollo competition 5 times in a row. That same year, she would be filmed for the documentary SlamNation. The film followed her and the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team (Saul Williams, Beau Sia and muMs da Schemer) as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam. In the book Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz wrote of Moore's time in the poetry slam, noting "Her razor-sharp verse confronted and addressed the difficulties of being a black woman and a black poet in a culture that seemed to support neither. "

She has been referenced by rapper Talib Kweli and has appeared on rapper Nas's Nastradamus album. One of her most famous poems is "Until We Dance, For Joseph" dedicated to a family member who died of AIDS, which is frequently recited at AIDS Walks. She has performed and collaborated with literary, musical and other noted celebrities such as George Clinton, Antonio Hart, Nas, the late Ossie Davis, Mos Def, the late Gregory Hines, Judith Jamison, CeCe Winans, Anthony David, Roy Ayers, Gil Scott Heron, Sonia Sanchez, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Patrice Rushen, Talib Kweli, Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets and many more.

She has appeared on several episodes of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry, has been featured in Essence magazine and appeared on the television miniseries I'll Make Me A World (1999). She also served as executive producer for and hosted her own television show Spoken (2004) on the Black Family Channel. In 1999, she was honored as Woman of the Year by the Harvard Black Men's Forum. Her publishing house can be found online at www.mooreblackpress.com

She is the Founder of Black Women Rock! A concert, panel and workshop series dedicated to supporting and inspiring women who play rock and roll music.

Moore Black Press
Moore is the founder and CEO of Moore Black Press, which has released poetry by noted poets and authors Saul Williams and Asha Bandele, as well as three of her own books: The Words Don't Fit My Mouth (1997), The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto (2003), and God is Not an American. (2009).