“Writing is definitely a labor of love for Akron poet Michelle Moore. Moore, who teaches English Composition at the University of Akron, will read from and sign copies of her limited-edition chapbook, The Deepest Blue, at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Barnes and Noble in the Student Union.”
“

Writing is definitely a labor of love for Akron poet Michelle Moore.

Moore, who teaches English Composition at the University of Akron, will read from and sign copies of her limited-edition chapbook, The Deepest Blue, at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Barnes and Noble in the Student Union.

I was very proud of getting published, she said. There is something about poetry that I really love.

An award-winning poet, Moore received her MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College in 2000.

She began by submitting her poetry anonymously to Elton Glaser, director of the University of Akron Press and to the Akros Review, the university’s student literary journal.

Moore has previously published poems in the Apalachee Review and the Drexel Online Journal, as well as articles and a chapbook of Italian translations, Longing for Lightness.

I’ve always wanted to write, Moore said.

The Deepest Blue was published Feb. 15, but Moore had been working on the book since the late ’90s.

Moore worked with Amy Freels of the University of Akron Press on the book’s design. The cover is a detail of a painting by local artist and poet, John Sokol, titled Dante and Beatrice at the River of Forgetfulness and Oblivion.

The Deepest Blue was published by Rager Media, an Akron-based independent publishing house.

Working with Rager Media was amazing, Moore said. I am so impressed by their professionalism and their energy. I really admire the heck out of what they’re doing.

Established in 2006, Rager Media has obtained national distribution and the company’s poets and fiction writers have garnered praise from major press like The Washington Post, The New York Times, Publishers Weekly as well as Poets and Writers.

The company has published 30 books, five of those with local authors, and will continue to publish 12 books a year.

The company employs several UA staff members and has set a goal to bring the long-neglected talent of poets, fiction writers and non-fiction authors to a larger public.

The Deepest Blue is available for $9.95 through Rager Media’s Web site, www.ragermedia.com and Amazon.

“