Tamsin Moore ’28 Featured in Poetry Magazine

Tamsin Moore ’28 is a first-year English major at Hood College. Her poem “Lana Del Rey on Country Roads” was published in the January issue of Poetry Foundation’s world-renowned Poetry Magazine.

“It feels surreal,” said Moore. “I’ve been a fan of Poetry Magazine for years, so it was thrilling to see my name written on those familiar pages. I’m so grateful Poetry chose to give this platform to my words.”

In writing the poem, Moore was informed by a universal experience, the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Moore experienced this firsthand after moving from rural Pennsylvania to attend Hood College.

“‘Country Roads’ was inspired by an experience that all of us here at Hood have known—growing up, moving on and making peace with a new stage of life,” said Moore. “It is grieving for this first of many endings. It is a celebration of everything still to come. Most importantly, this poem is a thank you to a very good friend for the conversations we had then.”

Moore recounts being a voracious reader as a child. Eventually, this led to her writing stories and poems of her own. Pursuing an English major has been a natural extension.

“Somewhere along the way, reading wasn’t enough. I had to write,” said Moore. “I have boxes crammed with notebooks that I filled throughout the years with flashes of fiction and fresh lines of poetry. Writing was always a way to make sense of the world and to take part in a small creation of my own. English seemed the right major to explore this passion.”

Moore was attracted to the English program at Hood after meeting with faculty at an open house. The support she’s received from faculty has only solidified her choice to attend Hood.

“[The faculty’s] enthusiasm for their work is evident in every class I’ve taken, and it’s infectious,” said Moore. “The encouragement of professors like Elizabeth Knapp, Heather Mitchell-Buck and Aaron Angello has pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and go beyond what I thought was possible.”

As part of the English major, Moore is pursuing a concentration in literature. In addition to taking courses in American and British literature, Moore has enjoyed extracurricular outlets like The Blue and Grey student newspaper and Wisteria, the student-run literary magazine. And she has every intention of continuing to work on her poetry and creative writing.

“Knowing that others can take part in this act of creation with me, can read this piece of me and form it into a narrative of their own is intimidating and exhilarating all at once!”