Former Pequan named S.C. Poet Laureate

Daniel Moran accepting his position as Poet Laureate of Suffolk County

by Sarah Kleusner

As a young man growing up in Massapequa, Daniel Moran went through the process of maturation that most teenagers experience. It is a time in which they discover who they are and what they believe in. It is a method that helps them to prioritize the important things in their lives. For most, it is a time of experimentation, a subconscious evolution that erupts into fits of confusion, discovery and wonder.

At 14, Moran found a unique way of dealing with the questions he began asking about life: he began to write poetry.

Now, decades later, Dr. Thomas Moran has been named Poet Laureate in Suffolk County, a position he will hold through 2007.

"It’s a wonderful honor," he said after his name was announced. "As a poet, you don’t try to get attention, but it’s wonderful to be recognized for doing what I love."

He is the second person to hold the position, and follows George Wallace.

Moran’s first exposure to poetry was through the work of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. And though he went on to pursue a career in dentistry, poetry always remained an important part of his life.

S.C. Leg. Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D-East Setauket) introduced the idea of naming a Poet Laureate for Suffolk County in 2002. The hope is to bring attention to poetry and to bring poetry to the people of Long Island.

"I believe that Dr. Moran’s talent, as evidenced in the many volumes of poetry that he has published, and his outreach to diverse communities, will continue to engage the people of Suffolk County with the energy and fervor that our first Poet Laureate established," said Viloria-Fisher.

Moran attended Alfred G. Berner High School. He went on to earn an associate’s degree from Nassau Community College and a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences from SUNY at Stony Brook. In 1979 he entered Howard University’s College of Dentistry in Washington, D.C. graduated with a Doctorate in Dental Surgery in 1983.

"I’m very proud to have come from Massapequa and pleased to tell people I’m from Massapequa," Moran said.

Moran returned to Long Island where, in 1987, he purchased a dental practice on Shelter Island. He and his wife Karen live in that community today.

Despite years of writing, it wasn’t until 1988 that Moran gave his first public reading at Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor. Moran published his first collection, "Dancing for Victoria," in 1990. He later published "Gone to Innisfree" in 1993, and "Sheltered by Islands," in 1995.

In 1998 Moran traveled to Ireland for the first time where he toured the country and gave readings. A year later his fourth collection, "In Praise of August," was published. He returned to Ireland in 2000 where he read at Waterstones’ Books, in Limerick and at the Kilmallock Arts Festival. In 2002 his fifth collection, "From HiLo to Willow Pond," was published.

Over the last several years, Moran has given almost two hundred readings.

Outside of his readings, Moran has been active in literary organizations and activities. From 1990 to 2000 he was the Literary Correspondent to Long Island Public Radio and hosted the Long Island Radio Magazine and Poet’s Corner. Moran has been a Trustee to the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association in West Hills, where he founded the Long Island School of Poetry Series. He is currently serving as the Birthplace’s Vice-President.

Now, at age 48, Moran is adding Poet Laureate to his list of accomplishments.

Of his hopes and aspirations for his tenure as Poet Laureate of Suffolk, Moran said he wants to promote poetry and poets on Long Island. He would like to enrich the lives of younger people in particular, by introducing them to poetry and hopes to put together an anthology of poetry by Long Island writers.

Moran is expecting his next book, published by University of Salzberg, Austria, to come out in 2006.

To contact Moran or for more information, visit his website at www.daneilthomasmoran.net.