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Thylias Moss

タイリアス・モス

Tayuriasu Mosu

Aliases: Thylias Rebecca Brasier
Pen Names: Forker Girl / Forker Gryle（Personae used when discussing her Limited Fork Theory and POAM works）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-02-27 （Cleveland, Ohio, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Cleveland, Ohio → Syracuse, New York (attended Syracuse University) → Oberlin, Ohio (attended Oberlin College) → New Hampshire (graduate studies) → Andover, Massachusetts (Phillips Academy) → Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan)

Career

Occupations
poet, writer, experimental filmmaker, sound artist, playwright, university professor
Active Years
1970-2025
Affiliations
University of Michigan, Phillips Academy (Andover)
Influenced By
Black Arts Movement, West African praise poetry, tradition of experimental/avant-garde poetry

Education

Syracuse University
Period: 1971–1973
Country: United States
Attended 1971–1973; left due to racial tensions
Oberlin College
Degree: BA
Period: 1979–1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: United States
Received BA in 1981
University of New Hampshire
English
Degree: MA
Country: United States
MA in English with emphasis on writing (year not specified)

Awards

MacArthur Fellowship
1996
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1995
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Dewar's Profiles Performance Award
1991
Organization: Dewar's (organizer)
Result: 受賞
Whiting Award
1991
Organization: The Whiting Foundation
Result: 受賞
Witter Bynner Poetry Prize
1991
Organization: American Poetry Association (organizer)
Result: 受賞
Artist's Fellowship from the Massachusetts Arts Council
1987
Organization: Massachusetts Arts Council
Result: 受賞
NEA grant
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 助成

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Wannabe Hoochie Mama Gallery of Realities' Red Dress Code: New & Selected Poems

2016 Poetry (new & selected)

A collection of new and selected poems including experimental text placement and multiple voices.

experimentationidentitysocial justice

Tokyo Butter: Poems

2006 Poetry

An experimental poetry collection weaving experiences in Japan and international themes.

international experiencelanguage and placementcultural intersections

Slave Moth: A Narrative in Verse

2004 Narrative poetry

A narrative poetry collection addressing historical and racial themes in poetic form.

historyracememory

Last Chance for the Tarzan Holler

1998 Poetry

A 1990s poetry collection combining experimental language and social themes.

linguistic experimentationsocial critique

Small Congregations: New and Selected Poems

1993 Poetry (new & selected)

A selected collection covering early to mid career work; cited by Harold Bloom in a list related to the Western Canon.

diverse voicescultural critique

Rainbow Remnants in Rock Bottom Ghetto Sky

1991 Poetry

A collection exploring urban life, poverty, and hope poetically.

urban lifepovertyhope

At Redbones

1990 Poetry

Contains personal and experimental poems.

personal historyexperimentation

Pyramid of Bone

1989 Poetry

A poetry collection on heritage and corporeality.

heritagebody

Hosiery Seams on a Bowlegged Woman

1983 Poetry

An early collection characterized by vocal experimentation and sharp imagery.

voiceimagery

New Kiss Horizon

2017 Prose (romance)

A novel with elements of romance.

romancerelationships

Tale of a Sky-Blue Dress

1998 Memoir

A memoir containing autobiographical elements, addressing childhood experiences and memory.

recollectionchildhood

I Want To Be

1995 Children's book

A children's book encouraging self-expression and hope for young readers.

self-expressionhope

Talking to Myself

1984 Play

A play combining personal monologue and theatrical experimentation.

monologuetheatrical experimentation

The Dolls in the Basement

1984 Play

A play centered on a basement setting, using symbolic imagery.

symbolismmemory

Bibliography

  • Hosiery Seams on a Bowlegged Woman (1983)
  • Pyramid of Bone (1989)
  • At Redbones (1990)
  • Rainbow Remnants in Rock Bottom Ghetto Sky (1991)
  • Small Congregations: New and Selected Poems (1993)
  • I Want To Be (1995)
  • Slave Moth: A Narrative in Verse (2004)
  • Tokyo Butter: Poems (2006)
  • Wannabe Hoochie Mama Gallery of Realities' Red Dress Code: New & Selected Poems (2016)
  • New Kiss Horizon (2017)
  • Tale of a Sky-Blue Dress (1998)
  • Talking to Myself (1984)
  • The Dolls in the Basement (1984)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
experimental poeticsvisual/typographic placement of textmultimedia (POAMs)
Recurring Motifs
the fork metaphor (Limited Fork Theory)memory and traumarace and justice

Legacy

Thylias Moss expanded the boundaries of poetry through experimental and multimedia work; her development of Limited Fork Theory and POAMs represents a distinctive theoretical contribution to contemporary poetics. She received multiple fellowships and awards and influenced younger poets through academic teaching.

Archives

  • University of Michigan-related collections (some materials likely held)

Quotes

  • "I never said a word of this to anybody....I was there witnessing things that only happened when I left that house."
    Source: Eve Silberman, Michigan Today (interview) (1995)

Trivia

  • Her father chose the name 'Thylias' because he wanted a name that had not existed before.
  • She uses personae 'Forker Girl / Forker Gryle' to explain her Limited Fork Theory.
  • She creates multimedia works called POAMs (product of act of making).