Moonstone’s Latest Publication
A Roomful of Truth:
A Tribute to Lamont B. Steptoe
“The Moonstone Arts Center hosted a celebration and reception for Philadelphia poet, photographer, and publisher Lamont B. Steptoe entitled A Roomful of Truth: A Tribute to Lamont B. Steptoe, on February 6, 2016 at the Brandywine Workshop. Put together by Larry Robin at the suggestion of local author Peter Baroth and Poets and Prophets founder Bob Small, the program featured readings by Lamont himself and by contributors to the booklet of tributes and appreciations presented to him in honor of the occasion and in recognition of his many contributions to the Philadelphia cultural community. Other friends and admirers spoke and read as well. A native of Pittsburgh, Lamont’s talent was encouraged at an early age by a teacher who recognized his outstanding gifts and galvanized his own budding sense of vocation. Service in Vietnam left him with a deepened and tragic sense of experience, which he developed with further mentorship from some of the major African-American writers of the time and the inspiration of an influential spiritual ancestor, Langston Hughes. A fixture on the Philadelphia scene for more than three decades, Lamont himself has left an impressive record of mentorship in his community. This was attested at the celebration by students and fellow writers, who warmly acknowledged his unstinting generosity in sharing his gifts, his poetic example, and his personal odyssey. Lamont’s own recollections and commentary, as well as his eloquent readings, provided the culminating moments of the event. Sean Lynch, the editor of Whirlwind Magazine, served as its host. The author and/or editor of some fifteen verse collections and the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including an American Book Award and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Lamont Steptoe has represented and honored his adopted city as have few others. The Moonstone Arts Center takes pride in adding its own tribute to an illustrious career, still very much in progress.”
Reviewed by: Robert Zaller
