Newsmaker: Where Question Meets Heart

“If forgiveness could speak, what would it say?”

It was one of three topics—one of the three poems—that I was given to choose from by Instagram poet and influencer Oscar-Wyett Moore during our interview. As someone who hates being on camera, this was definitely outside my comfort zone, as I’m sure it is for many of the people he approaches on the street, microphone in hand, eager question at the ready.

But here is where the magic lies: his presence. Moore has an incredibly approachable presence, a pleasant face that glows when he smiles, and a gentleness that makes you want to talk to him. Not just talk—but share.

It’s where his One Beautiful Question comes into play, prompting stories, observations, feelings. During our interaction, I was given a glimpse into the mind and soul of the man behind the questions. It is perhaps his willingness to listen with an open heart that makes him such an effective interviewer, and that openness leads in each interaction with anyone he approaches.

It all starts with three poem topics that the interviewee is given to choose from, after which Moore asks why that particular subject was chosen. He then reads the selected poem and gently delves deeper, exploring what the interviewee felt or took from the words.

It seems like such a simple concept. But as someone on the other side of the mic, on the receiving end of the question, I found that simplicity to be merely plain wrapping paper around something much deeper—for what lives within the words and what they unlock.

That ability to draw people out—so gently that they hardly realize how much they’ve shared with him—is not accidental. It’s a quality that Moore has always possessed, and one that has become an effective tool since he stepped away from a career in technology to pursue poetry, connection, and the growing community he now reaches through Instagram.

 “I loved many parts of my tech career, but I realized I didn’t want to spend my days on Zoom calls,” Moore explains. “I wanted to be out in the world. A big part of the leap was wanting to show my children you can build a beautiful life doing something you’re truly passionate about. Of course, it’s intimidating to step away from something stable—but sometimes, you have to trust yourself and just go for it.”

 Moore’s endeavor began with poetry inspired by his own inquisitive nature—deeply insightful, “beautiful” questions posed in free verse that welcome thought and introspection, all while admitting his own lack of answers.

“What makes a question beautiful is when there is no answer,” he says. “If you read my poetry, you’ll see I just give my thoughts and often follow it with, ‘I don’t know.’ I do that purposefully to show there is no right or wrong answer. It leaves the question open—and that’s when conversation starts.”

It was his wife, Allie, who encouraged him to take his words out into the world, building the One Beautiful Question website page that eventually evolved into impromptu street interviews built around Moore’s poetry. “The poem asks a question, and I think that is what really helps people open up and be so vulnerable,” he says. “The poetry is read first, and then we have a conversation. People are already thinking about the words, and I think that makes them more willing to share.”

As the man behind the question, Moore feels the impact of the experience goes both ways. “I’ve learned a lot,” he observes. “Everyone is carrying something. And even more importantly, we’re much more similar than we are different. You learn that quickly, talking to people the way we do. It’s pretty special—and I think it softens you. It allows space for you to have more empathy for people. It’s changed me in a lot of ways.”

Moore recently published his debut book of poetry. “One Beautiful Question, Volume I” is available on Amazon.com, giving readers at home an opportunity to reflect and ask themselves—and, perhaps, others—to consider many of the things we all face: grief, hope, death, regret, and happiness.

 “I think people crave deep conversations,” says Moore. “We are in a world that is so fast-moving that it’s easy to forget to slow down. We invite people to do that, and so often they leave the conversation telling us how much they needed that moment.” 

Follow @onebeautifulquestion to explore more of his work.