I still remember where I was the first time I heard John Moody read from his collection of Lucy Uncatalogued and his masterful use of language, which anchors this collection with a reverence for both the literal and metaphorical search for self.
Lucy, the famous Australopithecus afarensis, is the symbolic cornerstone around which the collection orbits. Through Moody's deep, lyrical exploration of history, memory, and identity, Lucy becomes more than just a prehistoric fossil - she represents the universal search for origins, the complexity of human evolution, and the delicate interplay between our past and present selves.
Moody's exploration is not just scientific or intellectual. It is spiritual. This collection is a triumph of poetry that speaks to the heart as much as the intellect. Moody's exploration of human origins is not only a literal excavation of a species' past but a profound meditation on our collective search for meaning, an uncovering of the dirt and mess and depth of what it is, has always been, to be human.
-Katharine Mcfarlane, award-winning Scottish poet and educator
Moody writes with such an understanding of what has been discovered that it is not perceived of as separate from the poet. This intrinsic relationship unites him with Lucy. It is about balance and understanding... as a white male inhabiting the life or space or existence of a female it is his non-threatening position in this, his awakening to Lucy and to her experience and life that leads to understanding of her. Moody voices Lucy's feelings, her thoughts, her exposure, even her 'rape'. So, in fact, he is sympathetic to her exploitation and her clinical treatment, which disregarded her humanity; while Lucy was helpless in this, Moody gifts her humanity in his words. She is an object, unable to speak, do or act so is given his voice. There could be reaction against this as Lucy had no choice, but Moody is aligned with her, not against her and lends her his voice, which otherwise would require her to remain as an object and thus silent.
-Andrea Cardow, Associate Tutor (Creativity Culture & Faith), Glasgow University
