Phylinda Moore, whose book of poetry was recently published, works with a client, Lone Laskowski, at her Pilates studio in East Falls.[/caption] by Len Lear Phylinda Moore, 38, a native of Tulsa, …
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Phylinda Moore, whose book of poetry was recently published, works with a client, Lone Laskowski, at her Pilates studio in East Falls.[/caption] by Len Lear
Phylinda Moore, 38, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a fitness expert and Pilates instructor who owned the Vitality Studio in Mt. Airy from 2003 to 2008. (It is still in business but with a different owner, Jessica Meeker.) Phylinda now owns and operates an unnamed studio at 3580 Indian Queen Lane in East Falls. She is also a published poet with a B.A. in English literature from Oklahoma State University and a Master’s degree in fine arts from Rosemont College on the Main Line. She has had her poems appear in many journals, and in August of this year a book of her poetry, “Herculaneum’s Fortune,” was published. She also edited a book, “Thread: Exercise, Body Orientation, Coordination and Methods Through Rotational Movement,” written by fitness instructor and Germantown resident Zachary Segal and published earlier this year by Thread Publishing. As part of Local Life's new occasional Q & A feature with prominent local individuals, we put the following questions to Phylinda, followed by her replies:
Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A: Sunshine and a view (of a beautiful something or someone).
Q: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
A: I’m living the dream now, a balance between writing and working with people.
Q: Which person in the world would you most like to meet and spend an hour with?
A: The writer, César Aira. (Ed. Note: César Aira, 65, is an Argentine writer and translator who has published over 80 short books of stories, novels and essays.)
Q: When and where were you the happiest?
A: I am happiest in my head when I am working on a poem.
Q: What talent would you most like to have?
A: I’d like to paint with Leonardo DaVinci’s skill. Otherwise, flying.
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A: My poetry.
Q: What is your greatest regret?
A: That we cannot always save those we love.
Q: If you were able to come back to earth as any person or thing, what would it be?
A: A bird, the kind that migrates thousands of miles every year.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: Technically not a possession, but it is my cat, Lucky Penny.
Q: Who is your favorite athlete? Why?
A: Allyson Felix, a sprinter. She is incredible and seems like a down-to-earth person. (Ed. Note: Felix, 28, won a 2012 Olympic gold medal, two Olympic silver medals and three world championship golds. Her specialty is the 200-meter dash. Her three gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics are the most a female track athlete has won since 1988.)
Q: What is the quality you like most in a man?
A: Self- awareness.
Q: What is the quality you like most in a woman?
A: Self-awareness.
Q: Who are your favorite writers, living and/or dead?
A: Stanley Kunitz, Machado de Assis, Hāfez, Fernando Pessoa, Kurt Vonnegut, William Blake. I could go on and on.
Q: Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
A: Mina Harker in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”
Q: Who are your heroes in real life, living and/or dead?
A: Dr. Robert C. Fulford (a pioneer in alternative medicine), Dr. Victor Frankl (Holocaust survivor, author and psychiatrist), people who take action to make a difference like Rosa Parks, Irene Morgan and Sarah Louise Keys. (Morgan and Keys both protested bus segregation even before Rosa Parks.)
Q: What do you value most in a friend?
A: Authenticity.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: I’d split my time between living in Philadelphia and traveling to research/write a book.
Q: What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
A: Obligation.
Q: What is your most prominent characteristic?
A: I love to think about things.
Q: What do you most dislike in other people?
A: Wanton arrogance.
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: Bigotry.
Q: What is the best book you've ever read?
A: “Wise Blood” by Flannery O’Connor.
Q: What is the best movie you've ever seen?
A: “The Princess Bride”
Q: What is your favorite song?
A: “Arise,” by Chevelle (an alternative metal band).
Q: What is your favorite food and/or dessert and/or wine and/or beer?
A: Crème brûlée and red wine close to its source.
