Thirty-two community members gathered earlier this month in the San Diego Writers, Ink (SDWI) room in Liberty Station Barracks 16 to pay tribute to the beloved San Diegan poet James Vincent Hornsby, known as Jim Moreno. They read poems by him, about him and for him.
The writer, teacher, Vietnam veteran and political activist was born on Jan. 21, 1948, and passed away on Dec. 2, 2025. In his 77 years, Moreno touched the lives of many San Diego locals. He taught poetry classes for SDWI, the Arts Education Connection San Diego and the Juvenile Court & Community Schools in the San Diego district, leading poetry workshops for at-risk and incarcerated youth. Forty-two of his incarcerated students published 49 poems collectively in the 2016-17 edition of the San Diego Poetry Annual.
He coordinated the Langston Hughes Poetry Circle, directed the Encanto Boys and Girls Club Children’s Poetry Choir and taught language arts at the All Tribes American Indian Charter School on the Rincon Reservation.
Fourteen American Indian poets published 20 poems collectively in Native American poetry, for which Moreno served as the Regional Editor. These notable achievements merely scratch the surface of Moreno’s influence in the writing world.
After the Executive Director of San Diego Writers, Ink, Kristen Fogle, welcomed everyone, co-founder and president of the board of directors Judy Reeves introduced Moreno and his legacy. Reeves had been friends with Moreno since the late ‘80s.
“He continues to be a model for me for social activism, being a guiding light in so many different ways,” Reeves said.
Reeves lit a tall candle and invited readers up to the open microphone to read poems. Sixteen poets walked up one by one, sharing their memories of Moreno, the stories behind the poems and then the poems themselves. Many of the poems covered Moreno’s passions, from environmentalism to juvenile delinquency to Hawaiian culture. One poet even sang a Hawaiian song special to him.
Many tears were shed during the readings while the candle remained lit. After the readings, the attendees stayed in the space, talking about Moreno together. One San Diego Writers, Ink regular, Bethel Swift, said she felt seen by Moreno even in the one poetry class she took with him.
“He made you feel very seen,” Swift said. “There are certain poets who will remain unnamed who can make you feel less than. First, he’d make sure you feel seen and heard, and then help you with your poetry. He was a huge champion for all of us.”
Another local and seasoned poet, Deborah Ramos, had written alongside Moreno for years and talked about his care for the community through tears.
“Jim always showed up for everybody,” Ramos said. “Every community, he was always showing up. He always wanted to know what he could do for the community. He showed up in Tijuana, San Ysidro, Malcolm X Library, Balboa Park,” Ramos, who listed many more places Moreno helped at, said.
Ramos said that Moreno’s last poetry reading was at a memorial for another poet, Viet Mai. She said she was grateful to see his last performance.
Fogle said that this tribute was essential to the SDWI community, and the organization made it a priority to organize the event to give Moreno’s fellow poets and students a chance to grieve together.
“Jim Moreno was a huge force in the writing community and the activist community and beloved by many,” Fogle said. “Particularly, he was very important to Writers, Ink, and so we couldn’t not honor him.”Click here for many of Moreno’s poems read during the tribute.
Adee Tulcan