James M. Moten, a retired U.S. military veteran and author, has launched a central website, www.booksbyjamesmoten.com, to showcase his two deeply personal works: the memoir I IRS (My Hell of Life) and the poetry collection I The Black Poet Comes. The site provides readers with direct access to his books, author background, media features, and book trailers, offering a comprehensive look into Moten's literary journey.
Moten's writing is rooted in lived experience, shaped by racism, military service, public service, family strength, spiritual conviction, and determination. His memoir traces his real-life journey as a Black man who endured racism, served in the U.S. military, and later worked as an IRS agent. The book details his early life in the segregated South, years of military service, and the personal and professional challenges he faced. Written with honesty, the memoir reflects on prejudice, faith, hardship, and the strength required to persevere.
In his poetry collection, I, The Black Poet Comes, Moten presents poems shaped by decades of struggle, reflection, and spiritual endurance. The collection addresses racism, identity, pain, love, faith, and the human will to survive. Written in a voice that blends street-level realism with spiritual depth, the poems offer readers a direct look into Moten's personal history and the broader experiences that shaped his perspective.
Born in 1947 in Crockett, Texas, Moten was the tenth of fourteen children. At age five, he moved with his mother and siblings to Tucson, Arizona, as his mother sought a safer future away from racial tensions in the segregated South. He later served in both the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, earned a degree in finance, worked for the IRS, and founded his own tax corporation. Throughout his life, Moten encountered racism in public and professional spaces, experiences that continue to shape his writing and give his books a voice grounded in memory, testimony, and faith. His work also honors the guidance of his mother, Arlishie Harris Moten, whose strength and influence remain central to his story.
The memoir I IRS (My Hell of Life) is available on Amazon, with a book trailer on YouTube. The poetry collection I, The Black Poet Comes is also available on Amazon, with its own book trailer on YouTube. Readers can learn more about Moten's works and author journey by visiting his website.
