Cynthia Moore
Cynthia Moore, MA, is an award-winning playwright and performer who wrote and directed theater in the Bay Area for over twenty years before leaving the theater to earn a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She has worked as a mental health counselor for twenty-three years, with a particular focus on the connection between spirituality and trauma. She currently practices as a mentor, a grandmother and a writer
Released March 25, 2025
DANCING ON COALS:
A Memoir of an Overperformer
by Cynthia Moore
An award-winning playwright's story of her madcap race to find fame or enlightenment, whichever comes first—perfect for fans of Lori Gottlieb's Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
In Dancing on Coals, Cynthia Moore describes a multi-decade, harebrained search for love in all the wrong places, starting when her narcissistic mother abandons her to a Swiss finishing school. Desperately seeking belonging, she leapfrogs from a polyamorous commune into a high-octane all-male performance group, dancing as if her life depends on it. When she finally quits the theater, earns a masters degree in psychology and develops her own therapeutic approach, she is able to heal herself and find the true belonging and peace she longs for.
At times humorous and self-deprecating, at times poignant and heartbreaking, this is the story of one woman's path from abandonment to wholeness and authenticity.
Book orders are available at your favorite local bookstore or online at these locations:
Moore presents an account of quite a notable life spiked with sharp, often funny dialogue… and those taking note will walk away with some wisdom. A wise, insightful, and always-entertaining recollection of a journey of self-discovery.
—Kirkus Reviews
Cynthia Moore’s Dancing on Coals: A Memoir of an Overperfomer opens with a whammy. ...an absolutely marvelous piece of writing and memory; it hit me straight on and knocked me down.
– Summer Brenner, author of Dust, A Memoir
DANCING ON COALS is, as you might expect from the title, a fast-paced whirlwind, a life story told like the hilarious, emotional, high-stakes adventure that it is. This book is the perfect cocktail of verve, honesty, and warmth. With Cynthia Moore, there is never a dull moment.
—Charlotte Shane, author of An Honest Woman
Cynthia Moore in her exquisitely written memoir plumbs the richness of an examined life. Moore demonstrates what good writing is – illuminating that which we often cannot see. I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down.
—Denise Blanc, author of River Logic, Tools to Transform Resistance and Create Flow in all of our Relationships
I was lucky enough to get to work with Cynthia when I became part of the Blake Street Hawkeyes. I’m not sure that she understood how much she meant to me... without her I don’t think I could have given myself permission to fly… our conversations fed the construction of my one-women show.
—Whoopi Goldberg, actor and author of Is it Just me? Or is it Nuts out There?”
Delving Deeper: Articles and Conversations
Terry Shepard interviews Cynthia Moore about her captivating new memoir on his podcast.
Cynthia Moore joins Kathryn Zox on her radio show to talk about her new memoir.
Peter Anthony Holder speaks with Cynthia Moore on The Stuph File Program.
Tom Barnes interview Cynthia Moore about her captivating new memoir on his podcast.
Cynthia Moore in Conversations with Friends with Meredith Porte
How Travel Pollinates Writing by Cynthia Moore
Writing and Trauma: Finding Your Voice by Cynthia Moore
Writing and Trauma: Finding Your Voice by Cynthia Moore
SPENCER’S POND
by Cynthia Moore
Spencer’s Pond is an edgy coming-of-age story in which a smart-mouthed teenager from Manhattan discovers her sensuality while vacationing at a bucolic pond. When the untamed impulses of sexuality lead to an act of violence, Jules has to find hope within despair and authenticity in a maddened world.
“I really loved this book. It took me where I wanted to go and by the time we arrived at our destination I was reminded that life will always be a surprise.”
– Whoopi Goldberg, actor and author of Is it Just me? Or is it Nuts out There?”