Former Norwood News editor Jordan Moss finds a new creative path through Bronx art

Moss is known for using oil pastels, but has also utilized materials like cardboard, acrylic and sand in his work.

Courtesy Jordan Moss

For nearly two decades, Jordan Moss told the stories of Bronx neighborhoods as a journalist.

Now, years after a cancer diagnosis altered the course of his career, the Kingsbridge Heights resident is telling stories in a different way — this time through abstract art, photography and a newsletter highlighting the borough’s arts community.

Moss, a former editor at the Norwood News, spent 17 years covering local issues and helping expand neighborhood journalism into underserved Bronx communities. But after being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2012, he struggled to return to the work that had defined much of his professional life.

The diagnosis followed an unexpected seizure at his home. Moss said he was supposed to prepare dinner while his wife picked up their child from school. When they returned, they found he had not started cooking.

Moments later, he collapsed.

Moss had never experienced a seizure before. The diagnosis that followed affected his ability to concentrate, meet deadlines and process information, making his return to journalism difficult, he said.

“My brain just couldn’t really do things as well as before, like being on time with things and focusing,” he said.

Fourteen years later and now cancer-free, Moss said he occasionally writes freelance articles, but much of his time is devoted to art, a pursuit he discovered several years after his diagnosis.

Raised on Long Island, Moss grew up with two artist parents but did not pursue visual art himself. Instead, he studied political science in college and developed an interest in writing, eventually working for a nonprofit focused on voter registration reform.

He moved to the Bronx in 1992 and began freelancing for the Norwood News and Newsday, covering schools, parks and neighborhood issues. In September 1994, he joined the Norwood News staff, beginning a 17-year tenure.

During that time, Moss helped expand the paper’s reach through two additional publications, the Mount Hope Monitor and Tremont Tribune, which covered other Bronx neighborhoods and involved high school students in reporting.

He credited Dart Westfall, who founded the Norwood News in 1988, with supporting those efforts.

Moss said the recent announcement of the Norwood News’ “indefinite hiatus” was particularly troubling because of the role neighborhood newspapers play in communities often overlooked by larger publications. He said the paper was founded to provide consistent reporting in areas where advertising and subscription revenue alone could not sustain local journalism.

Although Moss continues to value journalism, his focus began shifting toward art several years after his diagnosis.

His introduction came partly through visits to his mother at the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, where he said she was living with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. A lifelong artist, she continued to respond to opportunities to create, particularly when Moss brought her into the facility’s art studio.

Moss began experimenting with his mother’s old oil pastels, creating simple abstract compositions. What started as an occasional activity gradually developed into a serious interest.

“It just felt really right,” he said.

His mother’s abstract work became an influence, as did his father’s artwork, much of which reflected his experiences during World War II.

Moss later attended the Art Students League of New York for four years, taking mixed-media classes and learning alongside other artists. His father had studied there after World War II, he said.

Today, Moss primarily creates colorful abstract works using oil pastels. Rather than beginning with a fixed image, he often reworks his compositions, sometimes covering portions of a piece or revamping it entirely.

“I can cover it all up or keep some of it,” he said. “Things take time but you can create what’s interesting to you or important, and I feel like that evolves over time.

Photography also became an important outlet. Moss said he frequently walks through Van Cortlandt Park, a short distance from his home, photographing landscapes and scenes that catch his attention.

His interests in art and writing have since converged through a Substack newsletter, “Art All Around Us,” focused on Bronx artists, exhibitions and cultural events. The publication also features his own artwork, personal reflections and links to articles he considers worthwhile.

Moss said he hopes to encourage residents to explore the borough’s arts offerings, particularly those who might otherwise travel elsewhere to visit galleries and exhibitions.

He said he also wants to find ways to highlight children’s artwork and encourage young people to explore their creativity without worrying about whether their work meets certain expectations.

For Moss, who once dedicated his career to informing Bronx residents about their neighborhoods, the newsletter represents another way to connect people with their community.

“I find it just a meaningful thing to me when more folks are engaged with Bronx art,” he said.