What if one question could change the way you see yourself?
That idea is the heartbeat behind One Beautiful Question, the Instagram and TikTok account founded by Oscar-Wyett Moore ’13 M’14—former Endicott football captain, Double Gull, entrepreneur, and poet who turns simple street interviews into powerful reflections. On February 25, Moore, who now lives in Mount Pleasant, S.C., brought that mission to Endicott College for Dine & Dialogue, returning to the place that first believed in him.
Dine & Dialogue is a unique opportunity to share a meal and engage in conversations centered on the culture of belonging at Endicott, bringing together faculty, staff, and students from across campus.
But before the poetry, there was the Nest. It’s where he met his wife, Allie Moore ’12, built lifelong relationships, and stepped into leadership. From becoming one of the first graduate assistants in the Gerrish School of Business to launching early entrepreneurial ventures during his MBA, this campus shaped more than his résumé: it shaped his confidence, his courage, and his belief that showing up for people matters.
That same belief ultimately led him to take a leap of faith, leaving the security of his job in the tech industry to pursue One Beautiful Question full-time. Now, alongside Allie—who films and helps produce each interaction—he approaches strangers in downtown Charleston, offering to read them a poem. Participants choose from a list of emotions, listen, and then are gently asked to reflect. The result is raw, unscripted dialogue that often uncovers shared experiences of loss, resilience, healing, and hope.
The project has resonated far beyond the sidewalks where it’s filmed. Videos regularly spark thoughtful conversations online, with viewers sharing their own stories in the comments. The Moores have expanded the project to include live events, campus visits, and a poetry book, all centered on the same premise: that meaningful change can begin with one intentional question.
We sat down with Moore to learn more about his journey—from the Nest to Charleston—and how one simple question is building a movement rooted in compassion.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Why did you start One Beautiful Question? Take me through the process.
Moore: I started writing because I always had this desire to think new thoughts. I had this process where I would use AI to ask me questions that I’d never heard before, and then I’d write down my stream of consciousness. I started showing that to my wife, and she thought we should share this with people. It all started when we set up a social media page where I would read my poetry. But then it evolved when we had the idea of bringing the poetry to the public. We thought, ‘What if we go into Charleston and go up to strangers and just read them this poetry?’ We started doing it, and we got such a good reaction.
When did you start to realize that this was something more powerful?
Moore: When we first started, we weren’t sure if people would stop and talk to us. But I think everyone did the first day we did it. Everyone wanted to be a part of it. We saw how people opened up. We have cameras on them and everything, and they’re just sharing these really intimate, personal stories. When we put these stories online, we got responses like, ‘Man, I needed to see that.’ Or, you know, ‘I just lost a parent, and that really helped me.’ We saw the impact that this could have.
What have you learned about people through this work and about yourself?
Moore: Everyone has a story. Everyone has something they’re going through, good or bad, happy or sad. What you start to realize is that we’re more alike than we are different. My wife and I feel like this has softened us. We feel like it makes you more empathetic because you just understand that people have a story. No matter what is going on in the world or how you’re interacting with another person, if you get an opportunity to dig deep enough, you can see that that person is no different than you. In general, most people we talk to are good people who have a good spirit, and they are just doing their best.
Tell me about your book. How did that come about?
Moore: As we started writing poetry and bringing it to the public, we set this goal that we wanted to write a book and share it, because we were getting such a great reaction from the public. The goal of this book is to help people explore a new side of themselves through questions and through these unique, universal topics.
What do you hope the Endicott community takes away from your Dine & Dialogue?
Moore: In today’s world, and also on college campuses, there’s a huge conversation around mental health, around student wellness, and around belonging. I hope that what happens is that people see in our differences, there are a lot of similarities, and in that, we can come together as a community. Even though we look different, or we talk differently, or we may have different beliefs, whatever it might be, when you dig deep enough, we’re all the same.
What’s next for you and One Beautiful Question?
Moore: We have a few things. We have our social media page where we’re going to continue to go into the public, read poetry, and post our videos online. Obviously, we have the book that we’ve launched, so we'll continue to share that with folks. And then this experience on college campuses. We’re going to continue to bring this experience to groups at different schools, maybe it’s sports teams, maybe it's even organizations, businesses. We feel there’s a lot of opportunity here, because in today's world, with technology and all these things pulling people apart, we think One Beautiful Question can bring people together.