When FIU CASE alumnus Howard Camner ’82 talks about his poetry being “out of this world,” he’s not exaggerating. In fact, this proud FIU Panther has 16 published poems currently on the moon thanks to the Lunar Codex, a unique archive of cultural works from across the globe.
Spearheaded by talented physicist, artist and storyteller Dr. Samuel Peralta, this visionary project sends human creativity beyond our planet with the help of NASA’s Artemis program and its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). The Lunar Codex project consists of 15 small time capsules containing NanoFiche discs that are equipped with archived images and text for over 250,000 cultural artifacts. They are about the size of a dime, launched in over 11 different missions to space.
“The time capsules are bolted onto a lunar rover or a lunar lander which goes to a designated area on the moon, stops, and stays there. It becomes sort of like a permanent sculpture on the moon,” said Camner.
The archival missions of the Lunar Codex are part of the most significant placement of contemporary arts on the moon over the last 15 years. At its core, the Lunar Codex is a “message in a bottle” for future generations and is part of the lunar landscape.
A growing passion for writing and poetry
From an early age, Camner always had a passion for writing. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he moved to New York City in 1979 to pursue his goal of becoming a writer. While there, he fell in love with the literary scene. He became one of the founding members of the Literary Outlaws and a featured performer with the West End Poetry Troupe. After a few years in New York, he landed back home in Miami to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English at FIU. During this time, Camner had the opportunity to continue working on his writing, all while exploring new interests.
“I remember taking a foreign film class at FIU that I really enjoyed. I would say that class was what sparked my interest in screenwriting,” said Camner.
Upon graduating in 1982, Camner went to Los Angeles, California where he produced and hosted the comedy cable talk show, “Life is a Four Letter Word,” which can be found in the American Comedy Archives, the UCLA Film & Television Archives, and the Paley Center for Media Archives.
After writing a few screenplays and dabbling in TV production, Camner returned to Miami and immersed himself in the city’s growing poetry circuit. In 2007, he was named “Best Poet in Miami” in the New Times’ “Best of Miami” edition. In 2013, Camner published his Pulitzer Prize-nominated book “Poems from the Mud Room,” showcasing his collective poetry works from 1976 to 2012. The 16 poems currently on the moon can be found in this book. His major literary works are also housed in the Emerson Archives in Boston.
To the moon and beyond
What’s next for this accomplished FIU Panther and writer? Dr. Peralta recently tapped Camner for a special Lunar Codex initiative — putting together an anthology of poems about the moon.
For this special project, Camner partnered with the South Florida Writers Association. Together, they have curated a masterful anthology of poems to be part of the Lunar Codex’s Polaris Archive in November 2026. The upcoming launch of the Polaris Archive will bring Camner’s total to 30 poems on the moon. His poems are bound to be stellar!
For more information on the Lunar Codex, visit: https://www.lunarcodex.com/