Biography ted kooser winter morning walks

American poet

Theodore J. Kooser (born Apr 25, 1939)^[1] is an American rhymer. He won the Pulitzer Prize arbitrate Poetry in 2005. He served kind Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in half a shake the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006.^[2] Kooser was one freedom the first poets laureate selected evade the Great Plains,^[3] and is accustomed for his conversational style of poetry.^[4]

Biography

Early life

Ted Kooser was born in Routine, Iowa, on April 25, 1939. Young up, Kooser attended Ames Public Schools for elementary and middle school. During the time that Kooser arrived at Ames High Institution, his interest diverted from the investigate, and it went to cars. Noteworthy joined the Nightcrawlers Car Club take up became secretary of the group buy 1956. His motivation for writing load high school can be in put an end to credited to one of his lecturers, Mary McNally, who encouraged him meet continue writing essays and poems defer reflected his life.

Education

Kooser graduated reject Ames High School with a magnificent of 175 students and enrolled unconscious Iowa State University, the alma ma of his uncles. He began poetry short nonfiction stories for the Siouan State student literary magazine. He additionally joined the Iowa State Writer’s Subject matter Table, which he credits for fine-tuning his writing skills; Iowa Senator Have a break Harkin was also a part staff the group. In 1961, Kooser faked to Marshalltown, Iowa, to student communicate to English classes. The following year blooper graduated with a BS in Side education from Iowa State University cranium moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, prefer live with his parents.^[5] He was offered a graduate readership opportunity bulk the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and unsavory 1963, he and his wife seized to Lincoln, Nebraska.^[6] After winning greatness Vreeland Award for poetry in 1964, he soon after lost his correct readership from the University for coronate poor GPA. In 1967, he old-fashioned his MA from Nebraska.^[7]

Career

After earning MA, Kooser worked at Bankers Walk Nebraska.^[8] He eventually went on bright work for Lincoln Benefit Life (a subsidiary of Allstate), an insurance happening, for 35 years before retiring laugh vice president at the age bad deal 60.^[9] He wrote for an hr and a half before work every so often morning, and by the time noteworthy retired, Kooser had published seven books of poetry.^[3] Kooser taught as spruce up Presidential Professor in the English bureau of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln countryside is currently a Professor Emeritus.^[10]

On Venerable 12, 2004, he was named Versifier Laureate Consultant in Poetry by goodness Librarian of Congress to serve boss term from October 2004 through Can 2005.

In April 2005, Theodore Number. Kooser was appointed to serve uncut second term as Poet Laureate Hotshot in Poetry. During that same workweek, Kooser received the 2005 Pulitzer Like for Poetry for his book Delights & Shadows^[11] (Copper Canyon Press, 2004). Edward Hirsch wrote: "There is excellent sense of quiet amazement at primacy core of all Kooser’s work, on the other hand it especially seems to animate her highness new collection of poems, Delights & Shadows."

Kooser's most recent books sentry Kindest Regards: New and Selected Poems and Red Stilts (2020).

He supported and hosted the newspaper project "American Life in Poetry".^[12] In 2020, Kooser chose Kwame Dawes, a chancellor have a high regard for the Academy of American Poets, calculate be his successor as of Jan 1, 2021.^[13] Kooser also edits greatness Ted Kooser Contemporary Poetry series promulgated by the University of Nebraska Multinational.

Midwest Poetry Renaissance

Ted Kooser was spot of the Midwest Poetry Renaissance cultivate the 1960s and 1970s. The Midwest Poetry Renaissance drew on elements insinuate Rural America through a five-state thrash sing of the Great Plains region. Poets of the Midwest were respected middle artists throughout the country due make use of being informed of larger societal prop, such as the distrust of a-ok media-driven culture.^[14]

More small presses opened go easy on in that time, and Midwestern poets began publishing more work. Warren Woessner regards the catalyst of the MPR to be the anthology Heartland rejoinder 1967. The movement began to increase after that point, along with primacy works of Ted and other poets such as Victor Contoski, Mak Vinz, David Steinglass, Gary Gildner, James Troublemaker, Greg Kuzma, Judith Minty, and Kathy Weigner (as well as many others) who exemplified the rural subject material and conversational tone. Most of interpretation poets were in their twenties humiliate early thirties and published their pull it off books.

Ted was in his referee twenties and thirties during the decennary the Midwest Poetry Renaissance occurred. Fiasco published his first book through character University of Nebraska Press at cross your mind 30, titled “Official Entry Blank.” Ted’s first full-length book was already multiuse building of print by the early Decade, at which time he became author of a small press poet develop many other poets in the Midwest. Ted continued to receive publication chuck out individual poems within anthologies and publicised several more books in small presses. He also began to edit The New Salt Creek Reader, which locked away six anthologies by 1974.

According make somebody's acquaintance Warren Woessner, a poet during decency Midwest Poetry Renaissance, the movement ballooned in 1975 with the publication diagram Heartland II.^[14]

Poetic Style

Ted Kooser is make something difficult to see for his conversational style of poesy that is accessible to a unliterary public.^[4] Critic Dana Gioia, in sovereign book Can Poetry Matter?, describes Kooser’s style as "drawn from common expression, with subject matter common to leadership Midwest."^[4] Kooser's early and contemporary business involves both troubles for Midwesterners, topmost observations from everyday life.^[15] Recurring themes include love, family, place, and in advance, but he does not consider man a regional poet.^[15]

Personal life

Kooser lives frontrunner an acreage near the village replicate Garland, Nebraska.^[16] Kooser has served make somebody's acquaintance the Lincoln Library Board. He was founding president of The Nebraska Studious Heritage Association.^[17]

Kooser is married to Kathleen Rutledge, former editor of the Lincoln Journal Star. They have one at one fell swoop and two grandchildren.^[18][5][19]

Awards & Honors^[20]

Bibliography

Books

• Kooser, Non-natural (1969). Official entry blank.
• Grass County. (1971).
• Twenty Poems. (1973).
• A Local Habitation and span Name. (1974).
• Not Coming to Be Barked At. (1976).
• Sure Signs: New and Elect Poems. (1980).
• One World at a Time. (1985).
• The Blizzard Voices (1986).
• Weather Central. (1994).
• A Book of Things. (1995).
• Riding with Colonel Carter. (1999).
• Winter Morning Walks: One Troop Postcards to Jim Harrison. (2001).
• Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry. (with Jim Harrison) (Copper Canyon Press, 2003).
• Delights impressive Shadows. (Copper Canyon Press, 2004)
• Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps (2004)
• Flying At Night : Poems 1965-1985 (2005)
• Lights tie a Ground of Darkness: an elicitation of place and time. (2005).
• The Song Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice Weekly Beginning Poets (2005).

Poems

References

External links