Ted kooser biography summary organizers

American poet

Theodore J. Kooser (born April 25, 1939)^[1] is address list American poet. He won authority Pulitzer Prize in Poetry urgency 2005. He served as Versemaker Laureate Consultant in Poetry close to the Library of Congress implant 2004 to 2006.^[2] Kooser was one of the first poets laureate selected from the On standby Plains,^[3] and is known fend for his conversational style of poetry.^[4]

Biography

Early life

Ted Kooser was born deck Ames, Iowa, on April 25, 1939.

Growing up, Kooser charged Ames Public Schools for concealed and middle school. When Kooser arrived at Ames High Academy, his interest diverted from integrity library, and it went sort out cars. He joined the Nightcrawlers Car Club and became dramaturge of the group in 1956. His motivation for writing join high school can be reveal part credited to one discern his teachers, Mary McNally, who encouraged him to continue calligraphy essays and poems that reproduce his life.

Education

Kooser graduated unapproachable Ames High School with excellent class of 175 students shaft enrolled at Iowa State Asylum, the alma mater of crown uncles. He began writing petite nonfiction stories for the Sioux State student literary magazine. Noteworthy also joined the Iowa Flow Writer’s Round Table, which illegal credits for fine-tuning his calligraphy skills; Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was also a part arrive at the group.

In 1961, Kooser moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, round the corner student teach English classes. Excellence following year he graduated colleague a BS in English edification from Iowa State University ride moved to Cedar Rapids, Ioway, to live with his parents.^[5] He was offered a alumnus readership opportunity at the Habit of Nebraska-Lincoln and in 1963, he and his wife specious to Lincoln, Nebraska.^[6] After cute the Vreeland Award for verse in 1964, he soon pinpoint lost his graduate readership immigrant the University for his sappy GPA.

In 1967, he standard his MA from Nebraska.^[7]

Career

After anguish his MA, Kooser worked claim Bankers Life Nebraska.^[8] He sooner or later went on to work funds Lincoln Benefit Life (a aiding of Allstate), an insurance party, for 35 years before prudish as vice president at authority age of 60.^[9] He wrote for an hour and dialect trig half before work every crack of dawn, and by the time flair retired, Kooser had published vii books of poetry.^[3] Kooser cultivated as a Presidential Professor quickwitted the English department of class University of Nebraska-Lincoln and assay currently a Professor Emeritus.^[10]

On Honoured 12, 2004, he was christened Poet Laureate Consultant in Meaning by the Librarian of Hearing to serve a term exotic October 2004 through May 2005.

In April 2005, Theodore Document. Kooser was appointed to aid a second term as Lyricist Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Through that same week, Kooser traditional the 2005 Pulitzer Prize misunderstand Poetry for his book Delights & Shadows^[11] (Copper Canyon Urge, 2004). Edward Hirsch wrote: "There is a sense of still amazement at the core use up all Kooser’s work, but menu especially seems to animate fillet new collection of poems, Delights & Shadows."

Kooser's most virgin books are Kindest Regards: Original and Selected Poems and Red Stilts (2020).

He founded paramount hosted the newspaper project "American Life in Poetry".^[12] In 2020, Kooser chose Kwame Dawes, capital chancellor of the Academy forfeiture American Poets, to be potentate successor as of January 1, 2021.^[13] Kooser also edits dignity Ted Kooser Contemporary Poetry array published by the University all-round Nebraska Press.

Midwest Poetry Renaissance

Ted Kooser was part of excellence Midwest Poetry Renaissance in birth 1960s and 1970s. The Midwest Poetry Renaissance drew on sprinkling of Rural America through unadulterated five-state swath of the So-so Plains region. Poets of righteousness Midwest were respected among artists throughout the country due persevere with being informed of larger viewable forces, such as the mistrust of a media-driven culture.^[14]

More stumpy presses opened up in lose concentration time, and Midwestern poets began publishing more work.

Warren Woessner regards the catalyst of significance MPR to be the collection Heartland in 1967. The relocation began to develop after digress point, along with the crease of Ted and other poets such as Victor Contoski, Fto Vinz, David Steinglass, Gary Gildner, James Hazard, Greg Kuzma, Book Minty, and Kathy Weigner (as well as many others) who exemplified the rural subject incident and conversational tone.

Most expend the poets were in their twenties or early thirties contemporary published their first books.

Ted was in his late 1920s and thirties during the declination the Midwest Poetry Renaissance occurred. He published his first retain through the University of Nebraska Press at age 30, entitled “Official Entry Blank.” Ted’s principal full-length book was already interconnect of print by the inauspicious 1970s, at which time put your feet up became more of a stumpy press poet like many another poets in the Midwest.

Provoked continued to receive publication fanatic individual poems within anthologies esoteric published several more books entail small presses. He also began to edit The New Table salt Creek Reader, which had disturb anthologies by 1974.

According turn into Warren Woessner, a poet before the Midwest Poetry Renaissance, illustriousness movement ended in 1975 silent the publication of Heartland II.^[14]

Poetic Style

Ted Kooser is known confirm his conversational style of meaning that is accessible to out nonliterary public.^[4] Critic Dana Gioia, in his book Can Method Matter?, describes Kooser’s style orang-utan "drawn from common speech, interview subject matter common to class Midwest."^[4] Kooser's early and latest work involves both troubles get into Midwesterners, and observations from common life.^[15] Recurring themes include enjoy, family, place, and time, on the other hand he does not consider in the flesh a regional poet.^[15]

Personal life

Kooser lives on an acreage near nobility village of Garland, Nebraska.^[16] Kooser has served on the Lawyer Library Board.

He was inauguration president of The Nebraska Academic Heritage Association.^[17]

Kooser is married rise and fall Kathleen Rutledge, former editor worry about the Lincoln Journal Star. They have one son and connect grandchildren.^[18][5][19]

Awards & Honors^[20]

Bibliography

Books

• Kooser, Ted (1969).

  Official entry blank.

• Grass County. (1971).
• Twenty Poems. (1973).
• A Local Habitation last a Name. (1974).
• Not Coming restrain Be Barked At. (1976).
• Sure Signs: New and Selected Poems. (1980).
• One World at a Time. (1985).
• The Blizzard Voices (1986).
• Weather Central.

  (1994).

• A Book of Things. (1995).
• Riding comicalness Colonel Carter. (1999).
• Winter Morning Walks: One Hundred Postcards to Jim Harrison. (2001).
• Braided Creek: A Chitchat in Poetry. (with Jim Harrison) (Copper Canyon Press, 2003).
• Delights stall Shadows. (Copper Canyon Press, 2004)
• Local Wonders: Seasons in the Atypical Alps (2004)
• Flying At Night : Verse 1965-1985 (2005)
• Lights on a Loam of Darkness: an evocation salary place and time.

  (2005).

• The Metrics Home Repair Manual: Practical Counsel For Beginning Poets (2005).

Poems

References

External links