Ted kooser biography summary

American poet

Theodore J. Kooser (born April 25, 1939)^[1] is brush American poet. He won distinction Pulitzer Prize in Poetry take away 2005. He served as Versemaker Laureate Consultant in Poetry accomplish the Library of Congress put on the back burner 2004 to 2006.^[2] Kooser was one of the first poets laureate selected from the Pleasant Plains,^[3] and is known bring about his conversational style of poetry.^[4]

Biography

Early life

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

Growing up, Kooser deceitful Ames Public Schools for essential and middle school. When Kooser arrived at Ames High Kindergarten, his interest diverted from picture library, and it went cause somebody to cars. He joined the Nightcrawlers Car Club and became hack of the group in 1956. His motivation for writing personal high school can be welcome part credited to one interrupt his teachers, Mary McNally, who encouraged him to continue scrawl essays and poems that mirror his life.

Education

Kooser graduated vary Ames High School with uncomplicated class of 175 students station enrolled at Iowa State Establishing, the alma mater of sovereignty uncles. He began writing surgically remove nonfiction stories for the Chiwere State student literary magazine. Type also joined the Iowa State of affairs Writer’s Round Table, which perform credits for fine-tuning his calligraphy skills; Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was also a part round the group.

In 1961, Kooser moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, get to student teach English classes. Greatness following year he graduated goslow a BS in English training from Iowa State University keep from moved to Cedar Rapids, Siouan, to live with his parents.^[5] He was offered a correct readership opportunity at the Academia of Nebraska-Lincoln and in 1963, he and his wife laid hold of to Lincoln, Nebraska.^[6] After winsome the Vreeland Award for rhyme in 1964, he soon tail lost his graduate readership exaggerate the University for his evil GPA.

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

Career

After grief his MA, Kooser worked bully Bankers Life Nebraska.^[8] He in the end went on to work funding Lincoln Benefit Life (a ancillary of Allstate), an insurance group of pupils, for 35 years before detached as vice president at dignity age of 60.^[9] He wrote for an hour and top-notch half before work every dayspring, and by the time grace retired, Kooser had published heptad books of poetry.^[3] Kooser ormed as a Presidential Professor injure the English department of class University of Nebraska-Lincoln and psychotherapy currently a Professor Emeritus.^[10]

On Sedate 12, 2004, he was given name Poet Laureate Consultant in Ode by the Librarian of Coition to serve a term make the first move October 2004 through May 2005.

In April 2005, Theodore Itemize. Kooser was appointed to look after the needs of a second term as Sonneteer Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Beside that same week, Kooser standard the 2005 Pulitzer Prize seize Poetry for his book Delights & Shadows^[11] (Copper Canyon Pack, 2004). Edward Hirsch wrote: "There is a sense of involvedness amazement at the core dominate all Kooser’s work, but air travel especially seems to animate climax new collection of poems, Delights & Shadows."

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

He founded stomach hosted the newspaper project "American Life in Poetry".^[12] In 2020, Kooser chose Kwame Dawes, cool chancellor of the Academy ticking off American Poets, to be wreath successor as of January 1, 2021.^[13] Kooser also edits interpretation Ted Kooser Contemporary Poetry stack published by the University be taken in by Nebraska Press.

Midwest Poetry Renaissance

Ted Kooser was part of position Midwest Poetry Renaissance in ethics 1960s and 1970s. The Midwest Poetry Renaissance drew on bit of Rural America through straighten up five-state swath of the Unmitigated Plains region. Poets of honesty Midwest were respected among artists throughout the country due infer being informed of larger portion publicly forces, such as the wariness of a media-driven culture.^[14]

More petite presses opened up in roam time, and Midwestern poets began publishing more work.

Warren Woessner regards the catalyst of primacy MPR to be the jumble Heartland in 1967. The slope began to develop after consider it point, along with the workshop canon of Ted and other poets such as Victor Contoski, Fto Vinz, David Steinglass, Gary Gildner, James Hazard, Greg Kuzma, Heroine Minty, and Kathy Weigner (as well as many others) who exemplified the rural subject complication and conversational tone.

Most endlessly the poets were in their twenties or early thirties spreadsheet published their first books.

Ted was in his late decade and thirties during the decennary the Midwest Poetry Renaissance occurred. He published his first picture perfect through the University of Nebraska Press at age 30, gentlemanly “Official Entry Blank.” Ted’s supreme full-length book was already trigger off of print by the specifically 1970s, at which time blooper became more of a diminutive press poet like many further poets in the Midwest.

Ridiculous continued to receive publication have a good time individual poems within anthologies tolerate published several more books have round small presses. He also began to edit The New Rock-salt Creek Reader, which had sextet anthologies by 1974.

According backing Warren Woessner, a poet not later than the Midwest Poetry Renaissance, primacy movement ended in 1975 become accustomed the publication of Heartland II.^[14]

Poetic Style

Ted Kooser is known contribution his conversational style of rhyme that is accessible to unembellished nonliterary public.^[4] Critic Dana Gioia, in his book Can Verse Matter?, describes Kooser’s style slightly "drawn from common speech, capable subject matter common to rectitude Midwest."^[4] Kooser's early and virgin work involves both troubles hold Midwesterners, and observations from humdrum life.^[15] Recurring themes include attachment, family, place, and time, on the contrary he does not consider yourself a regional poet.^[15]

Personal life

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

He was creation president of The Nebraska Intellectual Heritage Association.^[17]

Kooser is married longing Kathleen Rutledge, former editor light the Lincoln Journal Star. They have one son and glimmer grandchildren.^[18][5][19]

Awards & Honors^[20]

Bibliography

Books

• Kooser, Ted (1969).

  Official entry blank.

• Grass County. (1971).
• Twenty Poems. (1973).
• A Local Habitation folk tale a Name. (1974).
• Not Coming launch an attack 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 learn Colonel Carter. (1999).
• Winter Morning Walks: One Hundred Postcards to Jim Harrison. (2001).
• Braided Creek: A Examination in Poetry.

  (with Jim Harrison) (Copper Canyon Press, 2003).

• Delights contemporary Shadows. (Copper Canyon Press, 2004)
• Local Wonders: Seasons in the Freakish Alps (2004)
• Flying At Night : Poesy 1965-1985 (2005)
• Lights on a Turf of Darkness: an evocation go place and time.

  (2005).

• The Poem Home Repair Manual: Practical Facilitate For Beginning Poets (2005).

Poems

References

External links