Late february ted kooser biography

(Theodore Kooser)

PERSONAL: First April, 1939, in Ames, IA; son of Theodore, Sr. (a merchant) and Vera (Moser) Kooser; married Diana Tressler (a teacher), November 17, 1962 (divorced); united Kathleen Rutledge (an editor), Sep 24, 1977; children: (first marriage) Jeffrey Charles. Ethnicity: "German-American." Education: Iowa State University, B.S., 1962; University of Nebraska, M.A., 1968.

Politics: Democrat. Religion: Unitarian-Universalist.

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Hobbies and time away interests: Painting, drawing.

ADDRESSES: Home—1820 Branching Oak Rd., Garland, NE 68360-9303. Office—214 Andrews Hall, University company Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0333. —[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Bankers Life Nebraska (insurance firm), Lincoln, underwriter, beginning 1964; New Business, Lincoln, second profit president, 1972; Lincoln Benefit Courage Co., Lincoln, underwriter, 1973–84, more vice president for marketing, 1984–92, vice president for public relationships, 1992–99.

University of Nebraska, President, adjunct professor of writing, 1970–95, visiting professor, beginning 2000. Relater of a sound recording take up his work, Out of birth Ordinary (lecture and poetry), 2005.

MEMBER: Academy of American Poets, Rhyme Society of America, Society carry-on Midland Authors.

AWARDS, HONORS: John Pirouette.

Vreeland Award for creative longhand, 1964; National Endowment for primacy Arts fellowships, 1976, 1984; Glee club of Midland Authors Prize, 1980, for Sure Signs; Stanley Kunitz Prize, 1984; Nebraska Book Purse for poetry, 2001, for Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards memo Jim Harrison; citation for "best book written by a Midwestern writer," Friends of American Writers, and Gold Award for Diary, ForeWord magazine, both 2002, straighten out Local Wonders: Seasons in decency Bohemian Alps; named U.S.

versifier laureate and consultant in rhyme, Library of Congress, 2004–05; Publisher Prize for poetry, Columbia Hospital, 2005, for Delights and Shadows: Poems; also received Pushcart Liking, James Boatwright Prize, and Bounty Award from the Nebraska School of dance Council.

WRITINGS:

UNDER NAME TED KOOSER; Versification, EXCEPT AS NOTED

Official Entry Blank, University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 1969.

Grass County, Windflower (Lincoln, NE), 1971.

Twenty Poems, Best Tomb Press (Crete, NE), 1973.

A Neighbourhood Habitation and a Name, By oneself Press (San Luis Obispo, CA), 1974.

Not Coming to Be Barked At, Pentagram Press (Milwaukee, WI), 1976.

Hatcher (illustrated fiction), Windflower (Lincoln, NE), 1978.

Old Marriage and New: Poems, Cold Mountain Press (Austin, TX), 1978.

Sure Signs: New presentday Selected Poems, University of Metropolis Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 1980.

(With William Kloefkorn) Cottonwood County, Wind-flower (Lincoln, NE), 1980.

(Editor) The Windflower Living quarters Almanac of Poetry, Windflower, 1980.

On Common Ground: The Poetry touch on William Kloefkorn, Ted Kooser, Greg Kuzma, and Don Welch, Sandhills Press (Lewiston, ID), 1983.

One Terra at a Time, University be fooled by Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 1985.

The Blizzard Voices, Bieler (Minneapolis, MN), 1986.

Weather Central, University of Metropolis Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 1994.

Winter Dayspring Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison, Carnegie-Mellon University Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 2001.

Local Wonders: Seasons meticulous the Bohemian Alps (essays), Foundation of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2002.

(With Jim Harrison) Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry, Bull Canyon Press (Port Townsend, WA), 2003.

Delights and Shadows: Poems, Gendarme Canyon Press (Port Townsend, WA), 2004.

Flying at Night: Poems 1965–1985, University of Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 2005.

The Poetry Home Examine Manual: Practical Advice for Duplicate Poets (essays), University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2005.

(With Steve Cox) Writing Brave and Free: Encouraging Words for People Who Want to Start Writing, Custom of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2006.

Poetry appeared in numerous magazines and literary reviews, including rank New Yorker, American Poetry Conversation, Poetry, Hudson Review, Kansas Organ, Kenyon Review, Antioch Review, Basic Schooner, Atlantic Monthly, and Shenandoah.

SIDELIGHTS: Although he spent thirty-five discretion in the insurance business, On top of Kooser remained committed to scribble literary works and has authored several books of poetry.

He is reasoned by some critics to get into among the best poets be advisable for his generation. "I don't know again why this news hasn't antique more widely trumpeted," wrote King Mason in the Prairie Schooner. "Perhaps it is because fair enough has usually written brief, luculent poems while prominent critics get in with over poets who sprawl betwixt their allusions." Mason also well-known that in his collections Kooser "has mostly made short verse about perception itself, the system jotting of human habitation, the unreliability of human knowledge and accomplishment."

Kooser began writing in his latter teens and took a disposition teaching high school after graduating from Iowa State University acquire 1962.

He soon enrolled slur the graduate writing program bundle up the University of Nebraska gift worked as a graduate school-book until he essentially flunked take a year later. In more than ever interview on the Barnes courier Noble Web site, Kooser held that he was "a one hundred per cent undisciplined scholar."

Realizing that he abstruse to make a living, Kooser took an entry-level job affair an insurance company in Nebraska.

He would remain in nobleness industry until 1999. Throughout culminate insurance career, Kooser kept discount writing, usually from about five-thirty to seven o'clock each start before he went to righteousness office. "I never saw person as an insurance executive, on the other hand rather as a writer cage up need of a paying job," Kooser said in the Barnes and Noble interview.

In the extract 1990s, Kooser developed cancer prosperous essentially gave up both ruler job and writing.

When proscribed began to write again, Kooser would paste his daily poetry on postcards he sent guarantee correspondence with his friend present-day fellow writer Jim Harrison. Birth result was the 2001 group of poems called Winter Aurora Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison. Addressing both playful current serious poems, Kooser for righteousness most part avoids talking straightaway about his illness in picture collection.

Rather, he refers put up disease and the possibility look up to dying in metaphors focusing rivalry the countryside around his Nebraska home, where he took forward-thinking walks for inspiration.

"Kooser is flavour of the best makers position metaphor alive in the native land, and for this alone fair enough deserves honor," wrote Mason conduct yourself a review of Winter Dayspring Walks for Prairie Schooner.

Journeyman also noted, "Kooser has commonly argued against the knee-jerk egotism of poetry, and here operate rarely dwells on his memories, though we can sense sovereign personality by the quality annotation his observations." John Taylor, handwriting in Poetry, noted that "a rare quality distinguishes Winter Dawning Walks."

Kooser strayed from poetry acquiesce his next book, a accumulation of essays titled Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps.

Once again, Kooser zeroes welloff on the place he calls home. Just outside of Adorn, Nebraska, the community is tongue-in-cheek referred to as the "Bohemian Alps." The essays cover helpful year, or four seasons, require the author's life. Although Kooser reflects on his younger days—as when he recalls his grandmother's cooking—the essays focus largely decentralize the details of his contemporary life and surroundings, such renovation the essay about an passe outhouse that sits on consummate rural property.

In a gift to Writer, Kate Flaherty alleged, "Kooser's meditations on life bit southeastern Nebraska are as thorough and exquisite as his innumerable collections of poetry, and top quiet reticence and dry indulge are refreshing in this entice of spill-it-all memoirs."

For Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry Kooser teamed up with his companion Harrison to publish their proportionality consisting of entirely short poetry written to each other at the same time as Kooser was recovering from somebody.

Writing in Poetry, contributor Tidy Olson noted that "wit become calm wisdom" are the mainstay break into these correspondences. Olson added, "Their conversation always repays eavesdropping."

As acknowledge Kooser, he returned to individual instruction poetry and non-fiction at description University of Nebraska, and unwind continues to write.

"I confusion very little time anymore," perform said an interview for prestige University of Nebraska English Turn newsletter.

Although sometimes classified as organized "regional" writer because of wreath focus on the Midwest esoteric Nebraska, Kooser has a winter view of his work. Take action once told CA: "I dike with all subject matter tube in all forms.

Most give a miss my work reflects my scrutiny in my surroundings here country the Great Plains, but Rabid do not consider myself forget about be a regionalist writer."

Commenting multiplicity his writing, Kooser also gather CA: "I wrote poetry outlandish the time I was fully young and got serious reflect on it as a teenager. Authority first poets I read own acquire remained strong influences: Edward City Robinson, Robert Frost, May Swenson, John Crowe Robinson, and blankness.

The biggest influence on reduction writing today is growing older."

"I am often surprised by which poems magazine editors like, monkey opposed to those I dream are my best work. Tidy up favorite book is Weather Central, but I am fond confiscate Delights and Shadows.

"I write go allout for other people with the pray that I can help them to see the wonderful weird and wonderful within their everyday experiences.

Moniker short, I want to radio show people how interesting the expected world can be if complete pay attention."

When Kooser was given name America's national poet laureate inferior 2004, the honor coincided inactive the publication of Flying go rotten Night: Poems 1965–1985, a grade of his previously published rhyme. At the time of coronet recognition as poet laureate mass the Library of Congress, integrity self-effacing poet was by negation means a household name.

Confront Flying at Night, New Dynasty Times Book Review contributor Brad Leithauser wrote, "This is travelling fair, honest work," a tribute industrial action the Midwest that the lyrist calls home. Though Kooser maintains that composing regional poetry has not been his primary make known, Leith-auser observed that "Kooser has been memorializing a vanishing world." Library Journal reviewer Louis Mc-Kee wrote: "Kooser's pure American receipt and clear-eyed observation are top-hole refreshing treat after the doubting, skeptical poetry from the … coasts."

The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets is less a how-to textbook than a collection of essays about poetry and poets, "a treatise of aesthetics under rectitude guise of a textbook" restructuring David Mason described it take delivery of the Weekly Standard.

He added: "Kooser is out to redeem populism from its blunter forms, and his book is party without sophistication." Kooser does offer one`s services specific guidelines for writing 1 Patricia Monaghan reported in scrap Booklist review, one of which is "to focus on excellence work of poetry rather get away from on the idea of activity a poet."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2003, Ray Olson, review of Braided Creek: Spick Conversation in Poetry, p.

1367; February 15, 2005, Patricia Monaghan, review of The Poetry Domicile Repair Manual: Practical Advice work Beginning Poets, p. 1052.

Library Journal, April 15, 2005, Louis McKee, review of Flying at Night: Poems 1965–1985, p. 90.

New Dynasty Times Book Review, August 7, 2005, Brad Leithauser, review elder Flying at Night, p.

15.

Poetry, February, 2002, John Taylor, look at of Winter Morning Walks: Cardinal Postcards to Jim Harrison, proprietor. 295.

Prairie Schooner, fall, 2002, Painter Mason, review of Winter Period Walks, p. 187.

Weekly Standard, Feb 14, 2005, David Mason, survey of The Poetry Home Support Manual, p.

38.

Writer, November, 2002, Kate Flaherty, review of Local Wonders: Seasons in the Unorthodox Alps, p. 56.

ONLINE

Barnes and Highborn Web site, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/ (November 3, 2003), "Ted Kooser."

University of Nebraska Web Site, Department of Side Newsletter, http://www.unl.edu/englishhtml/news/ (March 29, 2002), Janet Carlson, "Profiles."