5 - TED KOOSER

TED KOOSER

18 x 25 inches

(United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner in Poetry)

Ted Kooser artfully juxtaposes words to celebrate the everyday. His intuitive writing rhythm creates touching poetry that evokes vivid, contrasting emotions. One line of his choreographed words can move you to tears while the next can lift you to joy and laughter. With his keen powers of observation and his gift for detail, Ted instills a vision of the quiet beauty in the ordinary. His words open our hearts to the sacred in the mundane while connecting us to one another with humility.

Ted’s warm, poignant perspectives often parallel Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. Attracted to the rural and small-town America, both men demonstrate a deep understanding of basic human nature. Ted’s poetry reveals his affinity for traditional Midwest farming communities—communities that portray virtues of straightforwardness and common sense.

While listening to Ted read some of his poetry, my appreciation for his work deepened. His pauses, his subtle inflections, and his quiet rhythm moved me. His voice emitted humor and compassion as he gently exposed commonalities of our human eccentricities.

Being chosen the Poet Laureate of the United States and winning the Pulitzer Prize are well-deserved honors.