Synopses & Reviews
For Valentineand#8217;s Day 1986, Ted Kooser wrote and#8220;Pocket Poemand#8221; and sent the tender, thoughtful composition to fifty women friends, starting an annual tradition that would persist for the next twenty-one years. Printed on postcards, the poems were mailed to a list of recipients that eventually grew to more than 2,500 women all over the United States. Valentines collects Kooserand#8217;s twenty-two years of Valentineand#8217;s Day poems, complemented with illustrations by Robert Hanna and a new poem appearing for the first time.and#160;Kooserand#8217;s valentine poems encompass all the facets of the holiday: the traditional hearts and candy, the brilliance and purity of love, the quiet beauty of friendship, and the bittersweetness of longing. Some of the poems use the word valentine, others do not, but there is never any doubt as to the purpose of Kooserand#8217;s creations.
Review
and#8220;Forget about any Valentine youand#8217;ve seen in a grocery store aisle. These poemsand#8212;touching, funny, ironic, and with the startling and always-fresh use of metaphor for which Kooser is knownand#8212;are something else entirely.and#8221;and#8212;
Nebraska LifeReview
and#8220;I am a bit stunned. I just found out that these valentines, addressed to me, all these years, are in fact part of a vast network of hearts, laced together by one manand#8217;s words, and#8216;a starburst compass pointing in all directions,and#8217; an indescribable bon-bon-mot served every February 14th, now a complete feast, between these covers. What a gift.and#8221;and#8212;Debra Winger
Review
“For many years I have been a recipient of Ted Koosers incredible valentines. Valentines Day became my favorite holiday because there was never any sadness, only the knowledge that usually, on the actual Valentines Dayand how he achieved this, Ill never knowthese beautiful small sonnets would arrive and Id carry them around and show them to everyone I knew. I can only hope that the readers of this book will have some part of the great pleasure it gave me to read these poems.”Ellen Gilchrist
Review
and#8220;Each poem is a unique snapshot of love. The poet says it best himself: and#8216;all my life, I have wanted nothing so much as the love of women.and#8217;and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;Because Kooser is a master of such unpretentious scene-painting, these are poems of rich, Wordsworthian common feeling. . . . Theyand#8217;ve nearly all appeared in Kooserand#8217;s previous collections, but especially as accompanied by Robert Hannaand#8217;s drawings . . . theyand#8217;ve never seemed more like godsendsand#8212;or valentines!and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Review
"For many years I have been a recipient of Ted Kooser's incredible valentines. Valentine's Day became my favorite holiday because there was never any sadness, only the knowledge that usually, on the actual Valentine's Day-and how he achieved this, I'll never know-these beautiful small sonnets would arrive and I'd carry them around and show them to everyone I knew. I can only hope that the readers of this book will have some part of the great pleasure it gave me to read these poems."-Ellen Gilchrist(Ellen Gilchrist, Nov 1 2007 )
Review
and#8220;People who werenand#8217;t fortunate enough to make it onto Kooserand#8217;s Valentineand#8217;s listand#8212;which included such recipients as the novelist Louise Erdrich and the actress Debra Winterand#8212;do not have to sit home alone with an empty Valentine shoebox any longer. Ted Kooserand#8217;s Valentines will fill any shoebox to the brim with romance and wry insight.and#8221;and#8212;NewWest.net
Review
and#8220;Over 22 years, Kooser has discovered a startling variety of ways to invert and enliven the vocabulary of romance, finding tender implications in even the mustiest Valentineand#8217;s symbols. . . . When it comes to his beloved(s), Kooser has generous eyes, offering always to keep her young. . . . Kooserand#8217;s poems do build a frisson, making the most of small moments of intimacy.and#8221;and#8212;Emily Nussbaum, New York Times Book Review
Review
and#8220;The writing in this book is classic Kooser: simple images, down-to-earth language, insight, and uncommonly good sense, all of which combine to produce memorable, resonant endings. . . . The artwork, like the verse, is inviting, warm, and unpretentious.and#8221;and#8212;Elizabeth Lund, Christian Science Monitor
Review
"For the reader boiling in triple-digit SoCal heat at the end of the summer, Donald Hall's "The Back Chamber: Poems" arrives like a sudden cloudburst and shower of cooling rain. . .A former U.S. poet laureate, Hall has always had this elemental power — to vividly evoke his particular New England climate and geography so that it can't be mistaken for any other — but what is more unexpected in this new collection of poems, his 16th, is passion."--LA Times "If the poems in it are relatively somber, theyre equally witty, consummately well-crafted." --Booklist, STARRED review "Featuring moving, amusing, musical poems about love, aging, and baseball, this work will have broad appeal and is recommended for all collections."—Library Journal "The former U.S. poet laureate reaches his 20th book in unmistakably honest form..." --Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The first full-length volume of poems in a decade by the former poet laureate of the United States
In The Back Chamber, Donald Hall illuminates the evocative, iconic objects of deep memory—a cowbell, a white stone perfectly round, a three-legged milking stool—that serve to foreground the rich meditations on time and mortality that run through his remarkable new collection. While Halls devoted readers will recognize many of his long-standing preoccupations—baseball, the family farm, love, sex, and friendship—what will strike them as new is the fierce, pitiless poignancy he reveals as his own lifes end comes into view. The Back Chamber is far from being death-haunted, but rather is lively, irreverent, erotic, hilarious, ironic, and sly—full of the life-affirming energy that has made Donald Hall one of Americas most popular and enduring poets.
Synopsis
The first, full-length volume of poems in a decade by former poet laureate of the United States Donald Hall
About the Author
Ted Kooser, Presidential Professor of the University of Nebraska, is former U.S. poet laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.and#160;In addition to his many volumes of poetry, he is the author of The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets and coauthor (with Steve Cox) of Writing Brave and Free: Encouraging Words for People Who Want to Start Writing, both available in Bison Books editions.and#160;Robert Hanna is a retired architect who spends his time painting, illustrating, and teaching art workshops throughout the Great Plains region.
Table of Contents
i. MeatloafThe Things 3
Loves Progress 4
Showtunes 5
Ruins 6
Conclusion at Union Lake 7
Three Women 9
Nymph and Shepherd 11
Bangers and Mash 12
River 13
Meatloaf 15
The Week 20
Convergences 21
Advent 22
Apples Peaches 23
After the Prom 25
Creative Writing 26
The Pursuit of Poetry 27
ii. Rics Progress
Rics Progress 31
iii. Rocking Chairs Painted Green
The Number 53
Scar Tissue 55
Sleep 56
Closing 57
What We Did 62
Searching 63
The Gardener 64
The Offspring 65
Freezes and Junes 66
The Widowers Cowbell 67
Blue Snow 68
Goosefeathers 69
The Back Chamber 70
Maples 71
The Bone Ring 73
Alterations 74
Pieces 75
Envy 76
“Poetry and Ambition” 77
Green Farmhouse Chairs 78