Product Description

Recently appointed as the new U. S. Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser has been writing and publishing poetry for more than forty years. In the pages of The Poetry Home Repair Manual, Kooser brings those decades of experience to bear. Here are tools and insights, the instructions (and warnings against instructions) that poets—aspiring or practicing—can use to hone their craft, perhaps into art. Using examples from his own rich literary oeuvre and from the work of a number of successful contemporary poets, the author schools us in the critical relationship between poet and reader, which is fundamental to what Kooser believes is poetry’s ultimate purpose: to reach other people and touch their hearts.

Much more than a guidebook to writing and revising poems, this manual has all the comforts and merits of a long and enlightening conversation with a wise and patient old friend—a friend who is willing to share everything he’s learned about the art he’s spent a lifetime learning to execute so well.

Ted Kooser, the 13th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, is a visiting professor in the English department of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a retired insurance executive. He is the author of ten collections of poetry, most recently Braided Creek and Delights & Shadows. His prose book, Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps, won numerous awards, including the Barnes and Noble Discover Award for nonfiction finalist, and is available in a Bison Books edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #441065 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 166 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780803227699
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Now the 13th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, the Iowa-born, Nebraska-based Kooser has 40 years' experience in constructing verse. Like Wallace Stevens, Kooser was for many years an insurance executive, and begins chapter one with the following admonition: "You'll never be able to make a living writing poems." The soundness of that advice sets the tone for this no-nonsense book, which "advocates for poems that can be read and understood without professional interpretation." To that end, he offers plenty of examples from contemporary poets like Jane Hirschfield and B.H. Fairchild (as well as from his own work), explaining uses of rhyme, meter, imagery and other fundamentals without resorting to overly technical language. He stresses the use of judicious detail (which has its source in close observation), and shows, with subtlety, how and when one might shift from metaphor to simile, or vice versa. The last of 12 chapters stresses time as the greatest help in editing: "leave your poem alone until it looks as if someone else might have written it." Perhaps the most important feature of the book is Kooser's voice, which comes through clearly and evenly, with little patience for cant, but a clear desire to advise those starting down a largely thankless path. "The truth is," he writes, "nobody's waiting for you to press your poetry into their hands."
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From Booklist
The work of Kooser, America's new poet laureate, will be receiving more attention now, attention that is amply deserved. As this collection of essays shows, he is a generous presence in the poetic world, one who feels that poets' "job description" (which he discusses in the book's first essay) is not to make money or even fame, but to "serve the poems we write." While encouraging poets to think of their audience as they write, and to revise toward intelligibility, he does not prescribe who that audience will be. His own work tends toward the rural and populist, but he does not disdain those whose audience will be urban and urbane. Rather, he urges poets to focus on the work of poetry rather than on the idea of being a poet. His advice, useful to poets at any level of achievement, includes both broad and specific ideas on revising, and enlightening discussion of matters ranging from the often-underestimated power of simile to employing narrative effectively. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Ted Kooser could be mistaken for an average guy except for one thing: He writes poetry. That activity sets him apart from most of his neighbors, since they, like most Americans, have very little time for the stuff. A resident of Nebraska and the first U.S. poet laureate from the Great Plains, Mr. Kooser takes a broadly inclusive approach to promoting poetry; even so, he harbors no illusions about its becoming the national pastime anytime soon. Mr. Kooser captures this outsider-status neatly in The Poetry Home Repair Manual, his guide to aspiring poets and aspiring readers of verse. . . . [P]oetry is a tough sell these days. . . . But that only makes a smart and readable poetry guide all the more welcome, and needed."-David Yezzi, The Wall Street Journal (David Yezzi The Wall Street Journal )

"With The Poetry Home Repair Manual, he turns to teaching us what poetry is about, Kooser-style. Much of it appeals. His attitude that ''poetry is communication'' is refreshing in an era when so many poets seem to be babbling to themselves, giving us pages ripped out of their narcissistic diaries. . . . As might be expected, Kooser''s advice is practical, down-home. . . . Kooser is a fine free-verser, and the biases of his book show it."-Cynthia Haven, San Francisco Chronicle (Cynthia Haven San Francisco Chronicle )

"When Nebraska''s Ted Kooser was named poet laureate for the Library of Congress last fall, certain quarters of the literary establishment responded with a resounding, Huh? Poets on both coasts scratched their heads, admitting they had never heard of Kooser. It is to be hoped they now have. With Kooser, the middle of the country and Nebraska have triumphed over the self-concerned coasts. Many of his poems involve closely observed Midwestern scenes, their artistry a way of surviving and even enjoying the world. Though Kooser eschews the egotism of many contemporary poets, he is as distinctive a voice as any now at work, a master of metaphor and the short poem. . . . Kooser''s book is quietly witty and iconoclastic, with valuable advice. . . . He presents a whole stance toward writing in the context of living one''s life. The Poetry Home Repair Manual is brief, lucid, and often remarkably wise."-David Mason, The Weekly Standard (David Mason The Weekly Standard )

"Comings and goings, what is there and what isn''t, and the possibilities drawn from personal exploration shape the landscapes in Kooser''s poetry. This is not an extended, complex, or experimental kind of writing, but a poetry that rings true, allowing the human sound of being to exist on the page. Its brevity is a launching pad for a simplicity that contains mortal lessons whose language changes the reader. This sense of transformation could be the theme of The Poetry Home Repair Manual. It is not a how-to book or a grand manifesto about poetic tradition. This lively and trim book is Kooser''s gift to readers and writers of poetry. . . . The value of this book lies in the way Kooser encourages writers to be real about their expectations, their work, and the fact that the world is not waiting for their poems. . . . Kooser is a poet whose triumphs and tragedies become our own, not to shed their weight upon us but to allow us to revel in the process by which the imagination and the mysteries of poetry make our humanity everyone''s horizon."-Bloomsbury Review (Bloomsbury Review )

The work of Kooser, America''s new poet laureate, will be receiving more attention now, attention that is amply deserved"-Booklist (Booklist )

"Get your hands on this book. Ask your librarian for it-or better yet buy it, along with a highlighter. You''re going to need the latter because this book is brimming with good counsel."-John Eberhart, Kansas City Star (John Eberhart Kansas City Star )

"A beginning poet would be well advised to read and take to heart the plain-spoken wisdom offered in . . . Ted Kooser''s poetry writing ''manual.'' . . . By poking fun at himself, he encourages the fledgling poet to see past the pose of being a poet to the devotion to craft and love of poetry that this book celebrates."-Judith Sornberger, Great Plains Quarterly (Judith Sornberger Great Plains Quarterly )

"No other poet seems better suited to represent the United States as its Laureate in this era than Ted Kooser, and The Poetry Home Repair Manual should enhance his grip on our slumbering Republic."-Larry Woiwode, Poet Laureate of North Dakota, in North Dakota Quarterly (Larry Woiwode North Dakota Quarterly )

"[Kooser] is a major poetic voice for rural and small-town America and the first Poet Laureate chosen from the Great Plains. His verse reaches beyond his native region to touch on universal themes in accessible ways."-James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress (James H. Billington )

"Ted Kooser demonstrates that you can be both accessible and truly excellent. . . . He''s the sort of poet people love to read."-Dana Gioia, poet and author of Can Poetry Matter? (Dana Gioia )

"It's a how-to book for beginning poets and a good read for anybody interested in improving their writing. Kooser is able to instruct with the same clarity (and humor) in which he writes, making his advice easy to understand and apply."-Jeremy Schnitker, The Reader (Jeremy Schnitker The Reader )

"Kooser's Poetry Home Repair Manual is marked by impeccable clarity and focus of dedication, and the absolute integrity that characterize Kooser's other works; I should also add the important qualities of generous and lively good humor and gentle, thoughtful persuasion. During more than forty years of teaching college students, I examined hundreds of books designed to help young writers and readers, and I am pleased to report that this book is by far the best of them all."-George Garrett, the Poet Laureate of Virginia (George Garrett )

"A practical common-sense guide to both reading and writing poetry. . . . It underscores the interdependence of reading and writing, a fact of life so often not fully understood by tyro poets."-George Fetherling, The New Brunswick Reader (George Fetherling The News Brunswick Reader )

"Offers friendly and practical advice not only on how to write poetry, but how to think like a poet."-College & Research Libraries News (College & Research Libraries News )

"This handbook is one of the best. It is organized and helpful in both practical and fundamental ways, and offers excellent models for exercises. Most important, this book is friendly. Kooser's voice is that of a wise and comfortable mentor who assumes that the reader has been working with him for a long time, and has stopped into his workshop to solve a small but thorny problem of language. He will help."-Anne-Marie Oomen, ForeWord (Anne-Marie Oomen ForeWord )

"In his own poetry he renders his subjects sensually while projecting an engaging poetic presence. In The Poetry Home Repair Manual he shares his writerly wisdom; any poet, beginner or professional, will come away from reading it with some useful reminder of how to make his or her poems better."-About.com (About.com )

"I decided I had to have a copy for my shelf of treasured books on writing and invested the money in buying a copy. And it is an investment. I know I'll be re-reading this book and referring to it for years to come."-Poetry Renewal (Poetry Renewal )

"For both wannabe poets and friends as critics."-Victoria Advocate (Victoria Advocate )

Customer Reviews

Advice From Ted
Ted Kooser, our most current Poet Laureate, writes some of the most accesible poetry around today. Reflective of his Midwestern origins, his poetry is lyrical and simple, beautiful and stunning. Just pick up any of one of his many books, and delve into his works to appreciate why he has earned this national honor. Kooser, teacher that he is, has responded in kind, and written for us a wonderful manual on the art of writing poetry, "The Poetry Home Repair Manual".

The subtitle of this work is "Practical Advice for Beginning Poets", but I daresay this book can be a guide for anyone interested in the art of poetry. I myself have dabbled in poetry since high school years, and I found this guide insightful. It allowed me to reflect upon my own work, illuminating what I've been doing well and supporting change in other areas. It also ignited a renewed interest in writing poetry, which had fallen off since a recent foray into screenwriting.

Kooser writes this non-fiction book like a poet would. There are some absolutely beautiful images that Koosher paints to elaborate his points. He describes the first few lines of a poem as an invitation to a houseguest, which we welcome into the poem for a short stay. These, and others, are indelible images that you can retain as you write.

Also, fortunately, Koosher shies away from long, arduous explanations on the mechanics of writing poetry. One of the ways to turn people off quicker to this writing is to demand an understanding of meter and rhyme. Koosher's discussion is quick and painless, kuch like tearing off a band-aid. He suggests focusing on emotions and memories, yet talks about the mechanics as a way to bring it to your awareness.

Kooser has given us a gift in this book. His inital discussion in the book about making poetry understandable is right on. So much of poetry is lost on the masses because the context of the poetry is lost on the reader. You know you should understand the poem, and appreciate it, but in reality, it's way beyond anyone besides scholars.. Kooser's book itself is a well-written, understandable kick-in-the-pants to everyone who loves poetry, both the reading and the writing of it.

A must-have book for all poets and readers of poetry
This is the best book on writing poetry I have ever read. Kooser takes you by the hand and walks you through the poems, pointing out what makes each unique along the way. The book, itself, is beautifully written. Kooser makes you want to read and write poetry again.

Every newspaper in the country should publish his column on poetry! Let's start something..... Can you imagine what just might happen if we all woke up and read a poem in the morning and thought about that all day, talked about it at the office?

Practical, useful advice and guidance
All the things you worry about doing or not doing as a poet are de-mystified in this warm book that's full of practical and useful advice and guidance. You get the feeling Ted Kooser is in the room with you as you're reading and he's got his hand on your shoulder encouraging you to write your feelings down, your observations. It don't matter if anybody but you sees it. Don't worry about forms. Put down your unique experiences and feelings. And to make it better, here's what you can do. It's kind of like a meal of comfort food. Whether one is striving to begin writing poems, or wants to improve one's poetry writing or other writing, this is a nice reference book.