Poet Laureate Kooser is Feb. 8 Nebraska Lecture speaker

Ted Kooser, 13th poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, will read from his works and discuss poetry in a special Nebraska Lectures event Feb. 8.

The event, co-presented by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the City of Lincoln, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St. The event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis. The event will be broadcast live on the UNL Web site (www.unl.edu) and on Neb*Sat Channel 107, state Channel 4, campus Channel 4.

Kooser assumed poet laureate duties in October. He is the first poet from the Great Plains to be chosen. A visiting professor of English at UNL since 1988, Kooser had a 35-year career in the insurance industry before he retired in 1999.

He is the author of 10 collections of poetry and prose. A book, "The Poetry Home Repair Manual," is forthcoming from the University of Nebraska Press in 2005. Other recent works include "Local Wonders, Seasons in the Bohemian Alps"; "Delights and Shadows"; and, with Jim Harrison, "Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry."

Kooser's keen observations of daily life and his precise use of language make his an exquisite voice. His work has been described as touching on universal themes in accessible ways.

Born in Ames, Iowa, in 1939, Kooser earned his bachelor's degree at Iowa State University (1962) and his master's degree at the University of Nebraska (1968).

Nebraska Lectures are part of the Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series at UNL.

CONTACT: Karen Underwood, Project Manager, Office of Research, (402) 472-0030