On Thursday, Oct. 10, former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser read samplings of his poetry in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center and held a craft talk in Bowers Writers House.

Kooser is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and served two terms as the United States Poet Laureate consultant in Poetry from 2004 to 2006. He has received numerous awards for his works which include 11 books of poetry, five works of nonfiction and three children’s books. This is the second time that Elizabethtown College has invited Kooser to speak.

His poetry contains a central theme of working together as a community. “I find myself writing more and more poems about the way we come together and help each other out in life,” Kooser said. The poems themselves are fairly short, straightforward snapshots from real life. They deal with everything from the sudden notoriety he experienced when he was selected as Poet Laureate in “Success” to snippets of country life in “Potatoes” and slice-of-life anecdotes such as “At Arby’s at Noon.” Kooser said that “there’s something marvelous about things like that.”

Kooser’s poetry style tends toward free verse or prose-poetry. Each poem is edged with an earnestness that provides insight into Kooser’s character. The poems act more like a way to draw his audience and readers into a conversation rather than a static state of listening. They forego the deep symbolism of some poetry in favor of embracing unassuming descriptions of everyday occurrences and situations.

Kooser integrates personal anecdotes into his poetry, ranging from humorous yarns about his finding a bat in his hide-a-bed to stories about his wife and friends. Kooser is one of those people who sincerely enjoy telling stories; it does not matter to him whether the stories he tells are prose or poetic in format, just so long as he starts a dialogue with his readers.

Between his stories and poetry, Kooser paints an intimate picture of his life, his work and his home state of Nebraska. His self-deprecating humor and earnest persona endeared him to each member of the audience, who found definite appeal in Kooser’s down-to-earth world view.

Kooser closed his performances with a self-portrait, telling the audience that he normally does not write poetry examining himself or focusing on introspection, citing a dislike of being the focus of his own work. Kooser likes to be the observer. He said that he finds more interesting stories around him than within. Moreover, he enjoys being the outsider looking in on snapshots of life and society.

Kooser enraptured his audience and let them see the world through his eyes and experiences. His poetry contained truths of life without drowning in excessive symbolism, allowing his audience to easily access the points he was trying to make. His entertaining commentary both enlivened the audience’s imaginations and provided insight into the meanings of his writings. His second visit to Etown offered a piece of American culture to the campus community.