AHSAA Authors



Marshmallow Clouds

Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech

by Author Ted Kooser AHS 1957

Ted Kooser Ames High Class of 1957 Author Marshmallow Clouds children poetry book cover and promotion published March 15 2022 #AHSauthor 2023-04-18 Ted Kooser Ames High School class of 1957 candid photo author and poet AHS Ames High School Ames Iowa 1957 Alum Ted Kooser 2004 with 2 dogs

Mon Mar 14, 2022

Marshmallow Clouds
by Author Ted Kooser AHS 1957

Available now from Amazon.com

Celebrated poets Ted Kooser along with Connie Wanek, and illustrator Richard Jones, explore figures of speech in a spirited and magical way—and invite our imaginations out to play.

ISBN 9781536203035 (ISBN10: 1536203033)

A freewheeling romp through the world of imagery and metaphor, this quietly startling collection of thirty poems, framed by the four elements, is about art and reality, fact and fancy. Look around: what do you see? A clown balancing a pie in a tree, or an empty nest perched on a leafless branch? As poet Connie Wanek alludes to in her afterword—a lively dialogue with former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser — sometimes the simplest sights and sounds “summon our imaginations” and cry out to be clothed in the alchemical language of poetry. This compendium of the fleeting and unexpected turns the everyday—turtles, trees, and tadpoles; cow pies, lazy afternoons, and pillowy white marshmallows—into poetic gold. A brilliant and timeless collaboration that evokes both the mystery and grandeur of the natural world and the cozy, mundane moments of daily life, this exquisitely illustrated collection is the go-to gift book of the season for poetry fans of all ages.


A Donation of Shoes - 12.27.2020 poem by Ted Kooser - The last poem by Ted Kooser for the American Life in Poetry website. It touched my heart - reprinted below with permission from 12.27.2020 by Ted Kooser AHS 1957 -- Ed Hendrickson AHS 1974 volunteer web editor

They’re on their way to Goodwill in Destiny’s old cardboard carton, the flaps folded inside, lending its scuffed shoulders a look of authority, the box knowing the route, the shoes badly lost and confused, their toes starting in every direction at once, clambering over each other, laces entangled—wingtip, slip-on, work- boot and sneaker—every pair trying to get one last, lingering look at the closet before settling down into their smell. What’s the saddest about this is seeing those insoles floating up naked, pale flounders beat flat and then dried, no longer to swim through the ocean of days, led on by plump dolphins of feet.

-- 12.27.2020 by Ted Kooser AHS 1957
reprinted with permission

Ted Kooser AHS 1957 CV Resume as of 3/19/2019