Valentines

“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 man’s words, ‘a starburst compass pointing in all directions,’ an indescribable bon-bon-mot served every February 14th, now a complete feast, between these covers. What a gift.”—Debra Winger

“Each poem is a unique snapshot of love. The poet says it best himself: ‘all my life, I have wanted nothing so much as the love of women.’”—Publishers Weekly

“Because Kooser is a master of such unpretentious scene-painting, these are poems of rich, Wordsworthian common feeling. . . . They’ve nearly all appeared in Kooser’s previous collections, but especially as accompanied by Robert Hanna’s drawings . . . they’ve never seemed more like godsends—or valentines!”—Booklist

“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.”—Elizabeth Lund, Christian Science Monitor

“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 Valentine’s symbols. . . . When it comes to his beloved(s), Kooser has generous eyes, offering always to keep her young. . . . Kooser’s poems do build a frisson, making the most of small moments of intimacy.”—Emily Nussbaum, New York Times Book Review

“Forget about any Valentine you’ve seen in a grocery store aisle. These poems—touching, funny, ironic, and with the startling and always-fresh use of metaphor for which Kooser is known—are something else entirely.”— Nebraska Life

“People who weren’t fortunate enough to make it onto Kooser’s Valentine’s list—which included such recipients as the novelist Louise Erdrich and the actress Debra Winter—do not have to sit home alone with an empty Valentine shoebox any longer. Ted Kooser’s Valentines will fill any shoebox to the brim with romance and wry insight.”—NewWest.net