The publication of Ted Kooser's<i>Sure Signs: New and Selected Poems</i> is a literary event of major importance. Long admired and praised by other poets, Kooser is also accessible to the reader not familiar with contemporary poetry.

Ted Kooser was named U.S. Poet Laureate for 2004-2006. He was born in Ames, Iowa, in 1939. Kooser was educated in the Ames public schools, at Iowa State University, and the University of Nebraska. His awards include two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, the Stanley Kunitz Prize fromColumbia magazine, and the 1981 Society of Midland Authors Award for Poetry forSure Signs.His poems have appeared in many magazines including theAntioch Review, theHudson Review, and theKenyon Review.