Ted Kooser, the US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006, is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry and prose, including Delights and Shadows (Copper Canyon, 2004), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry; and Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps (Nebraska, 2002). His latest book, Valentines, was published in February by the University of Nebraska Press.

Also In VQR

• By Starlight
• Window Shade
• A Mouse in a Trap
• Dead Fly