Kenneth Koch Books

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This is one of my favorite books:

"I like to write about poems. I like poems.
Some girls are like poems."
-Eric Filisbret, 3rd or 4th grade

"Dog where do you get that bark?
Dragon where do you get that flame?
Kitten where do you get that meow?
Rose where do you get that red?
Bird, where do you get those wings?"
-Desiree Lynn Collier, 3rd or 4th grade

"Come with me and I'll show you my heart. I
know where it is and I know all about it...
Come with me, I'll take you to a world, not
a world that you know. Not a world that
I know. But a world that nobody knows,
not you or me... "

It's ironic, the good kind, for me to learn
so much from a book about ok, teaching
children about poetry.

A follow-up to the author's equally wonderful "Wishes, Lies, and Dreams," this superb volume is one of the best sources for teaching poetry that I've ever read. How many of us found that school crushed any budding love of poetry we had, rather than nurturing it? Well, Kenneth Koch will bring that crushed bud back into full, glorious blossom! He has a rare gift -- he removes the barriers to poetry, the ones that say it's too deep, too different, too complex, for the likes of ordinary people; yet he never removes its mystery, its wonder, its beauty. If anything, he makes it available & familiar to all in a way that only enhances its rapturous qualities. He makes us realize that a poem is as obvious & rich, as subtle & tangible, as a flower. The poem is there for anyone, for everyone, to savor & enjoy.

Most highly recommended!

This excellent book seems to be a missing link in writing instruction. Other books provide somewhat mechanical methods for generating writing ideas, but Koch's book leads the reader into natural lines of thought which connect the reader with his or her experience of life, experience from which the writing must flow. I am pretty sure this would work for any kind of writing and is not limited to poetry. Don't be too proud to use this book on yourself!

Mr. Koch will not underestimate children. He will not talk down, dumb down, water down, because a passion for the subject matter animates this book as it must animate his instruction. He carefully documents and shares children's work as if it is as important as the poetry that inspired it.

Like anything truly sublime, the unspoken lesson enlivens this book . If you really share what you love with students, guide them instead of showing them, ask instead of telling, and treat their products with the respect you'd give a visiting artist, they will produce art as amazing as Mr. Koch's students did.

Forget teaching poetry to children- teach poetry instead. Take the concept and apply it to all creative acts. Teach art from great and challenging art. Teach music from powerful, sophisticated music. They can not only take it, they'll take it and keep it.

I used this book to introduce unrhymed poetry to a fourth grade class. They just knew that they were going to HATE poetry, but after they were exposed to these poems and had a chance to write their own, they were upset when the poetry unit was over. They loved the poems written by other children that Koch included.

If you have one book of poetry, or one book of art reproductions, for your family (or for yourself at any age), this may be it. All of the poems are short and vivid, and the images are stunning, as befits a book issued by a museum. The choice of poetry may not be everyone's cup of tea, as the New York School poets are rather over-represented and there are a lot of poems in translation that include good images but unfortunately sound a little clumsy. But year after year, I find new things to delight in here.

I disagree with the tag "children's poetry" for this book. This is not kiddy poetry, like Shel Silverstein's, but real poetry that children can appreciate.

Poetry. Could be used for any age level.

Summary
This book is a collection of art work that accompanies more than a hundred poems by an array of writers, including Nash, Dickinson, Tennyson, Carroll, ethnic poems, and many by people I don't know.

Illustrations
The illustrations are photographs of art work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Application
This book would be great to read while waiting in line. We could look at Egyptian art page, for example, and I could ask students what they think about the people who created these sculptures? Who are these people today? How old do you think the child in this painting? Why? What kind of hairdo would the child have today? What kind of job do you think this woman had? I could have the students look for details in pictures. What happened to the rest of this sculpture?

As a father, poet and art fan, I think this book makes a brilliant gift for artistically inclined children. The art graphics and choices are excellent. The poems are excellent. Most importantly, the book doesn't condescend to intuitive children. Koch understands that kids don't crave excessively sentimental hooey. They like to be fascinated. This is the kind of book that, over time, will increase a child's creativity.

This is a book of poetry and art. The poems are good for adults as well as children (even though this is called anthology for "young people"). They are arranged loosely by theme and are from different time periods.

There are also many pictures throughout the book. These are color and are reproductions of art from different time periods and cultures. The pictures and poems are arranged to fill each page. This makes for a charming book to browse.

This is not an essential book for a family library. It is a nice edition and has a good collection of poems for all ages displayed attractively with pictures. Depending on what you already have and how much space you have this might be a nice edition for you.

I am 25 now, but I was given this book as a child, and I loved it. It is filled with lavish art and short poems that are meaningful and interesting to children as well as adults.

A great book to give a child as a first exposure to poetry.

... definitely not what I expected when I first ordered it, but the book has grown on me some. It's basically a collection of poetic addresses from the poet to various aspects and times of his life. The one for "Carelessness" is my favorite at the the moment, but many others have struck chords with me as well. A good book if you're already a fan of Koch's work.

Easily Koch's best book -- and that is saying a lot.

All the poems here are written as direct address -- the "you" in each poem is an inanimate object, place, thing, or event...allowing the poet to write deeply and freely about the important events in his life. In the end, you realize it is a kind of autobiography.

"New Addresses" is moving, connected, funny, adventurous, experimental, free. It's a huge success. You should read it.

These poems are addresses to subjects and through them Koch in a sense not only gives us his ideas and attitudes about these subjects but tells his own life -story. I found of particular interest his poem on 'Jewishness' in which he really explains his changing attitude to this element of his identity. The 'poem 'in a sense represents a return to a subject long- neglected. And if it lacks a deeper connection with the religious meanings of Judaism it nonetheless is rich with incidents and perceptions. One of these relates to Koch's experience as a soldier on Leyte where he overhears another soldier say ," Where are the Jews" . Koch does not reply. This small part of the poem moved me. My uncle Larry Zeibert of blessed memory was another Jewish soldier on Leyte. He in fact was in the first Ranger landing boat in the invasion.
Koch's poetry reveals great intelligence, and sensitivity. This is one of those books of poetry one can read and understand and learn from.

These poems are so witty and easily read that I almost made the mistake missing their depth or emotional resonance. It is only on the second or third reading of a poem like "To My Twenties" that a phrase like "What you gave me you gave me whole/But as for telling/Me how best to use it/You weren't a genius at that" did I really see the breezyness of that style emulates the ease with which those years in someone's life can fly by. I was moved.

Ruth Koch is a counselor, social worker, and educator; Ken Haugk is a pastor and the founder of Stephen Ministries (an organization that exists to equip church members in basic counseling and listening skills in order to be of service during others' difficult times). "Speaking the Truth in Love" is one book in the training curriculum and focuses on how one can grow to be more assertive.

Assertiveness can be defined as "moving toward one's self as you move toward another person." This is to be contrasted with Passiveness (in which a person decides not to reveal his true feelings and ends up experiencing guilt and frustration...thus working against himself) and Aggressiveness (in which a person attacks and thus works against another person). The authors explain why Assertiveness is the best of these three options, hold up Jesus as the ultimate example of Assertiveness, and give practical advice for becoming more Assertive. The authors liberally use anecdotes and examples to illustrate their points, making this book an easy read. However, although the information is laid out simply, the material itself is certainly not simplistic. Kock and Haugk know their subject matter well, they have a good understanding of Christian theology, and they are prove able to teach the material in an understandable and engaging way.

Although this book is intended for Christians going through Stephen Ministry training, you don't need to be either a Stephen Minister or a Christian to benefit from "Speaking the Truth in Love." I, personally, am not going through the Stephen Ministry program and found the book highly beneficial; Jesus is treated more as a historical figure to emulate rather than True God and True Man. It should also be mentioned that, while other similar books tend to assume the reader is Passive, this book strikes a balance between addressing a Passive reader and an Aggressive reader.

In all, "Speaking the Truth" is highly recommended. It serves as a good introduction to interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, leadership, and self-differentiation.

When I received my copy of above book I could not believe I received such a clean book. In fact, I felt like I had received a new book. I am very impressed with your used book department and appreciate the service I received.

The book is just what I need at this point in my life and I am very happy I chose the book.

Amazon.com is wonderful!!!

I never really knew I could be assertive. Thanks to this book, I am now lovingly assertive. This book focuses on teaching you to be Christ-like in your assertiveness. It's a must read for anyone who wants to be more Christ-like!!

Before reading this book, I suffered from a sort of horror of non-fiction. However, Speaking The Truth in Love is non-threatening, practical, and attainable. The principles shared are deep, loving, and in no way narrow. Given a fair chance, they can be life changing. Encouragement to true assertiveness that respects others as well as yourself is gently but firmly emphasized. The Christian community especially would do well to assimilate its principles into classes, small groups, and requested reading for all potential church leaders. This is a powerful book that deserves a much wider audience than it has yet reached. It is worth every penny I spent and more!

Some 35+ years after its initial publication, this remains one of the finest books about writing poetry -- and not just for children, either! Kenneth Koch walks a delicate & difficult line here, trusting in the experiences & imaginations of children, yet also emphasizing (in an unforced but gently firm manner) the need for work & craft. Most of all, it demystifies poetry without stripping it of its wonder & magic, making it accessible to all who are willing to meet it halfway. There's never a note of condescension here, just a genuine love of poetry & the expectation that any aspiring poet will give his or her all in creating poems. Most highly recommended!

April is National Poetry Month. Here's a book that will bring the joy of poetry to your classroom. The title exercises are especially effective. The kids in our library loved to list lies! It sounds so simple. Try it--it's pure magic.

This is one book I can't do without. I was introduced to Kenneth Koch's work when I was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison taking a workshop from an author who had taught with Koch. It has been my "writing Bible" ever since. I have used almost every exercise at one time or another with elementary school children, with fantastic results. Along with Koch's "Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?", this is a classic.

I was first introduced to this marvelous book as a sophomore in an advanced placement English and History class in high school. An older graduate of the program had gone on to study poetry under Kenneth Koch at Columbia University, and returned to share what he had learned.

Now, with Bachelor's Degrees in both English and Elementary Education and a Master's in Language, Linguistics and Culture, I still consider WISHES, LIES, AND DREAMS to be the single best book on teaching writing that I have ever read.

Koch does not waste time with "assessment" of students' skills, collecting data, or any of the other peripheral matters that clutter most writing "methods" texts. This book is about WRITING, about inspiring students to write, about focusing the talents students already have but might not know that they possess.

I first used this book as a teacher when I was student teaching with a class of recalcitrant fifth graders who had been taught strictly by the text throughout their elementary school years. They almost unanimously declared that they hated writing. Employing Koch's ideas and combining them with the District-required skills lessons, I successfully taught these students what they needed to know - and they loved it!

After I began teaching in my own classroom, I used WLD with my students in bilingual third grade classes. Again, we were successful, even with second-language learners. Years later, when I began teaching second grade, and last year, when I worked with first graders, this book was an essential part of our writing program.

Having been an elementary school teacher now for eleven years, I have come to the conclusion that the best teachers begin with the students' interests and talents, then direct this energy toward teaching the students what they don't know.

Even though the subtitle is "Teaching Children to Write Poetry", the ideas Koch presents serve as a starting point for introducing children to other forms of writing. While the book is directed primarily toward elementary school students, I cannot imagine that high schoolers and even college students could not benefit from it.

Best of all, Koch himself takes up little space explaining to us, telling us how to teach, or - as so many methodology text writers tend to do - ramble on for page after page stating the obvious. Most of the book is filled with examples of writing from the STUDENTS Koch worked with in the New York City Public Schools. These brief poems provide students with a concrete example of what children before them have written, and inspire them to write their own poetry.

The Six-Traits writing process hadn't even been invented (or at least hadn't been named that) when this book was published over thirty years ago, but I found it easy to find examples of good use of Voice, Word Choice, Conventions, Ideas, and Sentence Fluency throughout the book.

No matter what program your school district requires, WLD will help provide inspiration. Teachers can easily supplement skills and grammar lessons in addition to Koch's marvelous ideas, and will probably think of millions more.

If you're not a teacher, sit down with your children and read this book together, read the children's poems, and try some of the ideas. You'll probably end up recommending WLD to your child's teacher - and he'll be glad you did.

This book contains the hilarious poem "Possible World," a sort of parody of Mallarmé's "Un coup de dés," along with a brilliant memoir and several delightful shorter poems. "The Moor not taken" is also very funny. Buy it together with "Sun Out" to see the very early and the very late Koch side by side.

Koch has followed up his tremendous last collection "New Addresses" with this brilliant collection in which we see the full of range of the powers that made him one of the giants of American poetry - Bell Canto, in Koch's oft-used Ottava Rima, further solidifies his place as a great master of the form.

There are those who speak of the "anxiety" of poetry, but there is a case to be made for poetry that results not from agony or a confessional impulse but out of pleasure, the desire to communicate pleasure to an audience hungry for it. Koch generates as much pleasure as any poet, and it is not only the comic value of his poetry that recommends it but the spirit of creativity itself. In "The Art of Poetry" you get a kind of guide to poetics, an "ars poetica" in the Horatian manner with an American accent. You also get "Fresh Air," his memorable 1950s diatribe against academic poetry, still pertinent today. A necessary antidote to the New York Times.

I first encountered Ceravolo almost 6 years ago, after first diving into Celan. The odd conjunction proved more fruitful than one might think. Underneath the green lake's awake surface, tense with linguistic wit and ingenuity (so characteristic of the New York School--for better or worse) is a dark depth that resonates long after the verbal fireworks are ashen. How a genuine and humane sorrow comes draped in such life-tuned language is a marvel no budding poet should miss, and for the poet in full bloom, Ceravolo's voice, like wind, will pollinate from afar. What plants spring up in spring are not narcissus around the lake--this lake, Ceravolo's lake, will be surrounded by flowers that are unique, are his own.

This book was very informative and could be read by someome without a degree in medicine. For anyone that needs an EGG, it's good background information and very interesting.

This book was very touching. I loved the writing style and the beautiful poems of the Nursing home residents. It gave great and wonderful insite into their simple present lives and the wild and wonderful lives that they had, in the age, said goodbye to. On reading this book I was struck by Dr. Kenneth Koch's amazing and beautiful way of writing. After finishing the book I wrote the author and received a more that civil reply, I was very surpised and pleased. I would encourage anyone with a desire to learn about poetry and get an insite into people that make their lives in Nursing homes.