 "Photo: Greg Blobaum")
All ears latched onto every word as Ted Kooser, former Poet Laureate of the United States, gave his "Last Lecture."
And the attention grew after realizing Kooser, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln English professor, wasn't offering the average lecture - it had spunk, jokes and anecdotes.
More than 50 people listened to Kooser in the Neihardt Residence Center on Tuesday evening.
The members of the Honors Program Student Advisory Board asked Kooser to speak as part of their "Last Lecture" series. During the series, UNL faculty and staff members give their hypothetical last lecture on a topic of their choice.
Kooser's talk was based on the reflections of an average student, which he was at one time.
Kooser said the "CliffsNotes" for his talk were three ideas:
n Realize time goes by quickly and make the best of it.
n Working hard pays off.
n Look for love.
One of the main themes of Kooser's talk was luck and how large a role it played in developing his life.
"I do believe I'm a lucky man," he said, smiling. He then said it was only because of luck that he was chosen to be Poet Laureate out of so many other candidates.
He joked that because he was asked to be Laureate on a Friday, the other poets must have been at happy hour.
Kooser told of how fortunate he was to have had a father who was a great storyteller. And with a look of gratefulness in his eyes, Kooser said he was also lucky to have had caring grandparents, uncles and aunts.
"Embrace the persons who might otherwise have been forgotten," he said.
Another thing he touched on was obsession, which he said isn't always a bad thing.
Becky Schwarz, a sophomore French major, said she appreciated his touch on obsession and passion, as well as Kooser's bravery to share his faults along with his success.
"And still, it didn't make us like him any less," she said.
Kooser told the students of his first marriage and why he felt it wasn't a success. He said it was probably because he was so enveloped with himself and his writing that he didn't pay much attention to his "pretty wife."
He wasn't afraid to let the students know alcohol also had some influence on his separation from his first wife.
Kooser advised the students to find something to be passionate about.
Jeremy Miranda, a sophomore biology major, said he enjoyed hearing a different perspective on how he should find focus in life. Miranda said that all his life he'd been told to be a well-rounded person. But Kooser said students shouldn't be afraid to be passionate about something.
Kooser closed his lecture by giving the students a chance to ask questions.
When he was asked about what his next step would be, he said, "I just gave my last lecture. I'm going to drop dead."
Kooser said he wants to develop his painting skills and he just bought a building to provide a space for his painting endeavors.
He concluded with how to solve the problem of writer's block.
His advice: "If you get stuck, lower your standards."
