Tattoo

In 1967, editor Lucien Stryk put together an anthology devoted to Midwestern poets called Heartland: Poems of the Midwest, which was followed by Heartland II in 1975. These two collections were used to define the poets central to the Midwestern region, often called the heartland of the United States. New literary magazines, often under the leadership of Midwestern poets, flourished in the area, and their concentration was often on other Midwestern writers. This movement was labeled the “Midwest Poetry Renaissance.” Heartland poets developed a distinct style separate from the poets on either coast. Poets like Kooser—along with Robert Bly, Gwendolyn Brooks, Susan Firer, Jim Harrison, Louis Jenkins, Greg Kuzma, Lisel Mueller, Mary Oliver, Karl Shapiro, William Stafford, and James Wright—were often inspired by the precise style of William Carlos Williams. They became known for their direct poetic diction, short construction, and conversational tone. Their ability to capture the natural world in the Midwestern states was lauded for its sharpness and metaphoric authority. Many discussed the loss of a way of rural life, the hardship and isolation in small towns across the Great Plains, and how beauty could be a defense against brutality.