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End-of-Year Reflections from Ted Kooser

As we reach the end of the year, U.S. poet laureate Ted Kooser joins host Melissa Block to read a reflection on welcoming in a new year, from a book of his prose: Local Wonders.

For 35 years, Kooser worked in the life insurance business, waking up in the early morning hours to write his poetry. He retired six years ago and now lives in rural Nebraska.

Kooser is in his second year as the nation's poet laureate, and won the Pulitzer Prize this spring.

Below, Kooser shares some more reflections on bidding an old year goodbye and on the winter season, in poetry and in prose.

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As special correspondent and guest host of NPR's news programs, Melissa Block brings her signature combination of warmth and incisive reporting. Her work over the decades has earned her journalism's highest honors, and has made her one of NPR's most familiar and beloved voices.