Wishes, Lies, and Dreams

The classic, inspiring account of a poet's experience teaching school children to write poetryWhen Kenneth Koch entered the Manhattan classrooms of P.S. 61, the children, excited by the opportunity to work with an instructor able to inspire their talent and energy, would clap and shout with pleasure. In this vivid account, Koch describes his inventive methods for teaching these children how to create poems and gives numerous examples of their work. Wishes, Lies, and Dreams is a valuable text for all those who care about freeing the creative imagination and educating the young.

Kenneth Koch is a celebrated poet and the author of numerous books of poetry, literary criticism, short fiction, and plays. He has won many literary awards, including the Bollingen Prize for Poetry in 1995. A professor of English at Columbia University, Koch lives in New York City.