Ted Kooser, 13th Poet Laureate of the United States, will read from his works at 7 p.m., Thursday, November 8, at the Town/Craft Center, 1122 Willis Avenue, Perry. Kooser’s reading is part of the Albert Paley: Portals and Gates exhibitions at Hometown Perry, Iowa, the Christian Peterson Art Museum at Iowa State University and the Brunnier Art Museum in Ames. Kooser also will autograph copies of his books, which will be available for sale after the reading. Born in Ames, Iowa, in 1939, Kooser earned a B.S. at Iowa State University in 1962 and an M.A. at the University of Nebraska in 1968. He is a former vice president of Lincoln Benefit Life, where he worked as an insurance representative for many years. He lives on an acreage near Garland, Nebraska, with his wife, Kathleen Rutledge, and dogs, Alice and Howard. He also has a son, Jeff, and a granddaughter, Margaret. Kooser has written 11 collections of poetry, and his work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The Nation and other periodicals. The Town/Craft Center is fully accessible for the disabled.  The reading is free and open to the public.  Call 515-465-2518 for more information.