Koch, Kenneth, I Never Told Anybody: Teaching Poetry Writing in a Nursing Home, Random House, 1977.

Although this book appeared a quarter century before A Possible World, the insight this book provides into Koch's methods, theories, and beliefs about how poetry gets written—by anyone at any age—makes it as relevant to understanding his poetry today as it was when originally published. This is an illustrative and entertaining "how-to" book.

———, New Addresses, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.

Like many of Koch's poetry collections, New Addresses provides a very touching, somewhat comical look at the poet's own life, without becoming overly emotional or autobiographical. These poems examine such topics as a small-town man moving to New York City, an encounter with psychoanalysis, and facing combat in World War II. This collection was a National Book Award finalist.

Lehman, David, The Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York...