John Koethe

John L. Koethe
Publishing still shot of Koethe.
Born	(1945-12-25) December 25, 1945 (age 71) San Diego, California
Occupation	Poet, philosopher, author
Nationality	United States

John Koethe (born December 25, 1945) is an American poet, essayist and professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Koethe is originally from San Diego, California. He was educated at Princeton University and Harvard University.

Koethe has stated that the inspiration for many of his poems comes "in the shower, and while I'm shaving." He has said he loves living in Wisconsin, and that he finds the state beautiful. He has titled several of his poems after places in his hometown of Milwaukee, including "Hackett Avenue."

As influences on his poetry, he identifies several people, including famed writers William Wordsworth and Marcel Proust.

Koethe's published work includes Blue Vents (Audit/Poetry, 1969), Domes (Columbia University Press, 1973), The Late Wisconsin Spring (Princeton University Press, 1984), The Continuity of Wittgenstein's Thought (Cornell University Press, 1996), Falling Water (HarperPerennial, 1997), The Constructor, (HarperFlamingo, 1999), Poetry at One Remove (University of Michigan Press, 2000) and North Point North: New and Selected Poems (HarperCollins, 2002). His most recent books include Scepticism, Knowledge, and Forms of Reasoning (Cornell University Press, 2005), Sally's Hair (HarperCollins, 2006),Ninety-fifth Street (Harper Parennial, 2009) and ROTC Kills (Harper Perennial, 2012).

Koethe has also contributed poetry and essays to publications including Poetry, Paris Review, Quarterly Review of Literature, Parnassus, and Art News. His work has been included in anthologies of poetry, including The Best American Poetry (2003). Additionally, he was selected to contribute his views on contemporary poetry for the book Ecstatic Occasions, Expedient Forms, which billed him as one of "85 leading contemporary poets."