Brooks Street Books

Brooks Street Books www.brooksstreetbooks.com

It started with a poem torn out of The New Yorker.J. Barry Koops—teacher, professor, navigation instructor, headmaster, ...
05/04/2026

It started with a poem torn out of The New Yorker.

J. Barry Koops—teacher, professor, navigation instructor, headmaster, poet — was reading one afternoon when a poem stopped him cold. In his own words, what snagged his attention was “the voice of the poem.” He tore it out and filed it away.

Over the years, he found more poems in which he recognized the voices of teachers, students, and colleagues. He saved them all in a manila folder in his desk.

Years later, he had 85 of them, by poets like Billy Collins, Seamus Heaney, Louise Erdrich, and Mary Karr. He shaped them into Final Exam.

That first torn-out poem became a book. This is it.

FinalExa

There’s a poem in this book about the teacher whose comment in the margin of your paper you still remember — word for wo...
04/28/2026

There’s a poem in this book about the teacher whose comment in the margin of your paper you still remember — word for word — thirty years later.

There’s one about the colleague whose empty chair still catches you off guard.

There’s one that will make you laugh. And one that won’t.

Final Exam holds 85 of them. Link in bio.

Graduation season is almost here.If you’re still searching for a meaningful gift for a grad in your family or a beloved ...
04/28/2026

Graduation season is almost here.

If you’re still searching for a meaningful gift for a grad in your family or a beloved teacher, this is it.

Final Exam is an anthology of 85 poems about teachers and students by some of America’s most celebrated poets. It’s thoughtful. It’s beautiful. It’s the kind of book people keep and return to again and again.

Order from our website and we’ll gift-wrap it at no extra charge.

brooksstreetbooks.com — link in bio.

Who was the teacher who changed your life?Maybe it was the way she read aloud. A comment he wrote in the margin. The way...
04/26/2026

Who was the teacher who changed your life?

Maybe it was the way she read aloud. A comment he wrote in the margin. The way they made you feel like your ideas mattered.

Drop their name — or just their subject — in the comments. Every one of these is a small tribute.

(And if you want to send them this book — or honor their memory — the link is in our bio.)

“I intend to buy many copies of this book for gifting.”That’s a real review from a real reader on Goodreads. And honestl...
04/24/2026

“I intend to buy many copies of this book for gifting.”

That’s a real review from a real reader on Goodreads. And honestly? It’s exactly what this book is for.

Final Exam was built to be given. To the teacher who changed your life. To the graduate heading somewhere new. To the poetry lover who deserves something beautiful.

Shop at the link in bio. Gift wrapping available. (And why the nautical chart gift wrap? If you knew J. Barry Koops, you know! If you didn’t know him, you’ll find clues in his own poem, Final Exam, which bears the same title as the book, on page 156.)

Some of the voices inside Final Exam:Billy Collins. Seamus Heaney. Louise Erdrich. Mary Karr. Jane Kenyon.And alongside ...
04/23/2026

Some of the voices inside Final Exam:

Billy Collins. Seamus Heaney. Louise Erdrich. Mary Karr. Jane Kenyon.

And alongside them, dozens of poets you may not know yet — but will want to.

Editor J. Barry Koops spent years finding these poems. You can read all 85 of them in one beautiful volume.

Link in bio.

Dear friends, Sarah here, founder of Brooks Street Books. My dad, J. Barry Koops, spent his life in classrooms.He was a ...
04/20/2026

Dear friends,

Sarah here, founder of Brooks Street Books. My dad, J. Barry Koops, spent his life in classrooms.

He was a teacher, a professor, a principal, a headmaster, and a poet. He believed — deeply, stubbornly, joyfully — that teachers change lives.

A few years ago, he did something about that belief. For years he had been collecting the most meaningful poems he could find about teachers and students — poems by Billy Collins, Seamus Heaney, Louise Erdrich, Mary Karr, Jane Kenyon, and dozens of remarkable poets you’ll want to discover. He shaped them into an anthology called Final Exam: Poems About Teachers and Their Students. I had the privilege of working on it with him and publishing it.

Then Covid hit. His health declined. The book never got the launch it deserved.

My dad passed away last year.

This is my attempt to fix that. To get this book into the hands of people who will love it — people who had a teacher who changed everything, or who are graduating and heading somewhere new, or who simply love poetry that tells the truth about what it means to be human.

If that’s you, the link is in our bio. And if you had a teacher who mattered, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

More good retail news!!! The Accidental Naturalist coloring books by are now available at the legendary ... both in st...
11/20/2020

More good retail news!!! The Accidental Naturalist coloring books by are now available at the legendary ... both in store and online 🧡🎉👏🏽

101 Things to Love About Laguna Beach and accompanying prints by is available ! Pop in and have a look💙
11/20/2020

101 Things to Love About Laguna Beach and accompanying prints by is available ! Pop in and have a look💙

Friends, we’re thrilled to announce that is here! Editor J. Barry Koops says of this anthology that it lifts a glass t...
05/15/2020

Friends, we’re thrilled to announce that is here!

Editor J. Barry Koops says of this anthology that it lifts a glass to memorable teachers and mentors and toasts “the schools we remember with nostalgia and regret.” This book is a tribute to teachers and professors “who chose a life of significance, a life that made a difference—the teaching life.” You’ll want a copy for your favorite teacher or prof and one for yourself.

Featuring poems by well-known, much loved contemporary poets like Billy Collins and Mary Karr, as well as outsider poets, Final Exam is available now on Amazon.com and soon at other fine bookstores near you.
Laguna locals, Final Exam is available at Laguna Beach Books. Contact lisa@lagunabeachbooks to reserve and pick up your copy.

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2241 West Coast Highway
Newport Beach, CA
92663

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