Cooper ’26 Poetry Collection Is a “Book of Hope”

Many in the Prep community know Alex Cooper ’26 from the stage. Over the past four years, he has performed in 12 productions, often in starring or featured roles. What many audience members may not realize, however, is that behind the spotlight is the soul of a poet.

Now, Cooper is sharing that side of himself with the release of his debut poetry collection, Dancing Alone for the Fireflies.

According to the book’s Amazon description, the collection features 32 poems centered on one main theme: hope. Beginning in the ordinary, venturing into the wondrous, and ending in the profound, Cooper takes readers to places as familiar as a porch swing, as infinite as heaven, and as abstract as the mind of his inner child. Witty, cathartic, and conversational, the collection seeks beauty, love, and meaning in everyday life.

“Writing poetry feeds a part of my soul and does something for me,” Cooper says. “There are poems in here that are coming from a very vulnerable place and for people in a vulnerable place. Some are here for entertainment, but there are others that I genuinely hope will help people.”

Cooper first encountered poetry as a freshman in Honors English. Teacher Joe Coyle introduced students to the work of John Keats, an experience Cooper says deeply inspired him. He remembers being sparked by “When I have fears that I may cease to be,” but that was only the beginning. That interest deepened as he studied Shakespeare during his sophomore and junior years. Still, Cooper says his own style aligns more closely with poets Billy Collins and Mary Oliver.

“Like Collins and Oliver, these poems are more conversational but still have flow and creativity to them,” he says. “If I want my work to resonate with people, the best way I can do that is to be real with them, to talk to them how we do in real life. I don't tell someone I love them by speaking like Shakespeare or Keats, because that's not me. The most valuable connections at the Prep for me have been made through the Kairotic ‘I love you, bro.’ So I took that energy and applied it to my poetry, because in order to connect with people, you have to be authentic. And that is as Jesuit as it is human.”

Although many expect Cooper to continue pursuing theater, he plans to study English and psychology at Boston College, while possibly remaining involved in performance. Poetry has already played a role in his future plans; he even incorporated lines from his work into his college essay.

The book itself began as a New Year’s resolution. Cooper originally intended to assemble a small chapbook — a short poetry booklet often published by emerging writers — containing about a dozen poems. But as he continued writing, the project expanded into a full-length collection.

“I don’t always know what’s there until I sit down and do it,” Cooper says of his writing process. “I usually write the end of the poem first. Most poems here were written backward from an idea that inspired me. My brain goes to a very abstract place. I’ve pulled out my notebook in the middle of class, woken up in the middle of the night, gotten out of the shower — inspiration just comes.”

While Cooper’s future may lead in many directions, he believes poetry will always remain part of his life.

“I see myself doing this whether it’s my job or not,” he says. “It doesn’t cost anything to do it. If it becomes my job, I’d love that. If not, I’m okay with it. I have other passions, and I’m good at other things.”

Publishing the book marks both the achievement of a goal and a leap of vulnerability.

“The writing of these poems fed a part of my soul, but there is vulnerability in this book, so part of me was hesitant to release it,” Cooper says. “But once I realized, after sharing my work with a few people, that there was a very real chance that this could help someone, that maybe someone needed a book like this from someone they knew and could relate to – well, then it suddenly wasn’t about me. It’s about you. And I think that is what drove me to take the leap.”