Billy Collins (b.1941,) fully William James Collins, is an American poet. His accessible verse—distinguished with gentle humor and a keen appreciation for the mundane—has made him one of the most famous poets in the United States.
Born in New York City, Collins was educated at the College of the Holy Cross and the University of California at Riverside. His PhD dissertation was on “Wordsworth and the Romantic Search for an Audience.”
Collins published numerous collections of poetry, including Pokerface (1977,) Questions About Angels (1991,) Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes (2000,) and The Trouble with Poetry (2005.)
Named Poet Laureate of the United States for 2001–03, Collins often appears on public radio. As a poet laureate consultant to the Library of Congress, he developed an initiative called “Poetry 180” to help high school students appreciate poetry. He also edited the supplementary anthologies Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry (2003) and 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day (2005.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Billy Collins
One of the ridiculous aspects of being a poet is the huge gulf between how seriously we take ourselves and how generally we are ignored by everybody else.
—Billy Collins
Topics: Poetry
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Langston Hughes American Poet, Writer
Robert Penn Warren American Novelist, Poet
Cynthia Ozick American Novelist, Essayist
Susan Sontag American Writer, Philosopher
Joseph Campbell American Mythologist, Writer
Stanley Kunitz American Poet
James Dickey American Poet, Novelist
Mark Strand American Poet, Essayist
Conrad Aiken American Poet, Novelist
E. L. Doctorow American Writer