Billy Collins

Billy Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet who served two terms as the eleventh Poet Laureate of the United States. In his home state, he has been recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004.

Related Topics:
March 22 - 1941 - American poet - Poet Laureate of the United States - Literary Lion - New York Public Library - New York State Poet - 2004

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He was born William Collins in a small New York City hospital where fellow poet William Carlos Williams worked as a pediatrician. He attended the College of the Holy Cross, and later earned a Ph.D. in romantic poetry at the University of California, Riverside in 1971.

Related Topics:
New York City - William Carlos Williams - Pediatrician - College of the Holy Cross - Ph.D. - Romantic poetry - University of California, Riverside - 1971

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Collins is a distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College, City University of New York, where he taught from 1968 to 2001 and has remained a member of the faculty. More recently, he has taught and served as a visiting writer at Sarah Lawrence College.

Related Topics:
Lehman College - City University of New York - 1968 - 2001 - Sarah Lawrence College

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As U.S. Poet Laureate, he read his poem "The Names" at a special joint session of the United States Congress on September 6, 2002, held to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Related Topics:
United States Congress - September 6 - 2002 - Remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks

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His books of poetry include:

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• Nine Horses (2002, ISBN 14000061776)
• Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (2001, ISBN 0375503803)
• Picnic, Lightning (1998, ISBN 0822940663)
• The Art of Drowning (1995, ISBN 0822938936), which was a Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize finalist
• Questions About Angels (1991, ISBN 0822942119), the winner (two years later) of the National Poetry Series competition
• The Apple That Astonished Paris (1988, ISBN 1557280231)
• Video Poems (1980)
• Pokerface (1977)

In 1997 he recorded The Best Cigarette (ISBN 0965887308), a collection of 33 of his poems that would become a bestseller. In 2005, the CD's copyright was changed to a Creative Commons license allowing free, non-commercial distribution of the recording. He also recorded two of his poems for the audio versions of Garrison Keillor's collection Good Poems (2002, ISBN 0670031267).

Related Topics:
Creative Commons - Garrison Keillor

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Collins' poetry is marked by a rejection of restrictive forms such as the sonnet and villanelle. For instance, his poem "Sonnet" begins "All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now", and continues in this vein; the "sonnet" is fourteen lines, but does not rhyme and is not, until the final line, iambic pentameter. He invented the poetic form the paradelle as a hoax to parody the villanelle, using his mock "Paradelle for Susan"; the paradelle is emblematic of his rejection of formal poetry.

Related Topics:
Sonnet - Villanelle - Iambic pentameter - Paradelle

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Billy Collins: Other recognitions ►