Post by samso116 on May 30, 2013 20:33:03 GMT -5
Dubbed “the most popular poet in America” by Bruce Weber in the New York Times, Billy Collins is famous for his conversational, witty poetry that greets the reader with humor but often slips into profound observations of the everyday life. Born in 1941 to William and Katherine Collins, Billy Collins was exposed to literature and poetry from a young age. He attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains and received a B.A. (English) from the College of the Holy Cross in 1963; he received his M.A. and Ph.D in English from the University of California, Riverside. Collins level of fame and success is unprecedented and unmatched by any in modern poetry; in 1992 he was chosen by the New York Public Library to serve as “Literary Lion”, he served as US Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, New York State Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006, and has conducted workshops in many of the top institutions across the world.
John Updike praised Collins for writing “lovely poems...limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides,” while Collins himself labeled his poetry as “suburban, domestic, middle-class, and unashamedly that.” Nonetheless, Updike echoes the voice of many that have had the pleasure to read a Billy Collins poem; in a subtle, yet remarkable way, Collins finds a way to balance accessibility and insightful thought. His language is straightforward and sharp, such that every reader can be exposed to his observations of the world. About Collins, the poet Stephen Dunn once said:
"We seem to always know where we are in a Billy Collins poem, but not necessarily where he is going. I love to arrive with him at his arrivals. He doesn't hide things from us, as I think lesser poets do. He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself has discovered."
Collins consistently implores his audience to slow down their busy lives and appreciate the things around them, the small things that matter most. In his poem “I Ask You” Billy Collins inquires, “What scene would I want to be enveloped in/ more than this one,/ an ordinary night at the kitchen table,/ floral wallpaper pressing in,/ white cabinets full of glass,/ the telephone silent,/ a pen tilted back in my hand?” He cares not for the odd jobs he might need to do or the work he has ahead, but rather for the beauty around him at that very moment in time. His poem “Forgetfulness” emphasizes the fleeting condition of the human kind and the idea that if one doesn’t live their life in the present, they surely will not be able to live it in the future.
Collins poetry echoes his philosophy on life as he is not afraid to take risks and write in a style that is very much his own. He points out “that we are attempting, all the time, to create a logical, rational path through the day. To the left and right there are an amazing set of distractions that we usually can’t afford to follow. But the poet is willing to stop anywhere.” Luckily today Billy Collins has chosen to stop here, at Westfield High School, and I am honored to present him as our 2013 Westfield High School Visiting Poet.
John Updike praised Collins for writing “lovely poems...limpid, gently and consistently startling, more serious than they seem, they describe all the worlds that are and were and some others besides,” while Collins himself labeled his poetry as “suburban, domestic, middle-class, and unashamedly that.” Nonetheless, Updike echoes the voice of many that have had the pleasure to read a Billy Collins poem; in a subtle, yet remarkable way, Collins finds a way to balance accessibility and insightful thought. His language is straightforward and sharp, such that every reader can be exposed to his observations of the world. About Collins, the poet Stephen Dunn once said:
"We seem to always know where we are in a Billy Collins poem, but not necessarily where he is going. I love to arrive with him at his arrivals. He doesn't hide things from us, as I think lesser poets do. He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself has discovered."
Collins consistently implores his audience to slow down their busy lives and appreciate the things around them, the small things that matter most. In his poem “I Ask You” Billy Collins inquires, “What scene would I want to be enveloped in/ more than this one,/ an ordinary night at the kitchen table,/ floral wallpaper pressing in,/ white cabinets full of glass,/ the telephone silent,/ a pen tilted back in my hand?” He cares not for the odd jobs he might need to do or the work he has ahead, but rather for the beauty around him at that very moment in time. His poem “Forgetfulness” emphasizes the fleeting condition of the human kind and the idea that if one doesn’t live their life in the present, they surely will not be able to live it in the future.
Collins poetry echoes his philosophy on life as he is not afraid to take risks and write in a style that is very much his own. He points out “that we are attempting, all the time, to create a logical, rational path through the day. To the left and right there are an amazing set of distractions that we usually can’t afford to follow. But the poet is willing to stop anywhere.” Luckily today Billy Collins has chosen to stop here, at Westfield High School, and I am honored to present him as our 2013 Westfield High School Visiting Poet.