Billy Collins | Biography, Books, Poetry, & Facts

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src="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/164445-138-26BE2441/Billy-Collins-American-work-documentary-Poet-Laureate.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="“Forgetfulness,” poem by Billy Collins" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div 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src="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/168476-131-42654A68/letter-Sun-Rose-Dickinson-Emily-A-Life.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/famous-poets-and-poetic-form" >Famous Poets and Poetic Form</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/poetry-first-lines"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/185691-131-0ACC5DF8/Emily-Dickinson-1847.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/poetry-first-lines" >Poetry: First Lines</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-questions"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 pb-0 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-15"> Related Questions </div> <ul> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/When-did-American-literature-begin">When did American literature begin?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/Who-are-some-important-authors-of-American-literature">Who are some important authors of American literature?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-are-the-periods-of-American-literature">What are the periods of American literature?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/world-poetry-day"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/181923-131-76FC0CA5/poet-clothing-poetry-festival-Heian-Kyoto-shrine.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="poem. 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/billy-collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Poetry Foundation - Biography of Billy Collins</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://allpoetry.com/Billy-Collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">All Poetry - Biography of Billy Collins</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Billy-Collins/394597" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billy Collins - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: William James Collins</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/John-M-Cunningham/3520691" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">John M. Cunningham</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">John M. Cunningham graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2000 with a B.A. in English. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018. A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular)...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John M. Cunningham</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Billy-Collins/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>In full: </dt> <dd>William James Collins</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>March 22, 1941, <a href="/place/New-York-City">New York</a>, <a href="/place/New-York-state">New York</a>, U.S. (age 83)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also Known As: </dt> <dd>William James Collins</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Title / Office: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/poet-laureate">poet laureate (2000-2003)</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Works: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Questions-about-Angels">“Questions about Angels”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Sailing-Alone-Around-the-Room-New-and-Selected-Poems">“Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems”</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Billy-Collins"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1088115"></span>Billy Collins</strong> (born March 22, 1941, New York, New York, U.S.) is an American poet whose uncommonly accessible verse—characterized by plain language, gentle humour, and an alert appreciation for the mundane—made him one of the most popular poets in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Collins grew up mainly in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Queens-New-York" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Queens</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>. He wrote his first poem at age 12 and later joined his high-school literary <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/magazine-publishing" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">magazine</a>. In 1963 Collins received a B.A. from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/College-of-the-Holy-Cross" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">College of the Holy Cross</a>, Worcester, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Massachusetts</a>, and he went on to earn a doctorate in <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Romantic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Romantic" data-type="MW">Romantic</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/poetry" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">poetry</a> from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-California" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">University of California</a>, Riverside, in 1971. That year he also began a lengthy career as a professor of English at Lehman College, Bronx, New York. During the 1970s he wrote a number of short counterculture-inspired poems for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rolling-Stone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>Rolling Stone</em></a> magazine and, through a small press, published his first book of poetry, <em>Pokerface</em> (1977).</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Though in the 1980s Collins produced another two collections, his work by and large remained unrecognized until 1990, when his manuscript for <em><span id="ref1089755"></span>Questions About Angels</em> (1991) was selected for the National Poetry Series, a program that sponsors the publication of deserving books of poetry. <em>The Art of Drowning</em> (1995), which won critical notice for its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="wry" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/wry" data-type="EB">wry</a> imagery and lucid intelligence, contributed to his growing reputation. Upon the publication of <em>Picnic, Lightning</em> (1998), Collins read his work on two <span id="ref1089754"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Public-Radio" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">National Public Radio</a> programs, including <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Garrison-Keillor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Garrison Keillor</a>’s <em>A Prairie Home Companion</em>, and his charming appearances helped propel the volume’s sales into the remarkable tens of thousands.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/famous-poets-and-poetic-form" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/168476-131-42654A68/letter-Sun-Rose-Dickinson-Emily-A-Life.jpg" alt="4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Famous Poets and Poetic Form</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1999 Collins found himself in the middle of a high-profile dispute between Random House, through which he had planned to publish a collection that included some older poems, and the University of Pittsburgh Press, which had issued his previous two volumes and maintained that the new book would cut into their still-robust sales. Although <em><span id="ref1089756"></span>Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems</em> was consequently not published until two years later, it was met with considerable acclaim. Later collections—such as <em>Nine Horses</em> (2002), <em>The Trouble with Poetry, and Other Poems</em> (2005), <em>Ballistics</em> (2008), <em>Horoscopes for the Dead</em> (2011), <em>Aimless Love</em> (2013), <em>The Rain in Portugal</em> (2016), and <em>Whale Day</em> (2020)—continued to explore familiar situations, such as listening to jazz or traveling on an airplane, with Collins’s distinct blend of spirited wit and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="nuanced" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuanced" data-type="MW">nuanced</a> observation. Though some commentators charged that his focus on the quotidian resulted in poems that were blandly pedestrian, his work was generally held in high esteem by critics and readers alike.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="178569" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="164445"><a data-id="164445" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/Billy-Collins-American-work-documentary-Poet-Laureate/-178569"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/164445-138-26BE2441/Billy-Collins-American-work-documentary-Poet-Laureate.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="“Forgetfulness,” poem by Billy Collins" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/ctWKIndV.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/45/164445-138-26BE2441/Billy-Collins-American-work-documentary-Poet-Laureate.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/kRHBu7F1", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/EyBER384.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="164445">“Forgetfulness,” poem by Billy Collins</span><span>American poet laureate Billy Collins discussing and reading his work, from the documentary <em>Billy Collins: On the Road with the Poet Laureate</em> (2003). </span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/biography/Billy-Collins/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In 2001 Collins was named <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/poet-laureate" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">poet laureate</a> consultant in poetry to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Congress" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Library of Congress</a>, a post he held for two years. In that capacity he devised and promoted an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="initiative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initiative" data-type="MW">initiative</a> called Poetry 180, intended to help high-school students connect with and find pleasure in poetry. He also edited the accompanying anthologies <em>Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry</em> (2003) and <em>180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day</em> (2005).</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/John-M-Cunningham/3520691">John M. 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Billy Collins | Biography, Books, Poetry, & Facts | Britannica