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Sophia Foster Foster 1 English 9H Billy Collins Biography Mrs.Salamone

Billy Collins

 The view of a sailboat making its way up the East River was the thing that inspired Billy Collins to write his first poem. Born in New York City in 1941(Billy 1), Collins grew up to be one of the best poets of all time. As Collins writing grew stronger he began to win many awards and become very popular. Collins writing comes in many different styles and forms and never fails to surprise his readers. In Collins early years he received his M.A. and Ph.D in English from the University Of California (Billy 1). Today, at the age of 57, Collins is a professor at Lehman College of the city of New York and has been working here for about over thirty years. Teaching poetry workshops, Collins is also a member of the faculty of Stonybrook Southhampton College (Billy 1).

Collins has had many things influence him to write poetry including a small paperback that he carried everywhere. This book was titled //The New Poetry//, which he still has today. Collins read a lot of contemporary poetry by poets like Howard Nemerov and Karl Shapiro which he first heard of from his father who brought home //Poetry Magazine// often. //The Beats// also has a big influence on Collins (Van de Kamp 1). Although many things influenced Collins writing, the view of the sailboat was where it all started. Foster 2 As Collins writing became more popular he began winning many awards and honors. His poem //The Art of Drowning// (1995) was a finalist for the Lenore Marshall poetry prize and //Questions About Angels// (1991) was selected for the National Poetry Series. Collins was named Poet Laureate of the United States in 2001 and he was chosen to serve as “Literary Lion” by the New York Public Library. Collins received many fellowships from The New York Foundation for the arts, The National Endowment for the arts, and The Guggenheim Foundation (Billy 1). Throughout Collins pieces he shows much skill in many different styles of writing. “Collins creates a poetic world filled with historical figures and vivid facts that bubble up from all parts of the globe. His work negotiates a smart, lucid path between an outright love for the world and a healthy suspiciousness of it” (van de Kamp). Collins has a very humorous writing style as well as a very nostalgic style. Collins writes about his childhood and memories often. “I like to give the reader a sensation that they’ve traveled. At the end I want them to know that they’ve been taken on an imaginative journey” (Billy Collins).Collins has a writing style that is great for just about anyone to read. “Billy Collins has a blue jeans kinda style” (Gautam 1). “What rescues his own work from being dull or sentimental is the carefully crafted voice, at once kooky and serious” (Gautam 1).  Collins has written several books of poetry including //Sailing Alone Around The Room, Horoscopes For The Dead, Nine Horses, The Trouble With Poetry And Other Poems,// and many more. Collins has also recorded a collection of poems titled //The Best Cigarette// which became a best seller (Billy 1).

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Billy Collins is now a very successful and popular poet. Readers love his many different styles and his unpredictable writing. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected and random things; for Billy Collins this happened to be a boat.

Works Cited

“Billy Collins” [|www.wikipedia.com] 9 March, 2012 “Biography- Billy Collins.” //Billy-collins.com// 24 June, 2005 Gautam, Naik. “Billy Collins- a blue jeans kinda style” www.magmapoetry.com van de Kamp, Alexandra. “Felicitous Spaces.” //Terraincognita.com.// Whitney, Joel. “A Brisk Walk.” //Guernicamag.com.// June 2006.