Billy Collins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Collins
|
|
|---|---|
Collins in 2015
|
|
| Born | William James Collins March 22, 1941 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | College of the Holy Cross (BA) University of California, Riverside (MA, PhD) |
| Notable works | The Apple That Astonished Paris Questions About Angels The Art of Drowning |
| Notable awards | Norman Mailer Prize for Poetry (2014) Helmerich Award (2016) American Academy of Arts and Letters (2016) |
| Spouse |
Diane Olbright
(m. 1977, divorced)Suzannah Gail Collins
(m. 2019) |
| United States Poet Laureate | |
| In office 2001–2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Stanley Kunitz |
| Succeeded by | Louise Glück |
| Poet Laureate of New York | |
| In office 2004–2006 |
|
| Preceded by | John Ashbery |
| Succeeded by | Jean Valentine |
Billy Collins (born March 22, 1941) is a famous American poet. He was the official Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. This means he was chosen as the nation's top poet.
Collins was also a special English professor at Lehman College in New York. He retired from teaching in 2016. He was recognized as a "Literary Lion" by the New York Public Library and served as the New York State Poet from 2004 to 2006. In 2016, he joined the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a group that honors top artists.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Billy Collins was born in Manhattan, New York City. He grew up in Queens and White Plains. His dad's family was from Ireland, and his mom was from Canada.
His mother, Katherine Collins, was a nurse who stopped working to raise Billy. She loved to recite poems and stories, which helped Billy fall in love with words. Billy says his father, who worked on Wall Street, inspired his sense of humor.
Collins went to Archbishop Stepinac High School. He earned his first degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross in 1963. Later, he earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in romantic poetry from the University of California, Riverside. While studying, he was influenced by poets like Karl Shapiro and the Beat Generation poets. In 1975, he helped start a magazine called The Mid-Atlantic Review.
A Poet's Career and Achievements
Collins became a special English professor at Lehman College in the Bronx in 1968. He has also taught poetry workshops across the U.S. and in Ireland. Since 2015, he has taught poetry at Stony Brook Southampton.
In 2001, Billy Collins was named the U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he held until 2003. He then served as the Poet Laureate for New York State from 2004 to 2006. In 2012, he became a Poetry Consultant for Smithsonian Magazine.
Collins has been invited to read his poems at The White House three times. In 2014, he traveled to Russia to share American culture. He has also performed with singer Aimee Mann and had conversations about poetry and music with musician Paul Simon.
He gave two popular talks at TED events, one in 2012 and another in 2014. These talks are about "Everyday moments, caught in time."
As U.S. Poet Laureate, Collins read his poem The Names to the United States Congress in 2002. This was to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks. He later included this poem in his book Aimless Love in 2013.
Collins also started a program for high schools called Poetry 180. He chose 180 poems for the program, one for each school day. He also put these poems into books like Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry.
In 1997, Collins released The Best Cigarette, an audio collection of his poems that became very popular. He has also appeared on Garrison Keillor's radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, many times. In 2005, he recorded Billy Collins Live: A Performance in New York City.
The New York Times has called Billy Collins "The most popular poet in America." He received a very large payment for a book deal, which was unusual for a poet.
Poetry magazine has given Collins several awards for his poems. In the 1990s, he won five prizes from the magazine and was named "Poet of the Year" in 1994. In 2005, he received the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry. He has also received special grants from groups like the National Endowment for the Arts.
One of his well-known poems, "Fishing on the Susquehanna in July," is now part of the United States Native American literary registry. This poem has also been used in high school Advanced Placement exams.
In 2012, Collins appeared as himself in an episode of the PBS animated TV show Martha Speaks.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Collins began reading poems and talking about poetry daily on Facebook Live.
Personal Life
In 1977, Billy Collins married Diane Olbright. They later divorced. In 2007, Collins moved to Winter Park, Florida, to be with Suzannah Gilman, who is also a poet. Billy Collins and Suzannah Gilman were married on July 21, 2019, in Southampton, New York.
Awards and Special Recognitions
- 1983: Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts
- 1986: Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
- 1991: National Poetry Series publication prize for Questions About Angels
- 1992: New York Public Library "Literary Lion"
- 1993: Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
- 1994: Poetry magazine's "Poet of the Year"
- 1995: Shortlist for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for The Art of Drowning
- 2001: American Irish Historical Society Cultural Award
- 2001–2003: United States Poet Laureate
- 2004–2006: New York State Poet Laureate
- 2005: Mark Twain Award for Humor in Poetry
- 2013: Donald Hall-Jane Kenyon Prize in American Poetry
- 2014: Norman Mailer Prize for Poetry
- 2016: Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
- 2016: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Other Awards from Poetry magazine:
- The Oscar Blumenthal Prize
- The Bess Hokin Prize
- The Frederick Bock Prize
- The Levinson Prize
See also
In Spanish: Billy Collins para niños
