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 |
William James "Billy" Collins (born March 22, 1941) is a famous American poet. He is known for writing poems that are easy to understand, funny, and thoughtful. From 2001 to 2003, he held the special title of Poet Laureate of the United States. This means he was the official poet for the entire country.
For many years, Collins was a professor at Lehman College in New York City. He has won many awards for his poetry. In 1992, the New York Public Library called him a "Literary Lion." He was also the Poet Laureate for New York State from 2004 to 2006. He continues to teach poetry to college students.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Billy Collins was born in Manhattan, a part of New York City. He grew up in the neighborhoods of Queens and White Plains. His father, William, came from a large Irish family, and his mother, Katherine, was from Canada.
His mother was a nurse who loved poetry. She could recite poems about almost anything and shared this love of words with her son. His father worked on Wall Street and had a great sense of humor, which inspired the funny side of Collins's poems.
Collins went to Archbishop Stepinac High School. He then earned a degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross in 1963. After that, he went to the University of California, Riverside, where he earned his master's degree and PhD in poetry.
A Career in Poetry
Teaching and Writing
In 1968, Collins began teaching English at Lehman College in the Bronx. He taught there for many years and became a Distinguished Professor. He has also taught at other colleges, like Sarah Lawrence College, and leads poetry workshops in the U.S. and Ireland. Today, he teaches at Stony Brook Southampton.
Collins is known for his popular and easy-to-read style. The New York Times once called him "The most popular poet in America." He became so popular that when he signed a deal with the publisher Random House, he was paid a very large amount of money for a three-book deal. This was very unusual for a poet and surprised many people in the book world.
Serving as Poet Laureate
From 2001 to 2003, Collins was the U.S. Poet Laureate. A Poet Laureate's job is to help more people enjoy poetry. During his time in this role, Collins started a program called Poetry 180. The program gave high school students one poem to read for each of the 180 days of the school year. The goal was to make poetry a fun and normal part of the day.
After being the nation's poet, he served as the Poet Laureate for New York State from 2004 to 2006.
The Poem "The Names"
After the September 11th attacks in 2001, Collins was asked to write a poem to honor the victims. He wrote a poem called "The Names." On September 6, 2002, he read it at a special meeting of the United States Congress.
At first, Collins did not want to publish the poem in his books. He did not want to seem like he was using the tragedy to become more famous. However, he later decided to include it in his 2013 book, Aimless Love.
Working with Other Artists
Collins has worked with many other famous people. He has appeared on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion many times, which helped him reach a wider audience. He has also performed on stage with singer-songwriter Aimee Mann and had public conversations about poetry and music with the musician Paul Simon.
He has given two popular TED Talks about his poetry. He has also been invited to read his poems at The White House three times.
Personal Life
In 1977, Collins married Diane Olbright. They later divorced. In 2019, he married Suzannah Gilman, who is also a poet. They live together in Florida.
Awards and Honors
Collins has received many awards for his work.
- 1983: Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts
- 1986: Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
- 1991: National Poetry Series prize for his book 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"
- 2001–2003: United States Poet Laureate
- 2004–2006: New York State Poet Laureate
- 2005: Mark Twain Award for Humor in Poetry
- 2014: Norman Mailer Prize for Poetry
- 2016: Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
- 2016: Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
He has also won several prizes from Poetry magazine, including the Oscar Blumenthal Prize and the Levinson Prize.
See also
In Spanish: Billy Collins para niños
