Billy Collins
U.S. Poet Laureate · 2001-2003 · as printed by the Library of Congress
Our reading written by Tale of the Muse
Billy Collins, born in New York City, held the post from 2001 to 2003. The Library credits his tenure with a project, launched in 2002, that gives students a poem for each of the 180 days of the school year, and it lists collections including Sailing Alone Around the Room (2001), Picnic, Lightning (1998) and The Art of Drowning (1995). In October 2004 he received the first Mark Twain Award for humorous poetry.
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Appointment and term
U.S. Poet Laureate, 2001-2003
Life
Billy Collins (1941- ) was born in New York City.
Books and honors
His poetry collections include Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (2001); Picnic, Lightning (1998); and The Art of Drowning (1995).
In October 2004, Collins was the inaugural recipient of the Poetry Foundation’s Mark Twain Award for humorous poetry.
Laureate projects
this project, launched in 2002 during Billy Collins’ tenure as Poet Laureate, gives students a chance to read or listen to a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year.
Source
All quotes on this page come from the Library of Congress through its JSON API. All poets laureate →