Billy Collins

Billy Collins
Collins in 2015
Collins in 2015
BornWilliam James Collins
(1941-03-22) March 22, 1941 (age 83)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation
  • Poet
  • author
  • professor
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross (BA)
University of California, Riverside (MA, PhD)
Notable worksThe Apple That Astonished Paris
Questions About Angels
The Art of Drowning
Notable awardsNorman 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 byStanley Kunitz
Succeeded byLouise Glück
Poet Laureate of New York
In office
2004–2006
Preceded byJohn Ashbery
Succeeded byJean Valentine

William James Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003.[1] He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. In 2016, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[2] As of 2020, he is a teacher in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.

  1. ^ "Past Poets Laureate: 2001-2010". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 1, 2015. 2001-2003 Billy Collins
  2. ^ "Academy Members – American Academy of Arts and Letters". Retrieved September 13, 2020.