Very few people have actually read Freud, but everyone seems prepared to talk about him in that Woody Allen way. To read Freud is not as much fun. Billy Collins allenfreudfun Change image and share on social
I just reached the point where plot-driven novels don't hold my interest because I don't care about the fate of characters anymore - whether Emily marries Tom or not, that kind of thing. Billy Collins anymorecarecharacter Change image and share on social
I'm easily frightened, and I've also come to realize that old Catholic guilt or remorse is easily stimulated. Billy Collins catholiceasilyfrighten Change image and share on social
I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this, I think, is a sense you develop - I can tell that the line wants to continue. Billy Collins continuedevelopinitiate share on social
Poems, for me, begin as a social engagement. I want to establish a kind of sociability or even hospitality at the beginning of a poem. The title and the first few lines are a kind of welcome mat where I am inviting the reader inside. Billy Collins beginengagementestablish share on social
When you put a poem on a Kindle, the lines are broken in order to fit on the screen. And so instead of being the poet's decision, it becomes the device's decision. Billy Collins breakdecisiondevice Change image and share on social
I'm very aware of the presence of a reader, and that probably is a reaction against a lot of poems that I do read which seem oblivious to my presence as a reader. Billy Collins awarelotoblivious Change image and share on social
I think 'accessible' just means that the reader can walk into the poem without difficulty. The poem is not, as someone put it, deflective of entry. Billy Collins accessibledeflectivedifficulty Change image and share on social
People think of poetry as a school subject... Poetry is very frustrating to students because they don't have a taste for ambiguity, for one thing. That gives them a poetry hangover. Billy Collins ambiguityfrustratehangover Change image and share on social
Besides the aesthetics, besides teaching an appreciation of T.S. Eliot, a basic need is fulfilled when you teach English at CUNY. Billy Collins aestheticappreciationbasic Change image and share on social
