The life of Edward Estlin Cummings began with a childhood in Cambridge, Mass., that he described as happy, but he struggled in both his artistic and romantic exploits against the piousness of his father, an esteemed Harvard professor. Billy Collins artisticbegincambridge share on social
A lot of my poems either have historical sequences or other kinds of chronological grids where I'm locating myself in time. I like to feel oriented, and I like to orient the reader at the beginning of a poem. Billy Collins beginchronologicalfeel 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
I first came across 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' in college, with other anthologized poems by Yeats. Billy Collins anthologizecollegeinnisfree Change image and share on social
I'm an only child, and I can take all the attention you manage to pile on me. Billy Collins attentionchildmanage Change image and share on social
My persona is less miserable than a lot of contemporary poetry speakers are. Billy Collins contemporarylotmiserable Change image and share on social
I find that my reading, particularly nonfiction, can inspire a poem as well as anything else. Billy Collins findinspirenonfiction Change image and share on social
The public is probably more suspicious of poets than women, and maybe for good reason. Billy Collins goodpoetpublic Change image and share on social
We love, you know, children love the ingredients of poetry. And then they go into this tunnel that we call adolescence, and when they come out of it, they hate poetry. Billy Collins adolescencecallchild Change image and share on social
Emily Dickinson seems rather tame because she pretty much uses the same meter every time. It's called 'common meter.' It's a line of four beats that's followed by a line of three beats. Billy Collins beatcallcommon Change image and share on social
