Billy Collins

Collins has spent decades welcoming readers into poetry with humor and tenderness that slips, almost imperceptibly, into profundity. His voice has been described as conversational, witty, and disarmingly accessible. With warmth and precision, Collins has built a body of work that invites readers to pause, listen, and recognize the wonder of the everyday around them.

The author of twelve collections, including Questions About Angels, The Rain in Portugal, Whale Day, and most recently Water, Water, Collins has become a defining voice in contemporary American poetry. He served two terms as U.S. Poet Laureate (2001–2003) and as New York State Poet Laureate (2004–2006), positions in which he championed poetry as both accessible and essential. Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2016. He is also an educator and editor of influential anthologies, including Poetry 180.