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Billy Collins

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Poet

The Resume

    (March 22, 1941- )
    American Poet Laureate (2001-2003)
    Wrote ‘Pokerface (1977),’ ‘Video Poems (1980),’ ‘The Apple That Astonished Paris(1988),’ ‘Questions About Angels (1991),’ ‘The Art of Drowning (1995),’ ‘Picnic, Lightening (1998),’ ‘Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (2001),’ ‘Nine Horses (2002)’ and ‘The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems (2005)’

Why he might be annoying:

    Some find his poetry unsophisticated and sentimental.
    He invented a form called the ‘paradelle’ that was meant to parody the villanelle, but was taken seriously by some readers.
    He often gives his poems twee titles such as ‘I Chopped Some Parsley While Listening to Art Blakey’s Version of Three Blind Mice.’
    In the poem ‘Purity,’ he claims that he sometimes takes his penis off when writing and sometimes leaves it on.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He has been praised for his accessible but powerful style.
    He was born in the same hospital where William Carlos Williams once worked as a doctor.
    He allows readers to download recordings of several of his poems for free.
    On September 6, 2002, he read at a special joint session of the United States Congress in honor of 9/11 victims.
    He has perhaps the largest readership of any living American poet.
    He received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1993.
    He was named ‘Poet of the Year’ by ‘Poetry’ magazine in 1994.
    John Updike described his poetry as ‘gently and consistently startling.’

Credit: Georgina


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 18 Votes: 61.11% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 23 Votes: 56.52% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 31 Votes: 77.42% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 71 Votes: 74.65% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 96 Votes: 48.96% Annoying