A Poem is like an eye-chart?

From the Albuquerque Journal:

Collins said he sees a good poem as an eye chart. "A big E that everyone can see. As you read down, you get to some part of illegibility. (The poem) makes no demands at first, making a few statements that are inarguably true -- sitting there looking at a hibiscus -- but by the middle and toward the end, we've drifted into much more mysterious and complex and tricky waters.

More here.

The Parade by Billy Collins

The poem, "The Parade" by Billy Collins and read by Garrison Keillor.

Billy Collins: "Sweet Talk"

I was browsing through YouTube and found a short but sweet (no pun intended) video of Billy Collins reading his poem "Sweet Talk". What's the poem about? In a nutshell, it's a poet's sneaky ploy to get a woman to sleep with him by comparing her to pieces of art. Hmmm, I guess all you need is an art history background and a way with words...

View "Sweet Talk" by Billy Collins here

On Billy Colllins and Accessibility

Some tend to dismiss Billy Collins due to his so-called accessibility, while others embrace him wholeheartedly. I find myself in the middle because while I enjoy reading Collins' poems, sometimes his work can be like sipping on 'poetry light' - it tastes like verse but without all the calories. That being said, the folks that dismiss Collins for the way his poetry is inviting to readers, also miss out on his vicious satires, which can be very biting. Collins isn't always the friendly-bard they make him out to be.

From the San Fransisco Chronicle:

Collins doesn't much care for the word "accessible" either, because it suggests "ramps for poetically handicapped people." He likes the word "hospitable." But he concedes that "accessible" has won the day, and he's happy with the side he finds himself on. "Some poems talk to us; others want us to witness an act of literary experimentation."

More here.

Interview with Billy Collins

From Planet Jackson Hole:

“If you stay alive long enough and you write decent poetry, you've got a pretty good chance of being poet laureate,” he quipped. “Exercise daily and eat well and keep writing poems and you might find yourself in Washington with a view of the Capitol.”

All you need to become poet laureate is a balanced diet, daily exercise, and maybe doing a crazy little thing like writing in verse? Sweet! I'd better get on that right away...

More here.

Poetry and Sax

Billy Collins riffs on the sensual sound of the saxophone: "There's something nocturnal about the sound, something literally horny..." Listen to Collins read his poem "The Invention of the Saxophone" and then listen to the poem set to music by composer Pierre Jalbert. The piece was written for alto sax, piano, and spoken voice. Enjoy!

Billy Collins: Animated Poems

I've seen a number of Billy Collins' "video poems" on YouTube and Google Video but I recently found a site that, I believe, has all of them. Sometimes the animations distract the viewer from the poetry but I still find the whole concept interesting and worth delving into. While I love "No Time" and "The Country" as poems, I'm not so sure about their interpretations. "Forgetfulness", "The Best Cigarette", and "Today" are my favorite animations.

Visit Billy Collins: Action Poems.

Best American Poetry 2006

I found this shaky, amateur video of David Lehman's introduction to the Best American Poetry 2006 event that I attended on September 21, 2006.

In it he mentions the controversy surrounding the publication, as well as his decision to select Billy Collins to be the 2006 guest editor.

The quality of the vid isn't great but it's interesting nonetheless. I'll also post Billy Collins' intro soon.

I've updated my Blooger account to be part of the new Blogger Beta and I'm having problems posting YouTube videos on this blog so in the meantime, I'll have just have to provide the links.

View David Lehman's introduction to the Best American Poetry book launch 2006.