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Billy Collins Quotes


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Quotes by Billy Collins

Showing 41-50 of 84 Quotes by Billy Collins

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

Topics: Beats Because Common Emily Emily Dickinson Every Every Time Followed Four Line Meter Much Pretty Rather Same Seems She Tame Three Time Uses

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I don't think anybody reads a book of poetry front to back. Editors and reviewers only. I don't think anybody else does.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Anybody Anybody Else Back Book Does Editors Else Front Only Poetry Reads Reviewers Think

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When you put a book together and arrange it, there's a lot of anxiety and turmoil about what order the poems should be in.

~Billy Collins

Topics: About Anxiety Arrange Book Lot Order Poems Put Should Together Turmoil You

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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

Topics: Beginning Either Feel Historical Kinds Like Lot Myself Orient Oriented Other Poem Poems Reader Time Where

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My poems tend to have rhetorical structures; what I mean by that is they tend to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There tends to be an opening, as if you were reading the opening chapter of a novel. They sound like I'm initiating something, or I'm making a move.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Beginning Chapter End Like Making Mean Middle Move Novel Opening Poems Reading Rhetorical Something Sound Structures Tend Tends Were You

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I'm a great believer in poetry out of the classroom, in public places, on subways, trains, on cocktail napkins. I'd rather have my poems on the subway than around the seminar table at an MFA program.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Around Believer Classroom Cocktail Great Great Believer Out Places Poems Poetry Program Public Rather Seminar Subway Table Than Trains

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I'm happy to stick with my persona. There are themes of love lost and love regained, but the main themes of all poems are basically love and death, and that seems to be the message of poetry.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Basically Death Happy Lost Love Main Message Persona Poems Poetry Seems Stick Themes

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Emily Dickinson never developed. She remained loyal to her persona and to that same little metrical song that stood her in such good stead. She is a striking example of complexity within a simple package. Her rhymes are like bows on the package.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Bows Complexity Developed Emily Emily Dickinson Example Good Her Like Little Loyal Never Package Persona Remained Rhymes Same She Simple Song Stead Stood Striking Within

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I know my voice has a limited range of motion; I don't write dramatic monologues and pretend to be other people. But so far, my voice is broad enough to accommodate most of what I want to put into my poetry. I like my persona; I often wish I were him and not me.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Accommodate Broad Dramatic Enough Far Him Know Like Limited Me Monologues Most Motion Often Other People Persona Poetry Pretend Put Range Voice Want Were Wish Write

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I am increasingly attracted to restricting possibility in the poem by inflicting a form upon yourself. Once you impose some formal pattern on yourself, then the poem is pushing back. I think good poems are often the result of that kind of wrestling with the form.

~Billy Collins

Topics: Am Attracted Back Form Formal Good Impose Increasingly Kind Often Once Pattern Poem Poems Possibility Pushing Restricting Result Some Then Think Wrestling You Yourself I Think I Am

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Poet

Born: March 22nd, 1941

Links

Find Billy Collins on Amazon

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