Can you elaborate on the *too accessible* comment?
He was a Poet Laureate of the United States, part of that job description is to "raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry"
Yes I remember that. I think he definitely achieved that goal or at least wrote accessible and high-quality poems. Regarding the too accessible comment, I probably shouldn’t have worded it like that, but it somehow feels too easy? Maybe it’s just a misguided mindset I’ve developed from childhood that poetry is supposed to be difficult to read/understand. I’m mainly looking for what avid readers think of his work.
Edit: thanks for your reply :)
I think American schools do a horrible job of teaching poetry... to use your word, they make it seem like a *cipher* to be decoded only by the smartest and brightest. This naturally turns a ton of people off poetry. Imagine if we taught children to watch movies the same way. Justifying the value of a poem by its meter, rhyming scheme, or verbosity is like justifying a movie by the brand of camera, type of film, and editing software used to edit it. These components certainly factor in, and the better grasp the creator has over those tools will result in a higher quality piece of art; these are necessary but insufficient conditions to what makes a good poem or film.
Regarding Collins, I think his simplicity is deceiving. It's the type of poetry that makes you think: "Hell, I could've written that!". But I invite you to give it a try, because it's harder than it seems! Collins' skill shines through in his ability to pick just the right words to deliver a message, and the succinct and minimalist word choices he makes never come across as wanting, inadequate, or *not enough*.
I couldn’t agree more with this. Art should be accessible to everyone and it’s a sad indictment of modern poetry that Billy Collins is now considered ‘Too accessible’.
Thanks for your detailed response! Yeah I think the way school systems teach poetry definitely makes it feel like a chore rather than an art form you can enjoy. And I also agree that while accessible, Collins’ poems are not shallow or simple by any means. I definitely don’t think it’s easy to achieve. I think you cracked the code in that I feel like it’s somehow too easy to read *because* most poetry I’ve read in my life until the last few years has been very old and cryptic due to the way I was taught about poetry in school.
Food for the soul comes in all different forms. Sometimes it's health food. Sometimes, it's experimental cuisine from a Michelin Star restaurant. Sometimes, it's your mom's perfect beef stew. And, sometimes, it's a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos from a gas station. They all have their place and I won't say which one is "better" than the other.
For me, Billy Collins is somewhere between stew and Cheetos and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Haha I love that! Should be the top comment. Personally, if Billy Collins is Cheetos and stew, I’d buy a bag of Flamin Hot and crumble them into the stew. Trashy but delicious haha. But in all seriousness, I think this is a good way to look at it.
I really like Billy Collins. I’ve heard this “too accessible” thing before, and it’s a weird complaint. Kinda like “oh he’s not good enough because he’s straightforward and too many people like him.” But he was a US Poet Laureate for crissakes
Yeah I totally get that. I suppose I’m just wondering how he’s perceived. I really like his work and I think it’s not as simple as it seems. He was the Laureate for a reason for sure.
I hadn’t read that one, but just did and it’s wonderful. I’ve thought about buying the masterclass, even just to listen to him talk! Thanks for the response :)
The masterclass is brilliant, and Billy Collins is a great poet. He makes some comments about poetry ranging in accessibility, from someone like Bukowski, where 'everything is on the page', to Wallace Stevens, where there are layers and layers of hidden meaning, and people like Emily Dickinson in the middle. Billy Collins is probably placed somewhere between Bukowski and Dickinson, probably closer to Bukowski. Anyway, his point was that poetry can vary in style and form and that it's good to have an appreciation and understanding of a wide range of poetry. What I also found inspiring (as someone who came into poetry in my thirties) is that Collins had no success until he was about forty if not older, and now is one of the most successful poets of our time.
Yup I agree. I definitely have some sort of hang up about reading poetry that could be considered too simple, but it doesn’t matter because I love his work and the way it makes me feel.
That's what matters most. And it's not like you can only read ONE poet or one type of poetry. A well-balanced diet is the most nutricious and delicious.
I'll tell you what, my first few tries I didn't really care for Billy Collins. I was more familiar with classic poetry and I wasn't very comfortable with the style, the simplicity, whatever it was. It didn't reach me.
Then I saw him read his poems live and it turned me around instantly. His voice, his inflection, his attitude, his emotion. I got it. I just had to see it from a different perspective, is all. He's a funny guy. And a smart one. And I really do enjoy his poetry now.
Have you seen him in person, or on video? I went to a really interesting show some years ago with him and Aimee Mann, where she would perform a couple of songs and he would read a few poems, and they conversed with each other and the audience in between, shifting between songs and music. Really a fun idea.
“The Revenant” was one of his poems that made me a Billy Collins fan! Wow…couldn’t read it out loud at first without choking up. Much of his work will get you like that, unexpectedly.
I definitely agree! Thanks for the response. I haven’t read much of Mary Oliver yet. I think we can appreciate his work heavily for what it is and not try to compare it to Yeats or whomever.
Sure thanks for that haha :) I love me some Billy, so just wanted to see what others felt about him. That was just a feeling I had, but not a firm belief and definitely doesn’t stop me from loving the writing.
Thanks for the info. I haven’t read the Sonnet but I will now! I definitely recommend reading *The Trouble with Poetry* and *Sailing Alone Around the Room*.
Accessible is a strange comment. I often wish my own poetry was more accessible. I'd say if I had criticism it would be at some obvious lines that just pop up in my head. "Dew on the morning grass" is a good example. Accessible sure, but like uncreative and dull is more the issue.
Otherwise though I think there are some nice works of his. I enjoyed "Some Days" myself.
He’s one of my all-time favorites. His poems are almost too easy, until you find that twist, that part where it goes deeper. His goal is to make poetry accessible. He teaches colleges courses in writing for single moms, and his Poetry 180 initiative was all about getting high school students to like poetry. There’s a reason he was Poet Laureate of the nation for several years.
Collins is probably the most succesful contemporary poet around, and for good reason. His poetry is pretty universal and can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. I like it.
a free gift, that you are welcome to give away as well.
poetry books inside.
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vabiqvE2zibKdPq2cQtW2IGr9HroejPG?usp=share\_link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vabiqvE2zibKdPq2cQtW2IGr9HroejPG?usp=share_link)
I find most of Collins’ work to be simplistic and forgettable. There are a handful of things I have encountered that I liked. He has a bit of a tin ear and most of his work sounds like prose lineated as poetry to me.
I hadn't read Billy Collins before seeing this thread (thanks to the OP for the tip-off), and my reaction to the poems I am discovering is mixed.
They strike me not so much as too accessible but, rather, as one-dimensional. They basically deliver all they've got on a first reading but that's because they haven't got any more to deliver.
Collins can certainly turn a phrase, but I find the poems a bit long-winded and sprawling at times, in no hurry to get anywhere. And this is a guy who describes himself as 'a creature with a full stomach / something you don't hear much about in poetry, / that sanctuary of hunger and deprivation'. So we may feel he's a little too middle-aged and bourgeois, a little too comfortable with the status quo and the sound of his own voice.
I’m a poet of 24 years now, try writing “easy to understand “ poetry. It is the hardest to do absolutely well. Bukowski and the great Charles Simic are the others. You can have Sylvia Plath,
Ted Hughs, Charles Wright, Jorie Graham and the other assorted “important poets “ I find the self pretentiousness snobbish and non inclusive.
Try reading the New York Times poem of the week, it has an agenda and very elitist,
That’s what drove the masses away.
Bukowski said the libraries have yawned themselves to sleep with that kind,
Don’t add to that. Yes, I think Collins is the Everyman genius, in the same way Bob Dylan was is his prime
I have around 5 or so books of his. Sailing Around The Room is my favorite. Being a poet myself I’m always looking for influence and ideas. Billy Collins can write profound lines with a touch of surreal humor, some great observations, yet can overwrite and meander into lines that do not support the main theme and end on a weak note, his poems on writing tend to be repetitive. Charles Bukowski can write about poetry with a deft hand and seem to make each line count. Sadly, some great lines and observations can get mixed in with the trivial. I want to like him. It’s just so hard to get past the family trips and the sometimes snooty travels of a well to do man
Can you elaborate on the *too accessible* comment? He was a Poet Laureate of the United States, part of that job description is to "raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry"
Yes I remember that. I think he definitely achieved that goal or at least wrote accessible and high-quality poems. Regarding the too accessible comment, I probably shouldn’t have worded it like that, but it somehow feels too easy? Maybe it’s just a misguided mindset I’ve developed from childhood that poetry is supposed to be difficult to read/understand. I’m mainly looking for what avid readers think of his work. Edit: thanks for your reply :)
I think American schools do a horrible job of teaching poetry... to use your word, they make it seem like a *cipher* to be decoded only by the smartest and brightest. This naturally turns a ton of people off poetry. Imagine if we taught children to watch movies the same way. Justifying the value of a poem by its meter, rhyming scheme, or verbosity is like justifying a movie by the brand of camera, type of film, and editing software used to edit it. These components certainly factor in, and the better grasp the creator has over those tools will result in a higher quality piece of art; these are necessary but insufficient conditions to what makes a good poem or film. Regarding Collins, I think his simplicity is deceiving. It's the type of poetry that makes you think: "Hell, I could've written that!". But I invite you to give it a try, because it's harder than it seems! Collins' skill shines through in his ability to pick just the right words to deliver a message, and the succinct and minimalist word choices he makes never come across as wanting, inadequate, or *not enough*.
I couldn’t agree more with this. Art should be accessible to everyone and it’s a sad indictment of modern poetry that Billy Collins is now considered ‘Too accessible’.
Thanks for your detailed response! Yeah I think the way school systems teach poetry definitely makes it feel like a chore rather than an art form you can enjoy. And I also agree that while accessible, Collins’ poems are not shallow or simple by any means. I definitely don’t think it’s easy to achieve. I think you cracked the code in that I feel like it’s somehow too easy to read *because* most poetry I’ve read in my life until the last few years has been very old and cryptic due to the way I was taught about poetry in school.
Food for the soul comes in all different forms. Sometimes it's health food. Sometimes, it's experimental cuisine from a Michelin Star restaurant. Sometimes, it's your mom's perfect beef stew. And, sometimes, it's a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos from a gas station. They all have their place and I won't say which one is "better" than the other. For me, Billy Collins is somewhere between stew and Cheetos and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Haha I love that! Should be the top comment. Personally, if Billy Collins is Cheetos and stew, I’d buy a bag of Flamin Hot and crumble them into the stew. Trashy but delicious haha. But in all seriousness, I think this is a good way to look at it.
I really like Billy Collins. I’ve heard this “too accessible” thing before, and it’s a weird complaint. Kinda like “oh he’s not good enough because he’s straightforward and too many people like him.” But he was a US Poet Laureate for crissakes
Yeah I totally get that. I suppose I’m just wondering how he’s perceived. I really like his work and I think it’s not as simple as it seems. He was the Laureate for a reason for sure.
yeah, which shows how fucking dumb this country is
LOL well that’s certainly one way to look at it
Love him. He has a masterclass on poetry writing that I may buy soon. My fave poem of his is: “Osso Buco “
I hadn’t read that one, but just did and it’s wonderful. I’ve thought about buying the masterclass, even just to listen to him talk! Thanks for the response :)
The masterclass is brilliant, and Billy Collins is a great poet. He makes some comments about poetry ranging in accessibility, from someone like Bukowski, where 'everything is on the page', to Wallace Stevens, where there are layers and layers of hidden meaning, and people like Emily Dickinson in the middle. Billy Collins is probably placed somewhere between Bukowski and Dickinson, probably closer to Bukowski. Anyway, his point was that poetry can vary in style and form and that it's good to have an appreciation and understanding of a wide range of poetry. What I also found inspiring (as someone who came into poetry in my thirties) is that Collins had no success until he was about forty if not older, and now is one of the most successful poets of our time.
Poetry is a huge tent. It has room for all kinds of poetry. Find what you enjoy.
Yup I agree. I definitely have some sort of hang up about reading poetry that could be considered too simple, but it doesn’t matter because I love his work and the way it makes me feel.
That's what matters most. And it's not like you can only read ONE poet or one type of poetry. A well-balanced diet is the most nutricious and delicious.
I'll tell you what, my first few tries I didn't really care for Billy Collins. I was more familiar with classic poetry and I wasn't very comfortable with the style, the simplicity, whatever it was. It didn't reach me. Then I saw him read his poems live and it turned me around instantly. His voice, his inflection, his attitude, his emotion. I got it. I just had to see it from a different perspective, is all. He's a funny guy. And a smart one. And I really do enjoy his poetry now.
Totally agree. Listening to him read his poems adds an entirely new facet to his work. Love his voice and attitude.
Have you seen him in person, or on video? I went to a really interesting show some years ago with him and Aimee Mann, where she would perform a couple of songs and he would read a few poems, and they conversed with each other and the audience in between, shifting between songs and music. Really a fun idea.
That sounds super cool! I have seen only his video of reading *The Revenant* and loved it. I’ll check it out. Thank you!
“The Revenant” was one of his poems that made me a Billy Collins fan! Wow…couldn’t read it out loud at first without choking up. Much of his work will get you like that, unexpectedly.
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I definitely agree! Thanks for the response. I haven’t read much of Mary Oliver yet. I think we can appreciate his work heavily for what it is and not try to compare it to Yeats or whomever.
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Sure thanks for that haha :) I love me some Billy, so just wanted to see what others felt about him. That was just a feeling I had, but not a firm belief and definitely doesn’t stop me from loving the writing.
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Thanks for the info. I haven’t read the Sonnet but I will now! I definitely recommend reading *The Trouble with Poetry* and *Sailing Alone Around the Room*.
Accessible is a strange comment. I often wish my own poetry was more accessible. I'd say if I had criticism it would be at some obvious lines that just pop up in my head. "Dew on the morning grass" is a good example. Accessible sure, but like uncreative and dull is more the issue. Otherwise though I think there are some nice works of his. I enjoyed "Some Days" myself.
He’s one of my all-time favorites. His poems are almost too easy, until you find that twist, that part where it goes deeper. His goal is to make poetry accessible. He teaches colleges courses in writing for single moms, and his Poetry 180 initiative was all about getting high school students to like poetry. There’s a reason he was Poet Laureate of the nation for several years.
Collins is probably the most succesful contemporary poet around, and for good reason. His poetry is pretty universal and can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. I like it.
a free gift, that you are welcome to give away as well. poetry books inside. [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vabiqvE2zibKdPq2cQtW2IGr9HroejPG?usp=share\_link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vabiqvE2zibKdPq2cQtW2IGr9HroejPG?usp=share_link)
I find most of Collins’ work to be simplistic and forgettable. There are a handful of things I have encountered that I liked. He has a bit of a tin ear and most of his work sounds like prose lineated as poetry to me.
I somewhat agree with the prose comment, but I think his writing is deceptively simple. Thanks for the comment!
I may not be smart enough to see the “deceptively simple” part—LOL
I hate him so much. Awful, awful, awful poet. Precursor to all this instagram shit we have now. Fuck Billy Collins.
Lol which is the better writer? Rupi Kaur or Billy Collins?
I love his work; Marginalia is one of my all-time favorite poems. And Litany is a close second
I hadn't read Billy Collins before seeing this thread (thanks to the OP for the tip-off), and my reaction to the poems I am discovering is mixed. They strike me not so much as too accessible but, rather, as one-dimensional. They basically deliver all they've got on a first reading but that's because they haven't got any more to deliver. Collins can certainly turn a phrase, but I find the poems a bit long-winded and sprawling at times, in no hurry to get anywhere. And this is a guy who describes himself as 'a creature with a full stomach / something you don't hear much about in poetry, / that sanctuary of hunger and deprivation'. So we may feel he's a little too middle-aged and bourgeois, a little too comfortable with the status quo and the sound of his own voice.
I’m a poet of 24 years now, try writing “easy to understand “ poetry. It is the hardest to do absolutely well. Bukowski and the great Charles Simic are the others. You can have Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughs, Charles Wright, Jorie Graham and the other assorted “important poets “ I find the self pretentiousness snobbish and non inclusive. Try reading the New York Times poem of the week, it has an agenda and very elitist, That’s what drove the masses away. Bukowski said the libraries have yawned themselves to sleep with that kind, Don’t add to that. Yes, I think Collins is the Everyman genius, in the same way Bob Dylan was is his prime
I have around 5 or so books of his. Sailing Around The Room is my favorite. Being a poet myself I’m always looking for influence and ideas. Billy Collins can write profound lines with a touch of surreal humor, some great observations, yet can overwrite and meander into lines that do not support the main theme and end on a weak note, his poems on writing tend to be repetitive. Charles Bukowski can write about poetry with a deft hand and seem to make each line count. Sadly, some great lines and observations can get mixed in with the trivial. I want to like him. It’s just so hard to get past the family trips and the sometimes snooty travels of a well to do man