User Clip: U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins - "The Names"

I think of a poem as a flashlight, an instrument of discovery. I’m here to light the way for you, to show you what I’ve learned, and not just about rhyme and meter. I’ll also teach you about being open to influence, understanding who you are as a poet, and inventing a persona, that is, a distinctive voice that is yours alone. Join me in my first-ever MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/billycollins | Billy Collins

The Poetry Broadcast was born from a martini-fueled idea Suzannah had on my birthday in 2020. As long as we were housebound by Covid, I might as well read a poem each day on Facebook Live. I had stayed away from social media till then. A raucous phone call later (from my great friend Greg Delanty in Ireland), I was all in. I started the next day. I turned 80 the next year, and we were still doing the Broadcast. I turned 81, and we were still doing the Broadcast. Now I’m 82, and… yes. I’m still d

Introduction: The Pleasure Poetry Gives Us