Billy Collins is an internationally acclaimed contemporary poet, who is known for his subtle yet thought-provoking poetic style. Collins served as United States Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003 and New York State Poet from 2004 to 2006. Highly lauded, Collins has received countless awards and fellowships, as well as a membership to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 
Collins was born on March 22, 1941 in New York City. He attended the College of the Holy Cross for his B.A. and University of California-Riverside for his M.A. and Ph.D. In 1968, Collins joined the faculty at Lehman College in New York where he was a Distinguished Professor. He was also a guest professor at Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College. He co-founded the Mid-Atlantic Review in 1975 with fellow poet Micheal Shannon. Collins has released twelve books of poetry. His most notable works include: The Art of Drowning (1995), Picnic, Lightening (1998), Taking Off Emily Dickenson’s Clothes (2000), and Questions About Angels (1991) the collection that sent him into literary stardom. 
Collins is one of the most famous and sought after poets in the world. His poetry readings are highly attended. He has received six-figure advances from publishing houses, and the rights to his works were fought over publicly in 2000 by University of Pittsburgh Press and Penguin Random House. Collins lives in Florida with his wife, Suzannah, and divides his time between being a faculty member of State University of New York-Stony Brook M.F.A program and a Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute in Florida. 
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