L2L Billy Collins (pt. I)

Whale Day: And Other Poems

Billy Collins

It’s Friday the thirteenth, and what better way to brush off superstitions and current concerns than a splash of wit, a dash of drollness, even a soupçon of satire? Poet Billy Collins provides these and more — even if he is a bit of a Pokerface (his first collection, published in 1977). Former Poet Laureate of the United States and retired professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, Collins continues to produce. This week, Leigh and P. T. discuss Collins’ life and work and why he is often dubbed “the most popular poet in America.”