Oct. 23, 2008
Poet laureate Billy Collins to speak in Stevens Point
Poet Billy Collins, the United States Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, will speak in
Stevens Point on Thursday, October 30, as part of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point's Performing Arts Series.
Collins will give his presentation at Sentry Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15
for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $6 for youth. UWSP students with ID may
buy tickets in advance for $4.50 or be admitted free if seats remain. Tickets
may be purchased at the UWSP Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus
University Center, by calling 715-346-4100 or 800-838-3378 or ordering online
at
www.uwsp.edu/centers/uit/ordering.asp.
Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted.
Collins is a New York City native who, in addition to being a national poet
laureate, was New York state's poet laureate from 2004-2006. His poems are
known for opening on a clear and hospitable note then taking an unexpected
turn. He sees his poetry as "a form of travel writing" and considers humor
as "a door into the serious."
He has published eight poetry collections, with his most recent, "Ballistics,"
released in September. His work has also appeared in periodicals, anthologies
and textbooks. "The Best Cigarette," an audio recording of 34 of his poems,
was a bestseller. He has been featured on the public radio shows "A Prairie
Home Companion" and "Fresh Air."
Collins has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts,
the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation as well
as many other poetry prizes. He has conducted summer poetry workshops in
Ireland and served as the New York Public Library’s "Literary Lion."
A professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York,
he resides in Somers, New York.
