Weekend Writing: What I Learned from Billy Collins

Billy Collins is one of the most successful contemporary poets of our time. Appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003, his poetry is praised for its plain language, gentle humor, and an alert appreciation for the seemingly mundane subject. If you think, "No one could ever write about that," you haven't met Billy Collins. He is considered to have the "jack of all trades" in poetry, and is viewed as the most popular poet in the U.S.

A collection of Billy Collins' poetry books (photo/Cakes, Teas and Dreams).

When I first learned Collins was offering an online class through MasterClass, "Reading and Writing Poetry," I was immediately intrigued. In 20 fairly short lessons, I had the opportunity to listen to Collins and learn his approach to writing and reading poetry. I wanted to learn from him--someone I believe knows poetry better than most.

The class discussed a wide variety of topics, including:

• The pleasure poetry gives us. 
• How to work with form in poetry. 
• Discovering your poem's subject.
• Drafting a poem.
• How to find sound pleasures in a poem.
• How to find your voice as a poet.
• How to use humor as a serious strategy. 

As a creative writing graduate, I studied these discussion topics in my poetry courses. I knew how to find my poem's subject, and how to draft a poem. But, did I still learn some valuable information in Collins' class? Absolutely! My grandfather, who lived to be 102 years old, always said, "You never stop learning, no matter how old you are." Well, I will never stop learning something new about poetry. 

I loved listening to Billy Collins' advice. He discussed his writing strategies and his experience as a best-selling poet. It isn't always easy for him. Like many other poets, he tosses poems into the trash can. He has received negative comments. But, did he give up? No, absolutely not. Because he knows that he's supposed to be a poet. He can't change that fact. He's a poet and he must write poetry. It's that simple. 

Billy Collins (photo/MasterClass)

I took notes during the class because I knew I would write about the experience in a blog post. Below is a list of some of the notes I took. Of course, there was much more information discussed in Collins' class, but these are the main "take-away points." 

• Poetry gives us a history of the human heart. Poets wrestle with emotions. Poetry is a call to action. Read poetry to discover how humans have felt throughout time. 
• Form is what keeps the poem together. It's the "glue" of the poem. 
• Poetry is a shape. The way it looks on the page is different than prose, and that's important. 
• Write what you want to write about, not what others expect you to write about. 
• Don't think about the theme as you draft the poem. You can figure that out later. Just write the poem first. 
• Let the poem guide you. It will nudge you in the right direction.
• Poems can have many meanings. It's okay if you interpret a poem differently than your peers. 
• Your voice can be imitated from others. We all have influences and their writing can be found in our own. That's okay. You can (and should) learn a lot from the poems we read. 
• Your poem's persona is a character. It's a voice that is yours and yours alone. You own that voice. 
• It's important to keep practicing. Write as many poems as possible. They might not all be good poems, but you might write a specific line that speaks to you and it can be a part of a different poem. You won't know unless you write, write, and write. 

As you can see, I learned a lot from Billy Collins. It was amazing to listen to his stories and learn from his writing experiences. He commented that sometimes you will write a poem that surprises you. You'll write a poem that you didn't expect to write. That's the "fun" of being a poet. Every poem is different. 

Billy Collins (photo/MasterClass)

If you're a poet (or you love reading poetry), I strongly recommend taking this class. You can work at your own pace and you can share comments with other poets who are also taking the class. It's a community of writers who want to learn from one of the best poets in the literary business. 

Write on. 

-KJL-