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Poetry 180
180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day
Come full circle with 180 new, exciting poems selected and introduced by Billy Collins.
Inspired by Billy Collins’s poem-a-day program for American high schools that he began through the Library of Congress, the original Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry was a gathering of clear, contemporary poems aimed at a wide audience. In 180 More , Collins continues his ambitious mission of exposing readers of all ages to the best of today’s poetry. Here are another 180 hospitable, engaging, reader-friendly poems, offering surprise and delight in a wide range of literary voices–comic, melancholy, reflective, irreverent. If poetry is the original travel literature, this anthology contains 180 vehicles ready to carry you away to unexpected places.
With poems by
Robert Bly
Carol Ann Duffy
Eamon Grennan
Mark Halliday
Jane Kenyon
David Kirby
Thomas Lux
Donna Masini
W. S. Merwin
Paul Muldoon
Carol Muske-Dukes
Vijay Seshadri
Naomi Shihab Nye
Gerald Stern
Ron Padgett
Linda Pastan
Victoria Redel
Franz Wright
Robert Wrigley
and many more
Inspired by Billy Collins’s poem-a-day program for American high schools that he began through the Library of Congress, the original Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry was a gathering of clear, contemporary poems aimed at a wide audience. In 180 More , Collins continues his ambitious mission of exposing readers of all ages to the best of today’s poetry. Here are another 180 hospitable, engaging, reader-friendly poems, offering surprise and delight in a wide range of literary voices–comic, melancholy, reflective, irreverent. If poetry is the original travel literature, this anthology contains 180 vehicles ready to carry you away to unexpected places.
With poems by
Robert Bly
Carol Ann Duffy
Eamon Grennan
Mark Halliday
Jane Kenyon
David Kirby
Thomas Lux
Donna Masini
W. S. Merwin
Paul Muldoon
Carol Muske-Dukes
Vijay Seshadri
Naomi Shihab Nye
Gerald Stern
Ron Padgett
Linda Pastan
Victoria Redel
Franz Wright
Robert Wrigley
and many more
373 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 2005
24 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Billy Collins
150 books1,607 followersWilliam James Collins is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. In 2016, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. As of 2020, he is a teacher in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
December 1, 2009
Earlier this year I was in the mood for poetry. I have several anthologies of the poets I read when I was in college, but I figured it was time to update. I am a fan of Billy Collins (former U.S. Poet Laureate) and his campaign to bring poetry back to the public school curriculum, which is part of why I chose this anthology of poems written by contemporary poets and compiled by Collins. I also used the highly literary method of browsing the ratings of poetry anthologies in Amazon.com as I considered which of the many options to purchase. Once I had the book in hand, I read a few poems at a time, turning down page corners of my favorites. My book has a lot of turned-down pages. There are also quite a few poems I would draw a big, fat X through with a black Sharpie. However, if you want a grand tour through approachable contemporary poetry, this anthology or another one compiled by Collins is a great place to start.
May 24, 2017
Recently I've been getting back into poetry after a long departure. I wasn't sure where to start, so I pulled out this volume, which I got as a present from one of my professors during my master's in teaching program many moons ago in the early aughts. I read a few poems every day, keeping an ongoing list of the poets I liked best so I can check out more of their work. I would really recommend this to people like myself who are looking for exposure to a broad range of accessible contemporary poetry in hopes of identifying some new favorite poets to explore.
A few from my list: Greg Delanty, Kenneth Koch, Carol Ann Duffy, CK Williams, Bruce A. Jacobs, Jane Kenyon....
A few from my list: Greg Delanty, Kenneth Koch, Carol Ann Duffy, CK Williams, Bruce A. Jacobs, Jane Kenyon....
August 30, 2011
This collection was not nearly as strong as the first 180 anthology, though there are still some gems.
March 4, 2015
A useful survey of contemporary American poetry.
I decided, not long ago, to get some idea of what the landscape of contemporary American poetry was like, since I'm bad about reading poetry and I hadn't really read much since actually studying it formally in undergraduate school Literature classes; I'd read some things like Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf and (attempted) Nabokov's "Pale Fire", but aside from a handful of forays into Wisława Szymborska and Virginia Hamilton Adair, I've maintained a shameful ignorance of current poetry.
Collins' survey (which is intended to provide a poem a day for half a year) is of course subjective - it's really an anthology edited by Collins - but it's a pretty nice overview of modern, working (American) poets. My approach in reading the book - remember, I'm attempting to renew an appreciation for poetic style - was to read a poem or two a day and make note of any particularly "catchy" turns of phrase (like the description of Alzheimer's as being "bereft of chronicle" - Bob Hickock's "Alzheimers" - or describing a man "stirring another sugar into his coffee for lack of something true to say" - Alison Luterman's "On not flying to Hawaii". I then look for trends - like thematic or evocative trends which captivate me, or poets who tend to catch my attention (such as Naomi Nye), so I can explore *them* in later depth.
It's a nice doorway into a literary mode many of use tend to neglect in later years, which is EXACTLY the time when we can finally appreciate them.
I decided, not long ago, to get some idea of what the landscape of contemporary American poetry was like, since I'm bad about reading poetry and I hadn't really read much since actually studying it formally in undergraduate school Literature classes; I'd read some things like Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf and (attempted) Nabokov's "Pale Fire", but aside from a handful of forays into Wisława Szymborska and Virginia Hamilton Adair, I've maintained a shameful ignorance of current poetry.
Collins' survey (which is intended to provide a poem a day for half a year) is of course subjective - it's really an anthology edited by Collins - but it's a pretty nice overview of modern, working (American) poets. My approach in reading the book - remember, I'm attempting to renew an appreciation for poetic style - was to read a poem or two a day and make note of any particularly "catchy" turns of phrase (like the description of Alzheimer's as being "bereft of chronicle" - Bob Hickock's "Alzheimers" - or describing a man "stirring another sugar into his coffee for lack of something true to say" - Alison Luterman's "On not flying to Hawaii". I then look for trends - like thematic or evocative trends which captivate me, or poets who tend to catch my attention (such as Naomi Nye), so I can explore *them* in later depth.
It's a nice doorway into a literary mode many of use tend to neglect in later years, which is EXACTLY the time when we can finally appreciate them.
May 26, 2017
This book was a bit disappointing, especially compared to its precedent, "Poetry 180." While several poems were excellent and refreshing, there were an overwhelming amount of pieces that were not deserving of the "extraordinary" description plastered onto them. Billy Collins writes remarkable poetry, but his taste in the genre seems to fall short to his writing talents. Some favorites among the anthology were "Snowbanks North of the House" by Robert Bly, "Chapter One" by Mark Aiello, "Why it Often Rains in the Movies" by Lawrence Raab, and "Please Come Late" by Hugo Williams. Overall worth a read to broaden your poetry horizons but not as good as the first book.
January 16, 2016
I was a fan of Billy Collins in high school, but I wasn't really feeling this collection when reading it 15 years after I got it. Some poems are very good, but overall not my thing.
The ones I enjoyed:
Buddha's Dogs - Susan Browne
Anagrammer - Peter Pereira
Chapter One - Mark Aiello
I said yes, but I meant no - Dean Young
Why I don't take naps in the afternoon - Dan Gerber
The Fate - Bill Knott
The ones I enjoyed:
Buddha's Dogs - Susan Browne
Anagrammer - Peter Pereira
Chapter One - Mark Aiello
I said yes, but I meant no - Dean Young
Why I don't take naps in the afternoon - Dan Gerber
The Fate - Bill Knott
May 6, 2012
lots of poems selected by our former poet laureate. as it turns out, i think i like billy collins' poetry more than i like his taste in poetry. still, there are some doozies in here, and it's always nice to be introduced to new poets by a poet you love.
so i'd say asi asi overall.
so i'd say asi asi overall.
February 13, 2012
As an entry point to the multi-voiced world of poetry, this is a fine collection. Read it. Find what you like and then find those poets works. These are invitation to more poetry. Find the invites with your name on them and go.
May 26, 2018
Really great! I dog-eared probably 60% of the poems, because i liked them or i found them teachable, or both. Also, I really liked the intro by Billy Collins— I, too, prefer “hospitable” poetry.
November 11, 2021
I'm a fan that gets everyday, accessible poetry into the hands of everyday readers. This fits the bill.
May 11, 2021
Two years ago, I wrote a commentary about Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry. It is an anthology of contemporary poems selected by Billy Collins. I wrote, “He was the organizing force behind the Poetry 180 Project which is designed as a poem-a-day series to be used as part of a 180-day high school year. All the poems are modern and very accessible to young readers, not weighted down by snobbish, scholarly abstractions and obscure allusions to arcane matters. Many of the poems are humorous. All are thought-provoking and imaginative. The selections are short, at most two pages. I found them all to be thoughtful, intelligent, readable, accessible and challenging. The collection is a version of the Library of Congress’ “180” website. You can subscribe at http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/ and receive a poem each day by email.”
I recently finished 180 More Extraordinary Poems for Everyday Life which is a follow-up to that volume. The commentary I wrote for the first volume works perfectly for the second.
Billy Collins has written an excellent introduction to the newer book. In it he discusses the teaching of poetry. Rather than the typical chronological approach which begins with some of the driest, densest, and least accessible poems, he suggests a method called branching. This begins with poems that have appeal to students and branching out to other poems and poets though logical, interest-based, thematic, and genre-related connections. As a former teacher I applaud that approach. It’s similar to the system I used to use.
Collins also weighs in on the endless unresolvable debate about accessibility in poetry.
“…Poems that are hospitable toward their readers, poems in which a human voice is clearly sounded—poems with the front door left open. If you need to cut an entrance into a poem, who is going to bother? Why should a reader be asked to commit repeated acts of breaking and entering?”
I did a lot of scribbling in the margins. I asked questions. I made comments. I expressed disagreement. Some of my comments were simple one-word reactions. Here are some: sad, tragic, ironic, clever, maddening, interesting, mysterious, cool, exceptional, Yes!, sensual, excellent, and hah!
Collins is a former Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003).
I recently finished 180 More Extraordinary Poems for Everyday Life which is a follow-up to that volume. The commentary I wrote for the first volume works perfectly for the second.
Billy Collins has written an excellent introduction to the newer book. In it he discusses the teaching of poetry. Rather than the typical chronological approach which begins with some of the driest, densest, and least accessible poems, he suggests a method called branching. This begins with poems that have appeal to students and branching out to other poems and poets though logical, interest-based, thematic, and genre-related connections. As a former teacher I applaud that approach. It’s similar to the system I used to use.
Collins also weighs in on the endless unresolvable debate about accessibility in poetry.
“…Poems that are hospitable toward their readers, poems in which a human voice is clearly sounded—poems with the front door left open. If you need to cut an entrance into a poem, who is going to bother? Why should a reader be asked to commit repeated acts of breaking and entering?”
I did a lot of scribbling in the margins. I asked questions. I made comments. I expressed disagreement. Some of my comments were simple one-word reactions. Here are some: sad, tragic, ironic, clever, maddening, interesting, mysterious, cool, exceptional, Yes!, sensual, excellent, and hah!
Collins is a former Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003).
May 8, 2019
The words of a poet can be viewed as the rawest form of perspective. Each word is crafted with much intention, but leaves the room open for all analysts and readers to feast upon. Billy Collins is a true believer of this design. The anthology of poems from different authors each derive from his own specific taste, but yet still offer a wide variety of outlooks. His selections do not just satisfy the reader with beautiful poems. He showcases how they themselves can move about with imagery, storytelling, and powerful meaning.
The poems that are represented within Collins’ book open doors to new thoughts and ideas. The beauty of reading these poems is that as you immerse yourself within the book, you leave with a speck of critical thought in your mind. Impactful lines from Shihab Nye’s poem “Famous” creates this effect when she writes:
I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it did.
Again, while reading such an idea one can’t help but process what had been said. Whether you disagree with the poet's view or not their goal has been achieved. You saw their perspective. As a book may tell a story, poems will instead offer you insight.
As Billy Collins takes you through the many forms of poetry he does not hesitate to show even the silly ones. The poem Nothing in That Drawer by Ron Padgett is a prime example being that the entire poem consists of the line, “Nothing in that Drawer”, (Padgett 272) over and over again. Although it does provide a charming sense of humor, it simply stops the flow of Collins’ idea. The poem itself offer little to no insight into the poets thoughts and although it can be considered “raw” it leaves the reader confused rather than inspired.
While reading through this book, you may find yourself recalling the similar philosophies of Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell. Given their similar tastes, it can be said that both Collins and Peppernell favor the poem in its purest form. The sheer translucency of the poems offer an invitation into the poet’s mind. They allow the readers to see as they see.
The poems that are represented within Collins’ book open doors to new thoughts and ideas. The beauty of reading these poems is that as you immerse yourself within the book, you leave with a speck of critical thought in your mind. Impactful lines from Shihab Nye’s poem “Famous” creates this effect when she writes:
I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it did.
Again, while reading such an idea one can’t help but process what had been said. Whether you disagree with the poet's view or not their goal has been achieved. You saw their perspective. As a book may tell a story, poems will instead offer you insight.
As Billy Collins takes you through the many forms of poetry he does not hesitate to show even the silly ones. The poem Nothing in That Drawer by Ron Padgett is a prime example being that the entire poem consists of the line, “Nothing in that Drawer”, (Padgett 272) over and over again. Although it does provide a charming sense of humor, it simply stops the flow of Collins’ idea. The poem itself offer little to no insight into the poets thoughts and although it can be considered “raw” it leaves the reader confused rather than inspired.
While reading through this book, you may find yourself recalling the similar philosophies of Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell. Given their similar tastes, it can be said that both Collins and Peppernell favor the poem in its purest form. The sheer translucency of the poems offer an invitation into the poet’s mind. They allow the readers to see as they see.
May 6, 2019
Billy Collin’s 180 more was a very interesting book. The stories grew from learning about life to learning about death. The stories do not tell you the exact situation though which I loved. Trying to figure what is really going on behind the poem while you read it. For example, in Alien by Greg Delanty we hear quotes talking about a little Martian and the inside of a spaceship but reading more into it makes it obvious that it is parents worrying about how their baby is going to be when it is born. The stories did a great job at having you guess what was going on. In the Rear-View Mirror by Robert Shaw did a great job at telling the side of death in this. “Thinking about them as you saw them last you see them standing there behind your back learning out into the road to wave goodbye lingering even as growing speed and distance diminish them until they neatly fit head to foot in the mirror strip you glance at.” (Shaw 238) This did an amazing job comparing to totally different things. The story gives the perspective of driving away from important loved ones and seeing them getting farther and farther from your rear-view mirror but thinking about it deeply gives a sense of losing someone super important to you. Seeing them shrink in that mirror really means slowly losing someone you love. There were some poems that made no sense to me at all. Rereading them repeatedly trying to see what the hidden message is was too hard for some of them like Nux by Tom Clark. “A waterlogged squirrel that gathers its nuts to flotat this dream of words sub noctis from magic to error from aether to terra.” (Clark 246) I was trying to find the theme of death in this, but it made no connection when I was reading it. The book like this to me was the lovely bones thinking about the concept of life and death and how lovely bones gave the perspective of both the living and the dead. This book was able to do the same through multiple stories. I give this book a 4 out of 5. There was some confusion but overall it was a great read.
November 14, 2018
I was recommended this book from a local librarian while looking for poetry books, ironically I had read this book for my college English course. As a poem lover, I knew the collection of poems would keep me satisfied throughout the book. If you did not read his first sequence to this book, I recommend you read “Poetry 180” as well. Collins’ “180 More” is composed of poems from many poets, some themes similar and contrasting to others. Recurring themes in the book include love, death, birth and maturity. Collins’ ideal objective for the book was that the poems be read aloud for the powerful affect the words held. I read this book alone, and some aloud and some in my head, and in contrast, the poems arguably are better read aloud. The reasoning for this is because when expressed aloud, the emotion in tone interprets the poem easily rather than skimming it through your head.
The poems are reasonably comprehensible, such as the first poem featured in the book-Sharon Old’s “The First Hour.” I appreciated this type of first person perspective story, as Old wrote it from the standpoint of a newborn child. I have never read any story similar to this perspective, and in this newborn’s eyes, the painful essence of birth is dimmed, leaving the beauty to be illuminated. Old uses soft adjectives in the poem to emphasize the gentle perspective to the newborn as she states;
“..on gravity’s silk, the pressure of the air a caress, smelling on my self her creamy blood, the air was softly touching my skin and tongue” (Olds 3.)
Even though poems are predominately short, Collins included fairly lengthened poems with a few stanzas. This book can be a fair-moderate read, or as it was for me considering I needed to read it for a few English assignments. I do not think I had any problems with this book or necessarily disliked anything, the book even includes mini bios for the poets included.
The poems are reasonably comprehensible, such as the first poem featured in the book-Sharon Old’s “The First Hour.” I appreciated this type of first person perspective story, as Old wrote it from the standpoint of a newborn child. I have never read any story similar to this perspective, and in this newborn’s eyes, the painful essence of birth is dimmed, leaving the beauty to be illuminated. Old uses soft adjectives in the poem to emphasize the gentle perspective to the newborn as she states;
“..on gravity’s silk, the pressure of the air a caress, smelling on my self her creamy blood, the air was softly touching my skin and tongue” (Olds 3.)
Even though poems are predominately short, Collins included fairly lengthened poems with a few stanzas. This book can be a fair-moderate read, or as it was for me considering I needed to read it for a few English assignments. I do not think I had any problems with this book or necessarily disliked anything, the book even includes mini bios for the poets included.
May 9, 2019
I love to read short essays or stories, but the poems are the most difficult and hard to understand because poems contain many different meanings, sometimes poems are a joke and the poems usually use symbolic words. However, the book, 180 More, is a series of poems so we can choose easy poems to difficult poems. 180 More is highly recommended to people who do not like poems because it has various choices. Also, there are many short poems to long poems, so can start with short poems to longer poems to get knowledge and getting used to poems. Also, in my case, after I read some poems from the book, I learn how to read a poem and how to find symbolic words.
From 180 More, my favorite poem is First Hour because the poem is about the first hour after baby born. This theme is interesting and gives me a new perspective. Also, “I lay like a god, for an hour, then they came to me.” (3 Olds) this quote is the most interesting and fun part because I could imagine how I was being in the first hour and the author compare the baby to a god. The comparison is interesting because people do everything to baby and baby did not belong to anywhere, so the baby was free and could do whatever the baby wants so it could be like a god. At first, I could not understand the meaning of the first hour and a god, but I have read three times and I could understand First Hour.
I strongly recommend the book, 180 More, to people have a hard time reading and understanding the poems. Also, can read anytime and anywhere because it does not take a long time to read. After reading just one poem, we can try to understand and find the meaning for the rest of time.
Work Cited
Collins, Billy, editor. 180 More. Random House Trade Paperback Original, 2005.
Olds, Sharon. “First Hour.” 180 More. New York: A Random House Trade Paperback Original, 2005. 3. Print
From 180 More, my favorite poem is First Hour because the poem is about the first hour after baby born. This theme is interesting and gives me a new perspective. Also, “I lay like a god, for an hour, then they came to me.” (3 Olds) this quote is the most interesting and fun part because I could imagine how I was being in the first hour and the author compare the baby to a god. The comparison is interesting because people do everything to baby and baby did not belong to anywhere, so the baby was free and could do whatever the baby wants so it could be like a god. At first, I could not understand the meaning of the first hour and a god, but I have read three times and I could understand First Hour.
I strongly recommend the book, 180 More, to people have a hard time reading and understanding the poems. Also, can read anytime and anywhere because it does not take a long time to read. After reading just one poem, we can try to understand and find the meaning for the rest of time.
Work Cited
Collins, Billy, editor. 180 More. Random House Trade Paperback Original, 2005.
Olds, Sharon. “First Hour.” 180 More. New York: A Random House Trade Paperback Original, 2005. 3. Print
March 6, 2021
I started this book in a library that is located 2 hours and 30min away from my home. My home library does not have his collection, and I was afraid that I would not return the book to the library if I had to mail it back. So, I made the trip 2 hours and 30minutes one way twice because I could not finish it in one day.
The second time I stayed up until 1:23am reading the collection. By this time of night my brain had thoroughly began to wander. I thought about the fact that one of my friends had bought me a book to write poetry, and how I am not given her a birthday gift for last year or this year because I am sure I could never get her something so meaningful. I thought about the girl that I am sending poetry every night, and which ones in this collection are best suitable to send on what days. I thought of so many people while reading poems about the Buddhist dogs or about Hitler’s childhood. I sometimes curse my brain for wandering while I am trying to read something, but all of the things I was thinking of also had to do with poetry. I think these poems made me think of my friends and family, I think this might be the cheesiest review I could ever write, and it is probably unhelpful to the reader was trying to figure out whether this is a book for them.
But I suppose if you made it this far you realize that I made a 2 hour and 30 minute drive twice to read this book and that is satisfactory.
The second time I stayed up until 1:23am reading the collection. By this time of night my brain had thoroughly began to wander. I thought about the fact that one of my friends had bought me a book to write poetry, and how I am not given her a birthday gift for last year or this year because I am sure I could never get her something so meaningful. I thought about the girl that I am sending poetry every night, and which ones in this collection are best suitable to send on what days. I thought of so many people while reading poems about the Buddhist dogs or about Hitler’s childhood. I sometimes curse my brain for wandering while I am trying to read something, but all of the things I was thinking of also had to do with poetry. I think these poems made me think of my friends and family, I think this might be the cheesiest review I could ever write, and it is probably unhelpful to the reader was trying to figure out whether this is a book for them.
But I suppose if you made it this far you realize that I made a 2 hour and 30 minute drive twice to read this book and that is satisfactory.
May 9, 2017
It's hard to give a book of such different poems from so many various sources a single 1-5 score, but there are some really, really good poems in here. Some that I didn't care for, but some that I loved a lot. I read this book over a few months a poem or two at a time and it was an entirely pleasant way to read a collection of poems. Here's a couple of my favorites for you:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org...
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poet...
http://www.poemsbypost.com/?p=516
This is just a sampling of some of the poems I dog-eared. There are many more. There are poems that leave you devastated for five minutes, or much longer. There are poems that make me want to laugh. There are poems that illustrate the difference between Billy Collins and me, in that I find them entirely unextraordinary. If you're looking for some poetry that doesn't feel impossible to enjoy or understand or feel something about, pick up this book. Or, you can borrow mine. Just ask.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org...
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poet...
http://www.poemsbypost.com/?p=516
This is just a sampling of some of the poems I dog-eared. There are many more. There are poems that leave you devastated for five minutes, or much longer. There are poems that make me want to laugh. There are poems that illustrate the difference between Billy Collins and me, in that I find them entirely unextraordinary. If you're looking for some poetry that doesn't feel impossible to enjoy or understand or feel something about, pick up this book. Or, you can borrow mine. Just ask.
June 3, 2024
Billy Collins edits another anthology of poetry in 180 More. Collins intended to introduce poetry to the youth of today circa 2005. The book is a sequel and follows a program developed by the Library of Congress. Collins is the former Poet Laureate of the United States. I don't know which president he served under, but it may have been Clinton.
As I mentioned, the poems are for High School students. Many voices are contributing to this anthology. As the title states, there are 180 poems in the collection. The book presents the poems as is, without mentioning why they included them.
I was young once, but that was a while ago now. I remember having dreams, hopes, and pie-in-the-sky ideas, but all of those were crippled by reality. So, as a middle-aged man, I can relate to some of the poems, but not as the intended audience would.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
As I mentioned, the poems are for High School students. Many voices are contributing to this anthology. As the title states, there are 180 poems in the collection. The book presents the poems as is, without mentioning why they included them.
I was young once, but that was a while ago now. I remember having dreams, hopes, and pie-in-the-sky ideas, but all of those were crippled by reality. So, as a middle-aged man, I can relate to some of the poems, but not as the intended audience would.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
November 4, 2021
Look, Billy Collins is the reason I love poetry. That's the plain truth. First it was through his own poetry, and then through these anthologies, introducing me to so many wonderful, contemporary, "accessible" poets.
If you like poetry that is obscure or obtuse, or archaic and eloquent in a Yeats kind of way, then good on you. That's great. There is plenty of room for everybody in this wide and wonderful medium. But this book is probably not for you. This book was more for people like me.
The poems in this collection that I liked least, I still liked. They always interested me to some degree. And the poems that I loved really knocked my socks off. Thrilled my imagination. Stung my heart.
As Mr. Collins says, these poems leave the doors unlocked. Most have them thrown wide open. But there's always something to be found inside.
If you like poetry that is obscure or obtuse, or archaic and eloquent in a Yeats kind of way, then good on you. That's great. There is plenty of room for everybody in this wide and wonderful medium. But this book is probably not for you. This book was more for people like me.
The poems in this collection that I liked least, I still liked. They always interested me to some degree. And the poems that I loved really knocked my socks off. Thrilled my imagination. Stung my heart.
As Mr. Collins says, these poems leave the doors unlocked. Most have them thrown wide open. But there's always something to be found inside.
September 2, 2024
I enjoyed this 180 poems series Collins compiled as Poet Laureate—I enjoyed the first collection in the series, “Poetry 180,” and this sequel was equally enchanting. It’s a nice way to be introduced to a multitude of contemporary poets, all of whom are extremely talented. Plus, as Collins says in the introduction, these are all “accessible” poems, which I appreciated.
Some favorites in this collection were as follows: “Hurdles” (Katia Kapovich); “Tariff” (Michelle Boisseau); “The Night of the Full Moon” (Alison Marsh Harding); “You Can Change Your Life Through Psychic Power” (James Tate); and “Retro Creation” (Aidan Rooney-Céspedes).
Some favorites in this collection were as follows: “Hurdles” (Katia Kapovich); “Tariff” (Michelle Boisseau); “The Night of the Full Moon” (Alison Marsh Harding); “You Can Change Your Life Through Psychic Power” (James Tate); and “Retro Creation” (Aidan Rooney-Céspedes).
December 18, 2017
This is a great collection for its purpose: introducing high school students to poetry. The poems, for the most part, are accessible and most land well. Billy Collins, however, does not include all that many voices in terms of variation. In fact, many of the same poets from the first 180 Days of Poetry are included in this second collection. Two to three of these poems were amazing; however, overall, I was left wanting a bit more diversity, in terms of representation, style, form, era, and tone.
June 8, 2025
Some of these - looking at you, Stephen Dobyns - would not be appropriate in any K-12 setting, and I mention this because Collins styles himself as the sort of poetry prophet who is returning the form to classrooms across the world, but teachers who trust his former Laureate status will be hard-pressed to find accessible and audience-oriented poems here. I enjoyed it, especially Boisseau's "Tariff" which felt like a Lydia Davis short story, but it wouldn't be something I could bring to my students.
December 29, 2019
I teach a Writing for Children course, so I needed an accessible volume of poetry for my students to read that could demonstrate appropriate poetry for teenagers. This volume fit the bill. My only complaint is that it would be strengthened by the inclusion of more diverse authors. In terms of subject matter, this does a good job finding the line between too edgy and too tame of poetry for teenage readers.
November 7, 2017
I did not expect to stand there, poem after poem, having that oh my god feeling. Freakin bravo, Billy Collins. I feel like I got invited to a party where everybody is weird and interesting and they think I am, too.
February 15, 2018
A collection of poems by a wide variety of poets, some of which I really enjoyed and others which I did not. The introduction by Billy Collins is very good and worth reading. Overall, the poems were good, but not great. Just my opinion, of course.
July 8, 2018
Accessible introduction to American poetry complied by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Favorites include
“The Dogs in Dutch Paintings,” David Graham
“October Cats,” Rachel Hadas
“Anagrammer,” Peter Pereira
“Jeep Cherokee,” Bruce A. Jacobs
“Chicken,” Kim Addonizio
“The Dogs in Dutch Paintings,” David Graham
“October Cats,” Rachel Hadas
“Anagrammer,” Peter Pereira
“Jeep Cherokee,” Bruce A. Jacobs
“Chicken,” Kim Addonizio
August 4, 2021
This one was so far from the first 180 for me. So, so far away. The first one I’ll carry forever and quite close to my heart. This, instead, I’m already forgetting (except Katia Kapovich. Kapovich is unforgettable).
September 29, 2021
I don't think I ever truly understood the phrase "the male gaze" until reading this book. Women, when they are present, are mostly objects. At least as far as I got into this, this was the case. There were a few poems by women, but, basically, doesn't pass the Bechdel test.
January 11, 2022
Collins’ first anthology, Poetry 180, is a marvelous selection of poems. This, his second volume, appears to be a collection whose purpose is to underscore what a great job he did selecting the first 180. A few of these are very good. Only a few, and I hope I’m not exaggerating.
June 26, 2017
Was looking for a particular poem - by Michael Donaghy - but ended up reading & largely enjoying the entire collection. The last poem,Request by Lawrence Raab, was a great ending
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