180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day
by Billy Collins
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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. Like its predecessor, 180 More is the perfect show more anthology for anyone who appreciates thoughtful, clear poems that are an immediate pleasure to read and a lasting source of insight and feeling. And for readers who have lost touch with poetry, this collection will lead them back to the fold. show lessTags
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Most of these are what could be termed "small," or observant / slice-of-life / vignette style poems. (Much more like prose in my book, but who's counting?) That's what sets it apart from the ocean of other poetry compilations out there. Not a single "famous" writer either, apart from Robert Bly, I guess. The keen fan of downbeat miniatures, such as Suzanne Vega's song "Small Blue Thing," will find a lot to like here.
One of those anthologies where most of the poems are worth reading, but very few of them stand out as worth coming back to over and over again. In fact, there are a few here where my reaction was laughable--as in, I don't know why Collins would pick them, or even that I'd consider them poems. I'd recommend it for someone who wants a broad range of contemporary authors to explore (in order to figure out who to explore more), but go to it in a relaxed spirit, not expecting anything ground-breaking or ready to knock you down with its greatness. Additionaly, realize that Collins picked all of these poems out himself--and it's fairly obvious. If you know the type of poem he writes, and likes, you know Exactly what you'll find here.
The first anthology (Poetry 180) introduced me to many enjoyable new poets and poets I should have known. This collection is darker, more serious, and not nearly as good a way to start my day...Still, there are some definite treasures worth reading for.
An amazing anthology of contemporary poetry picked from one of the best, Billy Collins. He really knows a lot about his craft and you can tell by the wide selection his chose for this collection. A follow up to his "poetry 180: turning back to poetry", this book has all the greats from our time. From the modern confessional poet Sharon Olds', "First hour" to the harsh and sharp words of "Why I don't take naps in the afternoon" by Don Gerber. "Extraordinary poems for the everyday poet" is exactly what this book portrays. This is a great starter book for anyone looking to get into contemporary poetry, and a new favorite for someone who appreciates it immensely already.
An interesting assortment. Some of these are among my favorites, others not so much. I very much like the Poetry 180 concept, and think both of the books are worth having.
There are poems from various authors from all over the world compiled together for high school students to connect with. All poems chosen have a sense of craft and segue into other poets’ works. Themes range from coming of age, to loss of hope, but all associated with the high school atmosphere.
Good basic anthology
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Billy Collins has published six collections of poetry, including Questions About Angels and The Art of Drowning, Picnic, Lightning, his latest, sold more than 25,000 copies in its first year. He teaches at Lehman College of the City University of New York and at Sarah Lawrence College. He was named U.S. Poet Laureate in June 2000. (Bowker Author show more Biography) Billy Collins was born in New York City in 1941. He earned a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, and both an MA and PhD from the University of California-Riverside. Collins conducted summer poetry workshops at University College Galway and is the Poet in Residence at Burren College of Art in Ireland. He is also a professor of English at Lehman College (CUNY). In 1992, Collins was chosen to be the Literary Lion of the New York Public Library. He was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2001 and held the title until 2003. Collins then served as Poet Laureate for the State of New York from 2004 until 2006. His poetry has appeared in anthologies, textbooks and periodicals including Poetry, The American Poetry Review, The American scholar, Harper's, The Paris Review and The New Yorker. He is the author of six books of poetry including "The Art of Drowning." His poems have also been selected to appear in The Best American Poetry of 1992, 1993 and 1997. His works have won various awards including the Bess Hokin Prize, the Frederick Bock Prize, the Oscar Blumenthal Prize and the Levinson Prize, all awarded by Poetry. He has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. His collection of poems entitled Aimless Love made numerous best-seller lists in 2013. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day
- Original publication date
- 2005
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- Members
- 400
- Popularity
- 77,432
- Reviews
- 9
- Rating
- (3.80)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
