Interview - Billy Collins (2014)

He’s twice been poet laureate in the US and says he hopes his poems ‘begin in Kansas and end in Oz’. Now Billy Collins returns with Aimless Love, his first collection of new and selected poems for 12 years. Elegant, poignant and thrillingly accessible, Collins’ book includes more than 50 new poems and selections from 4 favourite collections. They are deeply inspiring – and Collins performs them with great élan. We caught up with him just before he went on stage at 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival for a quick interview.

Book Festival News

Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024 Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024
Friday 13 December

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

Hans Ulrich Obrist: Art for Earth’s Sake Hans Ulrich Obrist: Art for Earth’s Sake What is the role of an art exhibition space, if not a forum for ideas and a catalyst for change? That’s the view of Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries in London and one of the world’s most prominent curators. An inveterate… UNBOUND: Electric Lit Orchestra UNBOUND: Electric Lit Orchestra Writers’ Bloc are modern day champions of the Scottish literary tradition the fantastique, and offer weird and wonderful tales… The Last Colony: A Performance on Restoring an Island to its Rightful Owners The Last Colony: A Performance on Restoring an Island to its Rightful Owners Philippe Sands QC’s The Last Colony chronicles the unlawful mistreatment of the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands by the British Government. In this illustrated performance he presents readings and images together with RSC and Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh… Philip Gourevitch Philip Gourevitch The esteemed editor of The Paris Review, Philip Gourevitch discusses the magazine's position as one of the great iconic literary publications. See him divulge behind-the-scenes stories about some of the world's greatest writers who he has interviewed for… Adam Rutherford: A Scientific Scandal Adam Rutherford: A Scientific Scandal In 2020, Francis Galton’s name was removed from University College London buildings. The ‘father of eugenics’ had authored theories of selective procreation used to justify racism and genocide. Discussing his book Control: The Dark History and Troubling… Should Capitalism Survive Climate Change? Should Capitalism Survive Climate Change? As COVID-19 has spread, the varying responses from the world’s governments has demonstrated catastrophic disparity and underpreparedness. In the push for growth and the prioritisation of short-term economic gain, the most vulnerable communities have been… Writing Wrongs: Voices from the Queer Arab Vanguard Writing Wrongs: Voices from the Queer Arab Vanguard Gender non-conforming and sexually diverse people are oppressed, persecuted and erased all over the world. The cultural concepts used to justify this — religious or secular, traditional or imported — are various, as are the histories that got us here. But… John Gordon Sinclair (2014 event) John Gordon Sinclair (2014 event) John Gordon Sinclair continues to put distance between himself and Gregory’s Girl, the film that made his name. Two years ago he made his novel-writing debut and his second book, Blood Whispers wraps a grim tale around the CIA, Serbian gangs and a… Salena Godden: Bringing Death to Life Salena Godden: Bringing Death to Life What if Death was not a faceless skeleton with a cloak and a scythe, but a working-class Black woman who shapeshifts and who has spent the whole of eternity doing her work unseen? Worn out and exhausted, Death wishes to unburden herself of the stories of… James Kelman (2017 Event) James Kelman (2017 Event) James Kelman, according to Alan Warner, ‘brings alive a human consciousness like no other writer can’. That’s true of his short stories as well as his novels, and is certainly true of his latest collection (his 13th) That Was a Shiver, and Other Stories…