Picnic, Lightning

Billy Collins's poetry has been described by Gerald Stern as "heartbreakingly beautiful." Annie Proulx admits, "I have never before felt possessive about a poet, but I am fiercely glad that Billy Collins is ours." The "New York Times calls him simply "the real thing." Over the past decade, Collins has garnered critical acclaim and broad popular appeal. To celebrate his years as U.S. Poet Laureate, the three books that helped establish and secure his reputation during the 1990s--"Questions About Angels; The Art of Drowning; and "Picnic, Lightning--are now available in special, limited edition hardcovers as well as in paperback.

Billy Coilins, named U.S. Poet Laureate in June 2001 and reappointed to the post in 2002, has published seven collections of poetry, including The Apple That Astenished Paris: Nine Hoiscs; The Art of Drowning; Questions About Augels; and Sailing Alone Around the Room. A professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York, he lives in Somers, New York