It’s the birthday of the immensely popular poet Billy Collins (b. 1941), loved for the openness, intelligence, and wit of his poems. The critic John Taylor said this about Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

Collins was born in New York City, only child to William and Katherine Collins. He studied English at the College of the Holy Cross and did graduate work at the University of California-Riverside, earning an M.A. and  Ph.D. In 1975 he co-founded the Mid-Atlantic Review, and he published his first collection of poems, Pokerface, in 1977 (Kenmore Press). More books followed, and in the 1990s he began getting a great deal of attention with collections like Questions about Angels (1991), The Art of Drowning (1995), and Picnic, Lightening (1998).

Collins’ poetry readings sell out, which is kind of unheard of, and some of his collections have made the New York Times Bestseller list. (Remember: he’s writing poetry, not vampire novels.) Collins never tries to impress; he says himself that his work is “domestic” and “suburban.” But there’s something generous, fresh, and often very funny about his work.

From 2001–2003, Collins was U.S. Poet Laureate. During this time, he spearheaded a very cool project called Poetry 180 that was intended to make poetry a part of the everyday experience of high schoolers. Collins selected poems that were interesting and accessible, and participating schools were encouraged to include everyone in the school community as readers, with one poem being read over the school’s loudspeaker every day. (I wish my high school had done this! But I graduated high school before 2001 by a few years. Or a few more than a few years. Gosh I could really go for some coffee right now.)

From 2004–2006, Collins was New York State Poet Laureate. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College in the Bronx and has taught a bunch of places and won a bunch of fellowships and awards. If you’re looking to buy your first Billy Collins book, you could do worse than start with Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (2001). His latest collection is the bestselling, The Rain in Portugal (2016).

Collins’ famous poem, “Fishing on the Susquehanna in July,” begins: “I have never been fishing on the Susquehanna / or on any river for that matter / to be perfectly honest.” Read the whole thing here. Also read “The Lanyard” (my personal favorite). And I dare you to try reading “Paradelle for Susan” out loud without laughing. It’s a sort of literary joke Collins plays on the reader.

Have a blessed day (what is this, Thursday?), and stay scrupulously honest to the data.