180 More: Extraordinary Poems for E [Paperback]

The biggest problem with modern anything is that there is so much of it. I am profoundly grateful to people like Billy Collins who are willing to put their excellent eyes and ears to work and help me sift through the straw for the gold. There's humor here, and gravity, and classical themes treated with modern twists, and all suffused with materly craft. High school? I'm one (with Frank Conroy) who believes you should always shoot over your head. So, definitely high school. And most of the rest of America, seeing how it seems to be unaware that the country is experiencing a great poetic renaissance these days.

And as for reservations on language or subject matter, it is the imperative of poetry to wade fearlessly into both and reveal the power inherent in the skillful marriage of the unusual and the unexpected. Everyone thinks of these things -- regardless of polite or politically correct conventions -- it's someone's responsibility to speak of these things ... and that's what poets are for.

I have more poems ticked in the table of contents of this anthology than any other poetry book I've read -- and I read three or four of them a week (it's my not-so-secret perversion, if you will). There's so much to inspire here, so much to make one think. Billy Collins learned from what worked in the first volume -- a powerful experience in its own right -- and make the sequal doubly good. Hooray for him!

I knew never that poetry could be so fun. The poems in this book are about a wide variety of subjects that are enjoyable and easy to understand. Jeep Cherokee by Bruce Jacobs is one of my favorite poems. It is a poem about how a car is a symbol of freedom and adventure. Jacobs explains how a car can often be a reflection of a person's personality.

The Cowardice of Husbands by David Kirby is another favorite of mine. It is a poem about how some husbands hate to do some things with their wives like go to plays, operas, and sometimes even sit through poetry readings. This poem is a honest and truthful opinion about the relationship between men and women. Birthday Poem by Erin Murphy really sticks out too. It is about a woman trying to remember the last name of her friend who died of breast cancer. It is a very moving poem about about friendship and how much our friends mean to us.

I really enjoyed the poem Dorie Off To Atlanta by Mark Halliday. Reading this poem is like listening to a conversation between two girlfriends about a mutual friend they have dating a great guy. Valentine is a very clever poem by Carol Ann Duffy. It is a poem about how she feels how an onion would be a good gift to give someone for Valentine's Day. I liked the originality of these two poems very much.

Katia Kapovich's Painting A Room is a good example about how doing something so ordinary can be symbolic and meaningful. She dedicates this poem to her friend who paints her apartment in Russia before coming to America in 1989. She reflects on her memories of living in the apartment like her past romances, old jobs, and night phone calls. It is a very touching poem and one of my favorites.

Eleven Thousand And One by Darcie Dennigan is a very lengthy poem about how a young woman celebrating her birthday in a bar with her girlfriends. She compares the woman in this poem named Ella with a Saint named Ursula. Both characters encounter similar painful experiences with men. I think Dennigan describes the parallels so well in her poem.

I really enjoyed reading all the poems in this book. Reading this book has inspired me to continue writing my own poetry and expressing my feelings in a creative way. I hope Billy Collins puts out another collection of poems like this soon.

As a high school teacher, I've enjoyed using Collins's earlier collection, Poetry 180. This book offers a similar sensibility: accessible poetry that often surprises and delights. While I have only read about half of the collection, I can offer these insights. Most poets are represented with a single work, some by two, and a pair - Robert Wrigley and Bill Knott - merit three. With the same number of poems but 45 more pages than the previous volume, it is apparent that some longer poems have been selected, though many clock in at a single page. If David Kirby's "A Cowardice of Husbands" is any indication, the longer poems are a welcome addition.

As someone developing my taste for poetry, I appreciate the survey of high-quality writing. A caution to teachers: there are several poems in this collection that contain an occasional expletive, or that dwell on a topic some communities might find objectionable.