Billy Collins is frequently measured up to Robert Frost. He held the position of U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 through 2003. A film crew follows him around as he drives and as he gives poetry readings at conventions and colleges. While in the car Collins tells the camera that he usually writes while driving. Billy Collins explains how it is not necessary to be in an emotional state of mind when writing poetry. He writes best when he has nothing to say. In his poem "Introduction to Poetry," Billy Collins expresses the feelings people have towards poetry. He writes that poems are not always hard to understand and do not always have to contain ancient vocabulary. Poems can be written using everyday language as he uses in his. In his poem "The Lanyard," Billy Collins communicates how as a child he thought he could repay his mother for all she had done for him by making her a lanyard at camp. He expresses how one can never really repay one's mother for all she has done.
             From this film I learned that Billy Collins' poems are considered witty and humorous. Critics such as Edward Hirsch and Richard Howard along with the Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington, and Random House editor Daniel Menaker mention his achievements and gave their personal views on him throughout the film, which helped me get to know more about him. This documentary is interesting because it is very informative to those who do not know Billy Collins and enjoyable to all Billy Collins fans because he, along with the critics, have much to say about his success.
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