Billie Duncan
Billie Duncan is a popular performance poet and author of four poetry books, including Beneath the Desk (acquired by Brown University for inclusion in the Harris Collection of American Poems and Plays) and Requiem for the Plastic Clown (which won the Weasel Press Chapbook Competition). Duncan is also a journalist, photographer and artist, and her poems, articles, columns, photography and artwork have been published in numerous journals, anthologies, magazines and newspapers. She is the director of and a performer/writer in The Balcony Poets, a collaborative performance group that melds multi-voice poetry with live music and art inspired by the poetry. She also is communications director of Houston Poetry Fest and coordinator of Houston Poetry Summit, as well as promoting and consulting for many other poetry organizations.
Excerpt from Billie Duncan’s poem “Emmett Faulkner,” in Pages of People, the first electronic book to be sold at Barnes & Noble
Near the end, he’d rise from the bed,
link bone upon bone like an old chandelier
lifted from the floor--
almost tinkling
as his long, translucent fingers
dangled from fragile arms.
When he stood, I could see
light
surrounding--
an astounding incandescence.
He moved. I knew
he would shatter if he fell,
his crystal splinters
would glitter the rug,
no broom strong enough
to erase them.
Near the end, he’d rise from the bed,
link bone upon bone like an old chandelier
lifted from the floor--
almost tinkling
as his long, translucent fingers
dangled from fragile arms.
When he stood, I could see
light
surrounding--
an astounding incandescence.
He moved. I knew
he would shatter if he fell,
his crystal splinters
would glitter the rug,
no broom strong enough
to erase them.
Excerpts from Houston Public Media Interview for National Poetry Month 2017:
“I’m not sure how I fell in love with poetry. I come from a family that’s very well-read. Lots of art and music around, so I was surrounded by poetry. The first poem I ever wrote was when I was 8 years old, when my father died, and I’ve been writing poetry ever since.”
“I think poetry is actually the concentration of language…You squash it into the smallest space you can, so it pushes against itself in order to express. And it’s, to me, the most ‘living’ of writing.”
“I’m not sure how I fell in love with poetry. I come from a family that’s very well-read. Lots of art and music around, so I was surrounded by poetry. The first poem I ever wrote was when I was 8 years old, when my father died, and I’ve been writing poetry ever since.”
“I think poetry is actually the concentration of language…You squash it into the smallest space you can, so it pushes against itself in order to express. And it’s, to me, the most ‘living’ of writing.”
Recommended Books for Aspiring Poets
- Colliding With Orion: Writing from Life, Chris Wise
- Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
- The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry (two volumes), Jahan Ramazani, Richard Ellmann, and Robert O’Clair, editors
- Howl, Allen Ginsberg
- Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women, Maya Angelou
Teaching Philosophy
A class should not be just a reflection of the teacher but should be Alice’s mirror through which the class journeys together with communication and discussion, as well as actual writing--each poet in the class discovering her or his own Wonderland inside.
A class should not be just a reflection of the teacher but should be Alice’s mirror through which the class journeys together with communication and discussion, as well as actual writing--each poet in the class discovering her or his own Wonderland inside.
Student Testimonials from Anonymous Writespace Evaluations:
"I thought Billie Duncan was a guy. I think it's dangerous for women to be writing poetry."
"It was pretty cool until she ran over my foot with her powerchair."
"I was highly impressed with Billie Duncan’s knowledge of poetry and her passion for poetry, but I was beyond impressed when Billie got so excited reciting a poem by Theodor Seuss Geisel, she and her wheelchair levitated."
"One thing for sure. Billie Duncan is one hot mama!"
"I thought Billie Duncan was a guy. I think it's dangerous for women to be writing poetry."
"It was pretty cool until she ran over my foot with her powerchair."
"I was highly impressed with Billie Duncan’s knowledge of poetry and her passion for poetry, but I was beyond impressed when Billie got so excited reciting a poem by Theodor Seuss Geisel, she and her wheelchair levitated."
"One thing for sure. Billie Duncan is one hot mama!"