From Audible
New York Times bestselling author and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins captures the essence and mystery of dogs in this special collection of poems inspired by our beloved companions, with striking watercolor canine portraits by Pamela Sztybel.
“Collins remains the most companionable of poetic companions.” —The New York Times
Billy Collins’s Dog Show celebrates the joy of our canine best friends, honoring the love we feel for the animals who play such vital roles in our lives. In twenty-five poems, Collins distills the many ways dogs warm our hearts, from the happiness we experience as we watch a dog run unencumbered by our burdens, to the silliness of cradling a dog in our arms as we step on the scale together. Turning his inimitable eye and ear to the complexities of dog behavior, Collins ponders all that these winning creatures give us and what we learn from them about ourselves.
For more than four decades Collins has delighted readers with his insight, wit, and clear poetic voice. In Dog Show, “America’s favorite poet” (The Wall Street Journal) illuminates America’s favorite pet (sorry, cat lovers). Accompanied by Pamela Sztybel’s watercolors, which effortlessly depict a dog’s humble grace, Dog Show reveals the profound role these majestic animals play in our lives and the meaning they give us.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of Pamela Sztybel’s paintings from the book
Dog Show Audiobook by Billy Collins
My 5-Star Review
Being a lover of dogs and Billy Collins, I was drawn to this book after hearing about it somewhere and listening to Billy Collins read from the book during a Rattle Cast episode. I’ve enjoyed this poet’s other work and this book didn’t disappoint.
The poems in this collection, like Collins’ other work, are easy to understand. I loved how they portrayed dogs in many ways and enjoyed Billy Collins’ excellent narration of this Audible version.
“One Reason I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House” offers a humorous look at dogs, left unattended in a yard, who keep barking for no reason. Since this is one of my pet peeves, I could relate. I was struck by the irony of “Trying to Write a Dog Poem in a House with Two Cats.”
Having some vision, I viewed the accompanying PDF file containing the watercolors. I couldn’t make many of them out because they were too small, and I found no way to have them described. But I’m sure those with better eyes would enjoy them. You don’t need to see the pictures to appreciate the book.
If you love dogs, even if you’re not into poetry, Dog Show is for you. Thanks for reading.
Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography
Photo Resize and Description
by Two Pentacles Publishing
New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories
Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor
Published independently with the help of DLD Books.
Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.
As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.
In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.
The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.
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