The Stylings of Two Contemporary American Writers: Tony Kushner and Billy Collins

Wheaton College is privileged to entertain some of the most famous and talented literary and theatre artists in the United States today. Among these are the likes of poet Billy Collins, currently Poet Laureate of the United States, and renowned playwright Tony Kushner. While each is a very talented artist in his own field, Kushner and Collins give strikingly different, yet equally enjoyable, performances. Each artist has, logically, his own subject material, as well as his own personal tone, method of presentation, and interaction with the audience.

One immediately noticeable difference between the work of Billy Collins and that of Tony Kushner is the subject material used by each. During his performance, Kushner presented the first act of a play he is currently sporadically working on, called Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy. This act depicts the illustrious Laura Bush, accompanied by an angel and reading to three children who died horrible deaths in the Middle East due to U.S. bombings and sanctions. Through dialogue between the characters, as well as monologues, Kushner touches on a number of topics that are currently at the forefront of national concern in our country. For example, the angel describes gruesome the effects of U.S. bombings that continued after the "end" of the Gulf War, as well as the horrible conditions that resulted from U.S. sanctions, while Mrs. Bush touches briefly on the subject of education in the United States. Alternatively, the poems presented by Billy Collins focus on what would, for the most part, be considered everyday experiences in this country. His poem "On Turning Ten" comically illustrates the absurdity of focusing on aging, while "Consolation" describes through verbal irony the speaker's frustration at being prevented from traveling to wonderful places such as Italy.