Gemütlichkeit. Why is poet Billy Collins so often spotted on Bainbridge Island?

If you're strolling around Bainbridge Island at just the right moment, you just might cross paths with poet Billy Collins. Perhaps he'll be taking a swing at the Wing Point Golf Course, perusing used books and vinyl at Backstreet Beat, or grabbing a bite at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Yet, Billy Collins is not from Bainbridge Island.

"Bainbridge Island is a special place," Collins said. "I think I've given five readings there. I'm a repeat offender. Not a fixture, but more than a tourist. I'm a regular. I hang my hat in Winter Park, Florida, a nice little nineteenth century town with brick-lined streets and Spanish moss that looks like ZZ Top monsters coming at you at night."

Collins has a lot of titles. Former Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003), distinguished professor, New York State Poet, Norman Mailer and Mark Twain prize winner. When the New Yorker recently published a profile on him, it was about his life as a Floridian. "Bainbridge Island resident" is not among the list. But, did you spot him? There there he is, walking the aisles at the Town and Country Market.

Beyond poetry readings, Collins has done fundraisers for the island's art museum, the performing arts center, and other local arts and cultural causes. This weekend, he's lending his profile to raise money for the Buxton Center.

The first time Collins sat for an interview as a poet, it was with Cynthia Sears, an active member of the island's arts sphere. At the time, Sears had a radio show on Los Angeles public radio, interviewing writers. They became close friends over the years since then, and Collins' social circle widened to others on Bainbridge, including Frank Buxton, for whom the Buxton Center is named. In turn, he has found himself embedded in the island's arts scene.

"I've made so many friends," Collins said. "There's a good 'gemütlichkeit.' We're always eating, talking, going to movies. There's a lot of intelligence and comedy and some sports mixed in. It makes a great dish."

Gemütlichkeit is a German concept that means a state of warmth, cosiness, friendliness, and geniality. So whenever an island arts cause could use a little push from a literary celebrity, or a friend is having a dinner party, Collins is ready to fly in and cozy up.

"I believe in Bainbridge Island like you believe in a tenet of faith or in yourself. I believe in it as a place interested in developing and sustaining your own culture," he said. "I like the ecology and the communal culture. It's more than a place to me; it's about people. Usually, when I give a reading it's a way of making money for myself, but when I come out here I do it to support BIMA or Bainbridge Performing Arts. It's an honor and a thrill to be a part of those two cultural centers on the island."

"I go to two writing conferences every year, a literary seminar in Key West and the Southampton Writer's Conference. But those aren't exactly places. I don't go there to support the entire community of Southampton; they don't need me. Gertrude Stein said of Oakland that there was 'no there there,' but Bainbridge Island is a place's place."

The Buxton Center continues to raise money to pay for its construction. It's slated to open in the fall.