Literati Limericks

Literati Limericks

Literati Limericks Makes History Fun!

What do you get if youtake the “smut” out of a limerick?

A challenge.

How can academic subjects be taken with a spoonful of sugar?

Answer? In limerick form as are these philosophy limericks. ...Or these history limericks... ...Or these Civil War limericks...

This book came about accidentally. I, aka both Molly andKathleen, never intended to write a limerick book, but the odd thingabout this art form is that once I began churning them out, it wasdifficult to stop, as you have no doubt noticed. My writing group, theMorning Morning Writing Group (MuMWuGs, for short), one which I beganin 2003, meet at Joseph-Beth Bookstore where their wonderfulhospitality has made both the book, and even this Web site, possible.

A mentor of that group, Lester Horwitz, challenged us to tackle a groupproject, a book of limericks (what else?). A Pocketbook of Limerickswill be coming to a store near you soon. The experience was verydefinitely like eating one potato chip—I couldn't. Everylimerick I had written (or read, for that matter) up to that point owedits humor to a rollicking bawdiness reminiscent of the traditional"There once was a girl from Nantucket."

Literati Limericks is Different

Without resorting to the picaresque device of vulgarity, this bookrelies upon a gentle humor and the joy of recognition of some ancientmyth, philosophy, fine arts theme, science topic, or historical fact bymy readers. It is also a nifty way to anchor intellectual historythemes because, of course, limericks, poems, and jingles haveattributes of rhyme and meter which make facts more memorable.

If you have ever suffered through Beowulf,you will be as tickled to recognize the reference to Grendel as youmight be to find a McDonald's hamburger in Paris. I hope you feel thedelight of recognition of these academic topics from yourcollege days when the venerable "bull session" stretched your mind insome wood-paneled pub or plush-chaired café. This is thenostalgia felt by those who are in love with ideas, and that is thetarget audience of this opus minimus. There is humor in these pages,too, unapologetically accessible in parts only to the well-read, or tostudents becoming well-read, who are, I feel, generally underserved.

Step this way for pre-publication ordering of Literati Limericks to be illustrated by the students of the Original and OnlyArt Institute of Cincinnati. No money will be collected until the book is available and no credit card information is required to reserve your copy. Here be excerpts from the book, those pertaining to the 15th century.

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Literati Limericks may also be ordered by snail mail, if you prefer, just like in the old days.

If you copy from funny birthday poems, please do not forget to attribute to Jeannette Ramirez as author (unless otherwise noted.) Webmasters, thank you for supporting this project by linking. For the poem count at Here Be Limerick Poems visit our home page.