Even in these enlightened times, poetry is often considered to be a highfalutin artform written primarily for the enjoyment of an exclusive audience of highbrows. Light and humorous verse such as limericks and clerihews, however, prove that poetry can survive and thrive among a much wider target market than just the literati. Learn the history of these particularly witty and intriguing forms of verse and try your hand at creating your own laugh-out-loud pieces of poetry. Taught by local poet Raymond K. Rugg. 

A Jewish cowboy from the Flathead Indian Reservation of northwest Montana, Raymond K. Rugg grew up guiding wilderness pack trips into the Rocky Mountain backcountry and whitewater float trips on the Clark Fork River. After earning a degree in political science from Grinnell College in Iowa and the rank of sergeant in the Guard/Reserves, he enjoyed a successful career in journalism in the Reno/Tahoe area of Nevada, where the High Desert of the Great Basin meets the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Currently, Rugg writes and teaches in a New England mill town at the heart of the infamous Bridgewater Triangle. His poetry has earned him a Pushcart Prize nomination and has been shortlisted for the Dwarf Star award and the Asimov's Readers' Favorites.