I'm delighted to have had a chance to participate in this unique project! We have produced an anthology I believe many people will read and enjoy, even people who don't often read poetry, and in doing so we have proved that you don't have to be a light weight to write light verse. Our contributors are accomplished poets who write serious poetry as well as light verse. They have turned their talents to producing a remarkably funny collection.
Our goal in writing these poems (and Tim's and mine in selecting and editing them) was threefold. First, we looked for jokes that made us laugh. Second, we insisted that the poem be as good as the joke. And finally, we tried to make the finished product better than the sum of its parts. I believe we have succeeded beyond even our own expectations. Our writers have combined the fluency of natural story-tellers with the craft of poets to produce an entertaining and varied collection, perhaps the first of its kind.
I feel proud to be included in such distinguished company. My thanks to Tim Murphy for coming up with an excellent idea and making it happen, and for letting me come along for the ride. What a fun bunch of people poets are!
Carol Taylor
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