In Ridgefield we have Founders Hall,
Where seniors come to have a ball.
With fun things to do,
And great seminars, too,
It’s cherished by one and by all.
You may recognize this distinctively rhyming, five-line poem, composed by Founders Hall instructor Dan Sitomer, as a limerick. These catchy compositions, which combine simple rhythms with fun word play, have been entertaining writers and listeners for ages. Dan will discuss the history of limericks, read some classic examples, and teach you how to compose your own verse in a great seminar on Thursday, April 17, at 1.
The humorous and often ribald nature of limericks first caught Dan’s attention when he was a college student at Columbia. His interest in poetry grew, but as Dan explains, “I was no good at serious poetry; I couldn’t understand it. So the lighthearted stuff caught my fancy.”
Come to the seminar and limericks might catch your fancy, too. Their straightforward and bouncy rhythms make them easy to craft for both experienced and novice writers. After learning about and listening to the merry sounds of limericks, you might just find yourself thinking, “There was an instructor named Dan …”