What is a comedian doing writing poetry? I often ask myself the same question. I suppose it's just something I can't help doing. In fact, I have always written. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I wrote stories for my own amusement. Later, when work as an actor was scarce, I wrote for Steve Allen. Along the way, I read and appreciated poetry, but never really tried my hand at writing it until late in my "other" career, teaching writing in USC's Master of Professional Writing program. From there, I continued to write on any subject that caught my fancy. At last, I had enough poems to put together to create this collection. In it you will find poems of all sorts, serious, not-so-serious, poems to teach and poems to amuse. Most of my poetry is free verse, although you will also find a few rhyming poems, one trying to teach iambic pentameter, and a few limericks. All of it, however, comes from my own experience. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

-Shelley Berman

Shelly Berman is a Grammy Award and three-time gold record award-winning comedian, and an Emmy Award-nominated actor with hundreds of stage, film and television appearances to his credit. He has authored three books, two plays, several TV pilot scripts, and numerous poems, many of which are being presented for the first time in this collection. For over twenty years, Shelley taught humor writing in the Master of Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California, where he is now a Lecturer Emeritus. He lives in Bell Canyon, California with his wife, Sarah.