<<I cannot recall his name but recall reading of a well known poet who taught himself to read while working as a shepherd of ag lab parents? (perhaps someone else knows his name?)>> You might be thinking of John Clare, the ag lab poet from Helpston in Northants (1793-1864).? He wasn't a shepherd, but his third book of poems was entitled The Shepherd's Calendar.? His mother (the daughter of a shepherd) was illiterate but his father (the illegitimate child of an itinerant schoolmaster) could read a little - however John himself learnt to read and write in school, first at the local dame-school in Helpston and later a vestry school in nearby Glinton.? He did gain his interest in poetry while working in the fields, though - when the son of a farmer he worked for read a poem to him. Matt Tompkins ________________________________________________________________________ AOL Email goes Mobile! You can now read your AOL Emails whilst on the move. Sign up for a free AOL Email account with unlimited storage today.