Life, Love & Ludicrosity: A Poetry Collection by Dana Crandell In Review

With my final book review of 2024, it's another of the great big hitters of Vocal. I'm discussing "Life, Love & Ludicrosity: A Poetry Collection" by Dana Crandell.

Dana has been a member of Vocal since November 2021 and has published 258 stories with 162 poems. You do the maths when it comes to percentages and all that jazz. I'm not. Sorry, not sorry, Dana.

It's a lot, is the point I am making. I am confident that I have been aware of/known/been friends with Dana for a couple of years. So, judge whether this review is biased, for I do not care.

A Bit About Poetry Form and Style

Before we get down to the meat of the review, though, there is a funny thing I wanted to pre-empt with. Dana and I share many similarities regarding humour and attitudes towards mental health and life. We are both in the school of digging deep when writing poetry and our work in general.

That aside, how we approach our poetry is at odds with one another. As anyone who knows me well enough will know, I am not a big fan of rhyming.

Let's clear this up. I adore and admire rhyming when it is done well.

What I hate is rhyming for the sake of rhyming. Sitting down and just writing a rhyming poem rarely comes into my mind. The times I have rhymed have been either because the prompt called for it or because I felt it fit the theme, topic or feel of a poem I was writing, not the other way around. Dana has also discussed with me his attitude and shared it in lighthearted ways on this platform towards form and structured poetry. Which is another thing I hypocritically love and hate.

Sometimes, I love tackling a restrictive form, as long as rhyming isn't required (ha!). Other times, I will do my best to completely wreck any chances of a piece being acceptably categorised with anything approaching a "poetry style". #

What I love about poetry and have learnt to appreciate even more over the last few years is that it doesn't matter. We are all just wonderfully different. I have always been a big fan of Dana's writing, so when he started talking about his poetry collection and released it, I was excited to consume it. I was 100% sure I would not be disappointed, and do you know what? I was right.

The Actual Damn Review (Finally)

According to the book's Preface, Dana has written poetry for over 6 decades. It shows when you dive into this excellent dissection of life, love and the craziness that ensues from birth to death on this planet. There are so many turns of phrase, puns, descriptions and exercises in brevity on one side of the spectrum and knowing when to delve into denser wordiness.

Dana effortlessly combines funny asides about life with more profound philosophical musings dressed up in exquisite descriptions.

There is a sense of order to the book in its layout, but not so rigid that you can't just open it on a random page and enjoy the feast on offer. Along with his soul-bearing words, some truly stunning photographs were taken by Dana himself. Along with the many strings the man has to his bow of dad, stepdad, grandpa, husband and writer/poet, he is also a keen and gifted photographer.

From my own experiences self-publishing through Amazon, I was concerned that the images may not be reprinted to a good enough standard. I was impressed because they were reprinted clearly enough that the depth and detail in each image were not sacrificed.

So many pieces felt like comfortable chairs, sweaters, or something that made sense, as I had already read them on Vocal when they were published originally. I have often wrestled with whether a book with poems and stories already exists on Vocal is worth it, especially since my first foray into self-publishing was a book that consisted of poems published first on Vocal. However, I have found consistently, as I've read several Vocal creator's books, that yes, yes, yes, yes. They are worth it.

The experience is different; it's more immersive, a bigger deal, having something to hold, feel, smell and taste...wait, no, not taste. You get the point, I'm sure.

An Ode to Spatchcocked Chicken

For example, the bloody marvellous poem "An Ode to Spatchcocked Chicken" is one I've read a few times on my computer. Now, in book form, and while Dana's words always have an impact, the joyful silliness of this piece really came to life. This is remarkable for a poem about dead poultry(as a funny aside, I originally typed "poetry" instead of "poultry").

As directed by Mr Crandell, this poem should be read in your finest Vincent Price impression.

"Ah, my lovely fowl, my chicken,

I am cursed - forever stricken

By a bird that eats its poop.

Tomorrow's dinner? Chicken soup!"

It is hard to highlight my favourite part of the poem, but the ending really does it for me. The poem is a triumph because it has some tremendous rhymes and is funny!

You, Me and Us

Another of my favourites from the collection is "You, Me and Us". It is the best take on romantic love poetry - deeply grounded in reality and genuineness. I could have quoted it all, but the ending sums it all up perfectly.

"For now

And for all the time

I have left in this life

To keep "Us" as pure

And real as that bond.

I vow this"

Grains

For My Grandchildren

Another of Dana's best works, which I have read several times since its publication, is "Grains", dedicated to his grandchildren. It is a sublime piece of poetry that offers some grandfatherly advice about life without sounding preachy. As if you were standing beside the man himself as he looked at tiny grains and let them run through his fingers.

Having the opportunity to read this in the book whenever I want is one of the reasons I love physical editions so much more than the convenience of their digital counterparts. Trust me, this one is one you'd want to return to repeatedly.

"But look a bit closer.

Look deeper and see.

It, too, is a construct.

Like you and like me.

It's much more than its surface.

Inside, it's a jumble.

Of miniscule worlds

That twirl and tumble."

The whole poem is exceptional, but I love the stunning simplicity of these two verses.

Acrostics, Tautograms and Limericks, Oh My!

I make no apologies for wanting to shoehorn that little gag in there because it is much in keeping with the humour that runs through the whole collection. Though not all poetry can be humorous, it does help to have some light frivolity in a collection. For as much as Dana is a source of great advice and wisdom, he is also effortlessly funny. Dad jokes, puns, irony and a dash of impish gags that dance along the line between hilarious and crass, though he never steps over it.

Sometimes, the humour is very gentle and subtle. At other times, in the exceptional collection of limericks, he has included towards the end of the book, subtlety is thrown out the window.

As mentioned earlier in the review, Dana seems to be more comfortable when tackling a specific poetry form and we are all the better for it as readers when he does. There are a number of excellent tautograms, acrostics and limericks in the collection.

My Final Verdict

With "Life, Love & Ludicrosity", Dana has produced an easy-to-get-lost-in collection of poetry that does exactly as it promises to in that title. There is so much love for the craft, his family and friends, and nature and life itself. A lot of life is explored from birth to death and everything in between, and there is an exceptional amount of ludicrosity.

If you are a fan of Dana's work or have yet to delve deep into it, this is a great way to get started. There's poems about gravy, the aforementioned chicken, dreaming big, love, dinosaurs and so much more. #

The book is available through Amazon in both paperback and digital editions.

You'll laugh, possibly cry, roll your eyes, and still be making Vincent Price impressions for days.

Get it, or take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what the hell is wrong with you!

If you do buy it – you should review it, as the reviews make a lot of difference. Not just for the author but also for Amazon and other online retailers, and it may make all the difference between someone deciding to click Buy Now and not. It doesn't need to be much, but even a small review can have a big impact.

Here again, is the Amazon link for the book and a link to his profile on Vocal:

While I have your intention, if I still do, here are some other reviews I've done recently of Vocal creator's self-published books, and a cheeky reminder that my own poetry collection is still available: