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Campaign Zen 500bc - 2012: Colonial March Thru Election History Told in Tavern Doggerel
Colonial march thru election history. Filled with ha-ha moments & insight. Political commentary. From first elections in Athens, 500 BC, to 2012. A good-hearted mirth & mud-sling. Plus update on global warming. weaves Celtic, Colonial, Buddhism, green and humor with election history thru tomorrow and beyond. Tight, fun, fast read; 155-pages. Savor later. Way-Zen. Prasad is a writer for 40 years, a global citizen and EPA Energy Star award-winner '04. Prasad reads Prasad on YouTube. Just how crazy can this election get? Ha-ha history finds new meaning. Suitable for reading loud, age 10+. Board game to follow. perfect for a sandy beach blanket today. Feast! Democracy is a participatory sport! Prasad pitches high & inside. he hurts no One.
156 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
7 people want to read
About the author
Peter Prasad
8 books59 followersI write crime thrillers - post-modern with a twist. So, I sweat bullets and laugh at myself, drunk on life. I'm captivated by my own imagination, looking for zinger dialog and blazing story.
GOAT-RIPPER is a sexy romantic crime thriller in the heart of Sonoma wine country. Jake Knight, Afghan vet and new PI, goes after a wine cheat and saves the governor.
GURL-POSSE KIDNAP is a drug deal gone wrong. It morphs into murder, kidnap and redemption as Jake helps his client see the light.
GUT-CHECK GREEN has environmental terrorists raiding a wine party. They stymie a task force sent to hunt them down. Only Jake can identify and chase them, going up against a vicious killer, the Pencil Man.
CAMPAIGN ZEN 500bc-2012 is a look at the history of the ballot box, told in tavern doggerel. Pour a jar and read aloud, then vote as often as you can.
About me? Florida native, San Francisco resident, father, husband and Boy Scout in recovery, world traveler, Zen poet, Africa & Tokyo ad guy, start-up & solar guy, ocean energy champion, a writer for 40 years.
I love the poem cadences of Kipling, the dialect of Mark Twain, the heart of Vonnegut and the thrillers of John D. MacDonald. His PI, Travis McGee, was birthed on a Beach Club bar stool where I grew up.
So jump in; life is a participatory sport. If you're an emerging writer, load up on life experiences on which to craft your art. Thanks for reading. O'ya dear readers.
GOAT-RIPPER is a sexy romantic crime thriller in the heart of Sonoma wine country. Jake Knight, Afghan vet and new PI, goes after a wine cheat and saves the governor.
GURL-POSSE KIDNAP is a drug deal gone wrong. It morphs into murder, kidnap and redemption as Jake helps his client see the light.
GUT-CHECK GREEN has environmental terrorists raiding a wine party. They stymie a task force sent to hunt them down. Only Jake can identify and chase them, going up against a vicious killer, the Pencil Man.
CAMPAIGN ZEN 500bc-2012 is a look at the history of the ballot box, told in tavern doggerel. Pour a jar and read aloud, then vote as often as you can.
About me? Florida native, San Francisco resident, father, husband and Boy Scout in recovery, world traveler, Zen poet, Africa & Tokyo ad guy, start-up & solar guy, ocean energy champion, a writer for 40 years.
I love the poem cadences of Kipling, the dialect of Mark Twain, the heart of Vonnegut and the thrillers of John D. MacDonald. His PI, Travis McGee, was birthed on a Beach Club bar stool where I grew up.
So jump in; life is a participatory sport. If you're an emerging writer, load up on life experiences on which to craft your art. Thanks for reading. O'ya dear readers.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 15, 2012
Bizarre. Unusual. Unique. Maybe great. If you’re looking for something you’ve never read before, and aren’t likely to ever read again, look no further. You’ve found it.
Part history lesson, part prose poetry, part philosophy, “Campaign Zen” is a march through elections from Rome to modern politics, tied together by presentation in “doggerel”. Rampant with plays-on-words, allegory, and nods to political figures through the ages, it requires careful reading and a few breaks to digest. Much of it is illustrated with prints and woodcuts, photographs and cartoons. Oddly, it doesn’t appear that the body of the book starts until page 31; all of the legal descriptions, page notes, acknowledgements, etc., are wrapped into frontispiece poetry.
This volume stands in a unique category, where few have dared to tread. It’s likely few have ever actually thought the words “Election Poetry”, much less set out to accomplish such a thing. For that reason alone, it’s worth reading.
Why not five stars for me, then? Just a few minor issues: some sections retell historical events almost as though by a teacher writing a textbook. There’s regular interposition of the author (“Prasad”; in an Eliot-esque way, I almost expected Apeneck Sweeney to appear) and sometimes definitions of words within the text. The author also seems to have a pathological inability to use the word “and”; he uses “n’” throughout, a strange habit, along with “Huzzah”, a word I’ve never heard anyone actually pronounce. Others might not find these things distracting, or find them endearing instead.
All-in-all, this is well worth reading, if only for the opportunity to brag to your friends that you’ve been reading Political Poetry. Highly recommended in a “Wow!” kind of way.
Part history lesson, part prose poetry, part philosophy, “Campaign Zen” is a march through elections from Rome to modern politics, tied together by presentation in “doggerel”. Rampant with plays-on-words, allegory, and nods to political figures through the ages, it requires careful reading and a few breaks to digest. Much of it is illustrated with prints and woodcuts, photographs and cartoons. Oddly, it doesn’t appear that the body of the book starts until page 31; all of the legal descriptions, page notes, acknowledgements, etc., are wrapped into frontispiece poetry.
This volume stands in a unique category, where few have dared to tread. It’s likely few have ever actually thought the words “Election Poetry”, much less set out to accomplish such a thing. For that reason alone, it’s worth reading.
Why not five stars for me, then? Just a few minor issues: some sections retell historical events almost as though by a teacher writing a textbook. There’s regular interposition of the author (“Prasad”; in an Eliot-esque way, I almost expected Apeneck Sweeney to appear) and sometimes definitions of words within the text. The author also seems to have a pathological inability to use the word “and”; he uses “n’” throughout, a strange habit, along with “Huzzah”, a word I’ve never heard anyone actually pronounce. Others might not find these things distracting, or find them endearing instead.
All-in-all, this is well worth reading, if only for the opportunity to brag to your friends that you’ve been reading Political Poetry. Highly recommended in a “Wow!” kind of way.
October 7, 2012
Campaign Zen is both a book and a work of art. And when I say art, I am not only referring to the interesting images in the book, but even more so, I am referring to the words, the sentences: the writing. Some of the words I had to look up: "doggerel" for example. The Free Dictionary says: "... irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature". Spot on, I thought. That really covers many aspects of this amazing book.
I contacted the author of the book and asked him: If you had not written Campaign Zen, what would you write about it? This is his reply: "Prasad has penned a creative book with rapid-fire references to American political history. He succeeds at being funny with a unique style served as spoken-word, which he calls tavern doggerel. Prasad captures a multitude of voices that express the American experience - Colonials, Brits, First Americans, early immigrants - while the final section focused on the Obama-Romney campaign. If it's possible to take a holistic approach to a divisive political process, Prasad tweaks both sides and leaves us laughing. He even claims this is a fun book to read out loud in put-on accents as parties."
Well, I couldn't help but smile and thought: here is my review. I agree with every word he says and couldn't have spelled it out better myself. Prasad also told me that the language is all original by him, except for the cited quotations. The book is based on an historic series of key events in US presidential and election history. The facts are accurate; the perspectives are fictional but based in fact.
So here you have it. An utterly amazing book, which I can't recommend highly enough. If Amazon allowed me, I would give it an extra sixth star for creativity. Well, I can't, so five stars it is!
I contacted the author of the book and asked him: If you had not written Campaign Zen, what would you write about it? This is his reply: "Prasad has penned a creative book with rapid-fire references to American political history. He succeeds at being funny with a unique style served as spoken-word, which he calls tavern doggerel. Prasad captures a multitude of voices that express the American experience - Colonials, Brits, First Americans, early immigrants - while the final section focused on the Obama-Romney campaign. If it's possible to take a holistic approach to a divisive political process, Prasad tweaks both sides and leaves us laughing. He even claims this is a fun book to read out loud in put-on accents as parties."
Well, I couldn't help but smile and thought: here is my review. I agree with every word he says and couldn't have spelled it out better myself. Prasad also told me that the language is all original by him, except for the cited quotations. The book is based on an historic series of key events in US presidential and election history. The facts are accurate; the perspectives are fictional but based in fact.
So here you have it. An utterly amazing book, which I can't recommend highly enough. If Amazon allowed me, I would give it an extra sixth star for creativity. Well, I can't, so five stars it is!
July 9, 2013
This is an Ah-ha history of political elections from 500BC and the early Greeks to 2012. It is fun, funny, pithy and intense, rich with humor. Filled with photos and illustrations, some of it is told in tavern doggerel (slang, spoken-word poetry). It is entertaining and insightful.
One reviewer calls it "A Buddhist meditation on the election process." Another says: "I knew it all before, but never in this light." And a third finds it "Intelligent. Take notes, check references, you'll definitely learn something and have a great laugh."
It is written to honor First Americans, Colonials, Mothers and the election process in an evolving USA. While out two parties may be split far apart today, that was not always so, and combined we represent one nation. It is meant to be read out-loud with good friends and a bottle of wine. Huzzah!
Available at Amazon. See Peter Prasad's readings on You Tube:
Waffle at Political Pancake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IcapL....
A Pox on All Your Foxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZtH8E...
Wicked funny!
One reviewer calls it "A Buddhist meditation on the election process." Another says: "I knew it all before, but never in this light." And a third finds it "Intelligent. Take notes, check references, you'll definitely learn something and have a great laugh."
It is written to honor First Americans, Colonials, Mothers and the election process in an evolving USA. While out two parties may be split far apart today, that was not always so, and combined we represent one nation. It is meant to be read out-loud with good friends and a bottle of wine. Huzzah!
Available at Amazon. See Peter Prasad's readings on You Tube:
Waffle at Political Pancake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IcapL....
A Pox on All Your Foxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZtH8E...
Wicked funny!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews