LIPPA by Valentine Tusai: A Poetry Anthology Review

Lost In Paradise Poetry Anthology (LIPPA) is the latest offering from Valentine Tusai, poet and founder of Poetritis Nirvana. This anthology is has an underlying theme of love(although not every poem is about love). Love for those lost, love experienced, love for art and a whole lot more.

This anthology really caters to a wide audience as it speaks dominantly of love which is easily understood by almost anyone. It has been written in easy to understand lay man’s terms and the use of free verse really draws you in as stories play out on pages in the form of poetry. In total the anthology boasts of 44 poems.

In it you will find titles such as #BringBackOurGirls and Shoes To School in support of the girls abducted in Nigeria a few years back and a local community project to send underprivileged children to school with shoes respectively, that will tug at your heart strings!

There are two collaborations in the anthology. Poems titled The Kind of Guy and Type of Guy. It’s really a contrast the other being an innocent, crush next door kind of poem and the other more explicit, guy I met at the club one night stand kind of vibe.

You will also find in it poetical dedications to some fantastic poets (Nyanduri Lala and Rae Lyric) that have passed. In poems Winner of the Slam, Incense Baby and Mambokadzi Mutsa (dedicated to Mutsa Diana Shiripinda affectionately known as Rae Lyric in Zimbabwe’s poetic circles) he speaks of who she was as a person, as an artist and as a friend. These poems really captures her essence as she is forever immortalised in them. Unanswered Call speaks of the aftermath of her death and how it stuck with him. We all have lost someone at some point and can really relate to this.

My favourite poem out of the book, Convene in the Labyinth speaks of the art of poetry and life experiences. How if you experienced it once it doesn’t mean you won’t experience it again and how we heal (and sooth) ourselves when we writ but it can never make you ready for the same experience when it comes again. This poem really ties feelings to our experiences. Something we can all say yes I have been there to.

LIPPA is available for purchase on Amazon here.

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