The Chris Voss Show

The Chris Voss Show Podcast – The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times by Vincent J. Tomeo

April 18, 2026·28 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times by Vincent J. Tomeo https://www.amazon.com/Usefulness-Hippopotamus-Humorous-Chapbook-Trying/dp/1639886907 Vincentjosephtomeo.com I am staring at a blank piece of paper, wondering what to write. Where do I begin? My mind begins to wander—pleasant thoughts of Disney’s Fantasia dance in my head. The dancing hippopotamus comes to mind, and this made me laugh. The result: I penned a poem on the hippopotamus from which a chapbook was born: The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times. One cannot imagine a world without humor. Without humor, the world will be dark, cold, and a sad place, tragically lacking joy, cheerfulness, and laughter. Humor is medicine. During rough times, humor will help lighten and lessen physical and mental anxiety. In challenging times, I chose humor. During the Pandemic, I had to deal with my bladder cancer. In my struggle not to get depressed or dwell in negativity, to find solace, contentment, and peace, I chose to seek out beauty and laugh. In search of happiness, the humor worked its charm, resulting in a treasure chest of joy. So, I wrote my chapbook, The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times and discovered humor even among the hippopotami! You can, too. Peace & flowers. Love & light. Vincent J. Tomeo, Author/Poet About the author BRIEF BIO VINCENT J. TOMEO IS A POET, AND WAS NOMINATED TWICE FOR PUSHCART PRIZE, ARCHIVIST, HISTORIAN, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST. VINCENT, IS PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, EVENING STREET REVIEW, COMSTOCK REVIEW, MID-AMERICA POETRY REVIEW, EDGZ, SPIRES, TIGER’S EYE, By LINE, MUDFISH, THE BLIND MAN’S RAINBOW, THE NEO VICTORIAN/COCHLEA, THE LATIN STAFF REVIEW, AND GRANDMOTHER EARTH (VII THRU XI), ETC. TO DATE, MR. TOMEO HAS 1,064 PUBLISHED POEMS/ESSAYS; THE WINNER OF 108 AWARDS; 149 PUBLIC READINGS. AUTHOR OF MY CEMETERY FRIENDS: A GARDEN OF ENCOUNTERS AT MOUNT SAINT MARY IN QUEENS, NEW YORK, AND THE USEFULNESS OF HIPPOPOTAMUS: A HUMOROUS CHAPBOOK FOR A TRYING TIMES.

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