Locally & Independently Published Poetry

"Ted Levine shares poems that truly reflect hope and exemplify 'recovery.' His life journey has included surviving the locked psychiatric wards, jails, seclusion rooms, being one of the nameless homeless mentally ill and struggles with the depths of substance abuse,to now;he gives the gift through his poems of the purist being of compassion and loving kindness. He continues to battle his demons;yet you will see in his poetry his human essence, a gift that most of us in the psychiatric profession know is within yet seldom are shared with the public.His is a recovery back to his essence of pure love and compassion." -YANA JACOBS,MFT Senior Manager of Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Recovery Service,Santa Cruz Count Mental Health

Raab’s poetry finds its roots deep in the traditions of the American West. Following various Native American tribes, early settlers, and city-dwellers striking Westward, Swimming the Eel seeks to bring definition to a broad swath of a deeply troubled and troubling chapter of American history. Sweeping as it is in its project and told from various perspectives by various subjects, Raab’s collection offers an honest and intimate collage of the not always picturesque origins of the American West. [from the review by Michael Ravenscroft in the fall issue of The Adirondack Review]

Vagabond Dawns expresses the bigger picture, how our small dramas and fleeting joys are washed away in time by the life force of the planet. Replete with feminine imagery and symbols of female sexuality, it focuses on nature, eternity, death, renewal, love and love’s shadow, ultimately proclaiming our vast spiritual potential. The poetry is awe-filled, sensuous, provocative. Includes a CD.

In this collection of poems, Lisa Allen Ortiz explores the structure and profundity of marriage with a voice that has been called "secretly hopeful and sensuously rich."

This book--composed of poetry, and bits of photography and prose--covers a variety of topics, all of which are tied together by and through an unexpected decision to reject a future already planned, and what might become as a result. Shakedown bears witness to the possibilities and burdens that come from having choices, and to what it means to go for broke. It recounts moments of crushing isolation and periods of saturating loss, as well as the itty bits of unexpected loveliness that find us here and there.

This exquisite poetry book, so like a feminine voice of Rumi or Hafiz, is written straight from the heart. What is left at the core of creation when all else falls away? With words full of juice and wonder, she takes us deeply into Love’s nature and tickles us to remember the gift of who we truly are.

A major collection of poems written over many years that focus on Monterey Bay and the greater Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The poems explore locations all around the bay, and celebrate all the life of the bay, and our human relationship to the bay.