Books published by Humboldt State University Press

In 2002, Celeste flees the city and the latest disaster in her marriage. Looking for refuge in the remote hills of Northern California, she unwittingly immerses herself and her innocent daughters in a community of illicit marijuana growers. Anxious to remove her daughters from the environment, Celeste is instead seduced by the stunning, wild edge of the continent as she and her daughters find their place in the insular community of Southern Humboldt County. In the land where cannabis is grown, processed, bought and sold, Celeste sees the familial and financial prospects for freedom from her estranged husband. However, as Celeste is swept into an affair with a grower, a home invasion robbery whips the mountain community into a frenzy of fear, murder and retribution. With her daughters at risk, she scrambles to find safety and stability in a realm where the profits of growers depend on secrets and silence..

Song of Six Rivers relates one man's life-changing experiences throughout the Humboldt Bay region of northern California, depicting the area's geography and history along the way, through both poetry and archival photography. When the muse of this epic poem, Guy Kuttner, died unexpectedly, Zev Levinson heard his voice imploring him to sing of the land they both love. As a roving teacher of poetry in the schools, often staying in far-flung places, Zev had come to know the Six Rivers terrain and communities intimately. He put his pen to the task of meeting Guy's daunting challenge, confronting mortality and loss as he ventured to understand our connection to earth. At its heart, this endeavor strives to weave poetry into the everyday lives of those who dwell behind the redwood curtain.