Levi J. Mericle
Levi J. Mericle is a poet/spoken-word artist, lyricist, and children's author from Tucumcari, NM. Much of his work is derived from pain. He has dealt with bipolar disorder for almost fifteen years. From a teenager to a young adult, he lived his life in a depression-induced fog that consumed his life. Among suicidal attempts and the urge to self-harm, he lived over ten years in a state of inner ruin. Now, Levi is twenty-six years old and has been stable for almost five years. His work has appeared in a couple anthologies including Poetic Gumbo and Hurricane Katrina Couldn't Break Us. One of his poems was accepted for the upcoming anthology Light as a Feather, from Swimming With Elephants Publications. Five pieces were chosen for the upcoming issue of The Awakenings Review, part of the Awakenings Project, which focuses solely on fine art created by sufferers of mental illness. The publication will be out in late summer 2014. The French cinema magazine Premiere also wrote a review of Levi’s poetry. Although he has had the urge to die for almost half of his life, he is now an advocate for living. He reads his work often at different area venues. He promotes suicide prevention and anti-bullying. In addition to his darker, motivational works, he also loves writing stories for children and is in the process of trying to get picture books published. Levi now knows that he was born for a purpose and will continue writing to help those that suffer from mental illnes, bullying issues and suicidal tendencies. Please feel free to visit his website at http://levimericle.com.