The Sea in Me

'Here you have fundamental poetry about water, earth, air and even fire. Jeannie Lawson has a keen eye for nature in all its guises. She has an admirable sense of detail and a rare sense of the poignant. Her time spent underwater is evident in many of these poems. In fact, you can be under the ocean cavorting with cetaceans without getting wet. A very enjoyable collection.' - John Blackhawk 'Jeannie writes with passion and empathy - her colourful coastal-lived experiences, deep knowledge and thoughtful musings shared in her writings. Pleasurable poetry awaits every reader.' - Jennifer Garner 'Jeannie's poems speak of fragility, strength, wonder, solitude, courage and the healing power of the natural world. The poems focus to a large extent on the environment both above and below water. Jeannie takes readers on journeys through wondrous places with deeply personal perspectives and impressions.' - John Nankivell 'I respond most strongly to the visual images in these poems about the sea and the land we live in. It is the economical use of words that paint such a vivid picture which intrigues and enthrals me. I find that, after reading these poems, I feel calmer, more part of the nature described and the words create magic, transport me to another place.' - Val Norris 'When one reads Jeannie's words ,you may travel their path where the road is clear and the end sure. Alternatively, you may end up in a labyrinth of emotions, perplexed, and the path is not so sure. This is life, laid out in every page in all its beauty, from the micro to the macro, sometimes stripped bare for you to observe its essence. Jeannie's unique ability is to take you to her world, through her eyes so that you may experience life's complexities, nature in all its wondrous form, interconnected, never apart, through a porthole, lens, window or frame. I found these poems provide not only an insight into Jeannie's world but a new window into our own world on how we view nature. Through prose we can question - is that how I feel or see this curiosity? These poems have brought nature in all its glory to your world for you to reflect, ask and ultimately love. If one can love nature half as much as Jeannie does, then there's hope for the planet. I feel honoured to have shared part of her world and to look at my own relationship to nature.' - Paul Louis Rooms, Burramattagal First Nations survivor, Dahrug.