April 17, 1968, Cleveland Plain Dealer

A small band of Geauga County mothers last night tried to persuade D. A. Levy, Cleveland poet, not to use narcotics or drugs.

Levy, appearing before a symposium sponsored by the county sheriff’s department, told the mothers that they could not convince him nor their own children not to use drugs.

Levy, a self-styled leader of Cleveland’s underground literary movement, told about 25 mothers and a handful of teen-agers that parents were not communicating with their children.

"KIDS ARE going to try drugs anyway, no matter what parents say," Levy said.

Levy admitted he uses marijuana, but told the group he believes he uses it properly in his work as a writer.

Levy said the key to problems between parents and teen-agers today – including the drug problem – is a matter of communication.

"The average parent just can’t communicate or won’t try to communicate with his kids today," Levy said.

THE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION program was held at the Geauga County Safety Center. Parents were asked to try to persuade Levy not to use narcotics. The group has been meeting to discuss what approach parents should take with their children on drugs.

Levy two weeks ago was fined $200 for acting in a way to cause the delinquency of minors by distributing obscene poetry.