What:
My poetry is grounded in both external and internal landscapes. I have always been fascinated with the visual arts and nature—they are often subjects that appear in my poems. The poetry I write, honoring my internal map, is the result of exploring deep emotions shaped by experiences of loss and grief. Losing my adult son to a sudden and unexpected pulmonary embolism and both my parents has profoundly affected my writing in recent years. Grief is an individual and messy process. Embracing one’s brokenness offers the possibility of healing through patience, support, and compassion. Writing about my losses has allowed me to become reconciled to their deaths and provides a continuing bond with my family that I nurture and cherish.
Why:
I wrote my first book, The Nell Poems, for my granddaughter who lost her father two weeks after her first birthday. The poems were born out of shock and grief, creating something beautiful for her legacy; a way of knowing what an exceptional man her father was through my words. For me, it was also a way to honor the memories of my son that filled the days that first year. In many ways, the book saved me. It gave me purpose and a reason to keep on living through grief’s relentless sorrow. My second book, The Bonds We Keep, was written to appreciate the relationships that shape us and the beauty of the world we share. The bonds we keep become the bonds which also keep us, so that in the end we endure together. My latest collection, The Space Between Us, is written with a deeper exploration of grief; inviting the reader to drop into the spaces between loss, grief, and healing. In the poems written about my parents each loss is mourned. They pay homage to their goodness and are a testament to the love of family. It is my hope that I can spin art out of the agony of loss and create an abiding tribute.
How:
I’ve achieved success writing poetry within a community of writers in the Detroit area and also with the Poetry Society of Michigan. Classes I took with Springfed Arts gave me the opportunity to form lifelong connections with teachers, as well as fellow writers and poets. The master’s degree I received from Oakland University also created partnerships I still value today. The Southeast Michigan Poetry Workshop has given me a place to share my works in progress and receive stellar feedback through critique. I am grateful to the members who have let me explore grief repeatedly in poems of remembrance. I’m a better writer and poet because of their thoughtful questions and comments—I share my accomplishments with them.
Bio:
Karin Hoffecker has an M.A. in English literature from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. Her poems have appeared in The Comstock Review, Gathering Flowers: Living with the Death of a Child, Long Island Sounds, The MacGuffin, Mona Poetica, Passager, Peninsula Poets, and Penumbra. Her collections, The Nell Poems, and The Bonds We Keep, were published by Blue Light Press in 2018 and 2022. The Space Between Us was published by Wyld Syde Press in 2025. Karin is a retired teacher who enjoys reading, walking, and spending time on the lakes in Northern Michigan. She lives in Birmingham, Michigan.
Links:
The Space Between Us on Amazon
Karin’s other books on Amazon
Karin’s other books on Bookshop.org
Additional copies, please email: klhpoetlover@gmail.com
Thank you for visiting.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
Books: In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, coming fall 2026 from Regal House Publishing
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree
