The Nell Poems

A young man, the start of a promising career, a loving wife and a new baby daughter -- then, an embolism. In The Nell Poems, I've watched as the poet forged these poems out of a mother's shock and grief, carving them into something beautiful for her granddaughter's legacy. It's a stunning achievement. Karin Hoffecker has an MA in English Literature from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. Her poems have appeared in Penumbra, The Comstock Review, The MacGuffin, Mona Poetica, Passager, and Peninsula Poets. Fascinated with the visual arts and the natural world as subjects, she explores them often in her poetry. She is a retired teacher who is devoted to the practice of yoga and spending time with her granddaughter Nell, for whom these poems were written. She lives in Birmingham, Michigan.

Review :
"A young man, the start of a promising career, a loving wife and a new baby daughter -- then, an embolism. In The Nell Poems, I've watched as the poet forged these poems out of a mother's shock and grief, carving them into something beautiful for her granddaughter's legacy. It's a stunning achievement." --David Fitch, Co-organizer, Southeast Michigan Poetry Meetup Group "I have known Karin Hoffecker's poems and long admired her careful use of imagery, her trust in narrative power, and the sincerity and openness of her poetry. In The Nell Poems, she exhibits many of these traits, but this book is aimed at a particularly difficult task as well: while she celebrates the birth and young life of her granddaughter, she must also confront the untimely death of her son, Nell's father. The poems she gives us here do that in a direct and compelling way, looking back to tragic loss and forward through a new life, reconstructing hope out of sorrow. The joy of a grandmother's love is carefully measured out in this book. Shadowed by the pains of grief, the joy to be treasured all the more as it balances the various claims this world can make upon the lives of the heart. These poems are a gift to a granddaughter, depicting her early years and portraying for her the spirit of her father; in their accomplishment, they are also a gift to us." --Edward Haworth Hoeppner, Author of Rain Through High Windows, Ancestral Radio, Blood Prism "Karin Hoffecker writes "My beautiful boy is gone," and my heart aches, eyes fill. We both had beloved children pass in 2016; my daughter who grew up without her birth dad like Nell is destined to be without hers. I was bound to be moved emotionally as I designed this book, however I am also moved as a sister poet for Karin's poetry is beautiful. The book as a whole tells a poignant story of blessed moments shared for Nell... "I know the stories I will tell her...," a grandmother's precious gift." --Melanie Gendron, Author of Dreaming The Light, The Elemental Goddess, This Fool's Journey Through Tarot's 22 Major Arcana