UW Oshkosh, Advance-Titan alumnus and acclaimed Wisconsin poet Carrie Voigt Schonhoff has released her highly anticipated third poetry collection, “Shadow Work,” on Oct. 7.
Following the success of “The Liminal Space” and “The End of the Beginning,” Schonhoff continues her deeply personal exploration of healing, resilience and the inner landscapes that shape the human experience.
“Shadow Work invites readers into a deeply reflective journey, embracing the hidden corners of self-discovery and transformation,” marketing director Margaret Geiger said in a statement.
According to her website, Schonhoff is known for her evocative and intimate style and writes with honesty and tenderness, illuminating themes of love, loss and rebirth.
“Shadow work is anything you need healing from, anything that causes trauma,” Schonhoff said, defining the collection’s theme. “It’s always good to work through the trauma and turn it into healing.”
Her own journey through being widowed in 2012 has profoundly shaped her work. This experience taught her to embrace vulnerability, cherish resilience and find beauty in the spaces between truths that she shares through her writing.
Award-winning author Simon Van Booy praised the collection, saying, “There are poems in this collection so powerful, so penetrating, that reading them will transport you to those lost or secret rooms of your own life as great poems always do.”
Schonhoff often finds that her work resonates deeply with others.
“Every time I come out with a new book, people remind me of how much they can relate,” she said, adding a belief that poetry can be a bridge, helping to connect, understand and find comfort in one another’s stories.
One of Schonhoff’s favorite poems in “Shadow Work” is “Kintsugi,” named
after the Japanese art, which involves sealing broken pottery with gold.
This concept of embracing imperfections as part of the beauty of a whole mirrors a belief of hers.
“You got to do the work, where there’s triggers,” she said. “When we get upset, it’s essential to understand the root cause.”
Schonhoff also shared a significant part of her writing philosophy, which involves immersion and experience.
“Relocation is key for a writer in general, it’s fuel for your work,” she said. “You need to have the experience.”
This approach has led her to dedicate focused periods, often weeks at a time, to writing residencies.
Beyond the paper, Schonhoff is the founder of Liminal Artistry, a platform dedicated to fostering connection and collaboration among writers and artists. She also regularly hosts poetry jams at local elementary and middle schools, inspiring young voices.
For aspiring writers, Schonhoff offers simple advice,
“If people want to write, they should do it; everyone has a story to tell.”
