Overview

At the age of sixty, Suzanne Sunshower moved into an ancient hunt camp trailer, which she named Bear Shack, in a remote area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This is her story. ""In her new collection Still Wild, Sunshower loses herself in the remote wilderness of Upper Michigan. Many poets and writers have made this journey. In Sunshower's hands, however, the path is studded with 'the last afros of red and orange' autumn and 'the pale, the pan' of the moon. Each yearling and chickadee become revelations as she struggles through blizzards, griefs, ice storms, and invaders. The way isn't easy."" -- Martin Achatz, author of A Bigfoot Bestiary and Other Wonders ""Sunshower depicts the Midwest as a frontier, sometimes feared, sometimes embraced, always alive. She challenges the stereotype that the Midwest is merely a place to fly over. Sunshower reminds us to pay attention, to look up, to find home."" -- CJ Giroux, author of Sheltered in Place and Destination, Michigan ""Go deep into the woods in the pages of Still Wild and find yourself among something extraordinary in this brave tale of becoming a true Yooper."" -- Lisa Fosmo, author of Mercy is a Bright Darkness SUZANNE SUNSHOWER is the author and editor of five books. She lives with her dog in Upper Michigan. From Modern History Press

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Reviews

""In her new collection, Sunshower loses herself in the remote wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Many poets/writers have made this journey. In Sunshower's hands, however, the path is studded with 'the last afros of red and orange' autumn and 'the pale, the pan' of the moon. Each yearling and chickadee become revelations as she struggles through blizzards, griefs, ice storms, and invaders (two-footed and four-footed). The way isn't easy. Yet, Sunshower's poetic GPS never falters. Here's my advice: When you see two roads diverge in a yellow wood, hold out your hand and let Suzanne Sunshower be your guide."" --Martin Achatz, two-time U.P. Poet Laureate and author of A Bigfoot Bestiary and Other Wonders. ""Whether discussing loss, loved ones, or ice storms, Sunshower takes her readers on physical and spiritual journeys in Still Wild: Poems from Bear Shack. Detailing her relocation to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she depicts the Midwest as a frontier, sometimes feared, sometimes embraced, always alive. With her keen attention to detail, which is as precise as the 'tilt of [a] redtail's wing, ' she challenges the stereotype that the Midwest is merely a place to fly over. Always, in these lines, Sunshower reminds us to pay attention, to look up, to find home."" -- CJ Giroux, author of Sheltered in Place and Destination, Michigan ""This poetic collection is a testament to bravery, grit, and human determination. Well-layered in story, laced with humor, wisdom, and the ever-present undertone of a wild enduring spirit. In these poems, Sunshower takes the reader into the untamed woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula on a quest to own and live on a little piece of primitive secluded heaven with her lovable dog in tow as sidekick, sole companion, and family member. Go deep into the woods in the pages of Still Wild and find yourself among something extraordinary in this brave tale of becoming a true Yooper."" -Lisa Fosmo, author of Mercy is a Bright Darkness ""Suzanne Sunshower's poems describe change, both personal and environmental, as reflected in herself and the landscapes she inhabits. Her poems are as elegant and spare as the woods in winter, yet encompass such topics as grief and change, mortality and renewal. We choose what we're willing to acknowledge is not in our control. Suzanne chose wisely when she moved to the woods. This collection is inspiring and instructive, and a joy to read."" -- Sharon Crotser, Director, St. Ignace Public Library

Author Information

Suzanne Sunshower is a writer/artist originally from Detroit, where she operated her private-sales art studio for twenty years while freelancing in journalism.An ardent adventurer, among her memorable challenges were hiking into and out of the Grand Canyon in one day, in winter (not advised by Park staff); back-country camping in Badlands National Park in all four seasons, including winter and during the electrical storms of summer; and taming the semi-off grid, 1970 camper she named Bear Shack.When not exploring, she has worked with over 6,000 kids while engaged in outreach education and non-profit social service work.She founded the e-journal Quiet Mountain Essays, serving as its Contributing Editor for ten years while conducting poetry workshops in prisons through the journal's Prison [Poetry] Outreach Project affectionately called POP.She is the author of three chapbooks Elements, Aura, and It's Where You Find It; co-author of the poetry collection From the Lonely Cold (Scurfpea Publishing, 2009); and she edited the poetry anthology How Can You Say We Are Not Related (Scurfpea Publishing, 2012). Most recently her poetry has appeared in Bear Paw Arts Journal, Yooper Poetry, Still Life, Red Coyote, and is forthcoming in the 2025 Scurfpea Publishing anthology. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women (25th Anniversary edition) as a journalist/poet/artist.

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