New Baden closet poet shares her work [Video]

NEW BADEN, Ill. — A New Baden woman who once used writing poetry as a tool for grief has recently decided to share her newfound hidden talent with the world.

Jeannette Schorfheide, 52, sees herself as a school counselor of 27 years, a committed teacher of two years, a 15-year cyclist, a proud mother to adult children, a passionate trainer for Race and Equity, and a beloved wife for 29 years but not a poet.

Although she has been writing since she could remember, Jeanette’s family and friends encouraged her to publish The Calling Tree: An Inspirational Journey just in time for National Poetry Month. The book is a collection of her poems spanning three decades.

Jeanette began writing poetry in high school. 

“I lost a couple of friends to car accidents and poetry kind of started flowing in my head. … It became my coping mechanism.”

Over the years, people who knew Jeanette have requested her poems for special occasions like funerals or …