Phases of the Wayward Moon

By Tracey Ludvik

Forthcoming in September 2026

Phases of the Wayward Moon is a book of poems is arranged into three parts: Hungry Moon, Manic Moon, and Winter Moon. Each phase represents a different aspect of Author Tracey Ludvik’s identity and her relationship within the social system she lives in. Because the poems included were written and assembled over decades, the themes are profound, and include power, violence, love, and family.

Ludvik has rich command of imagery and the musical elements of her language. Her poems move gracefully from Ladysmith to Lame Deer, from #MeToo to a Michigan gale. Her work challenges, intrigues, and enlarges the reader.

About the Author

Originally from Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Tracey Ludvik found her voice through writing poetry as a teen. An adventurous spirit and thirst for knowledge called her first to Milwaukee, where she studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then to the Oregon Valley, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Oregon and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Oregon State University. Tracey has taught sociology coursework in Oregon and at Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin. Her first poetry book, Butterfly (LitMedia, 2023), acknowledges her connection to the Ojibwe culture. Her poem Starpower was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2019. Last year, Auschwitz 2004…, took first place in Lakeland University’s annual poetry contest. Tracey reads her work regularly at Paradigm Coffee and Music.