Recording of Reading of Chiaroscuro by Peter W. Denzer

The Laureate Writers Series reading at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse on Tuesday, May 7 celebrated the release of the new book Chiaroscuro. A recording of the event, filmed by Mary Farrell, is now available to watch on YouTube at this link. The book features selected poems by Peter W. Denzer with lino prints by Maria Denzer, Delia Bell, the Denzer family, and friends. It has been published by Shipwreckt Books Publishing Company of Winona as part of the Up On Big Rock Poetry Series.

From the introduction by Peter Anastas: “Living in an ancient palace on Via dei Rustici in the heart of Florence, Peter and Maria Denzer shared a remarkable life. Continuing to write and publish, Peter also carved from native stone and modeled in clay, while Maria produced paintings, drawings, and sculpture. In 1969, the couple returned, first to New York where they worked in publishing, and then to Maria’s native St. Paul, where Maria was apprenticed to the potter, Robert Brodersen, later teaching Peter the art of throwing and glazing. On Grand Avenue, in St. Paul, Minnesota, Peter and Maria founded Front Porch Pottery and Gallery, where they exhibited and sold their own pottery, subsequently relocating their workshop to the farming community of Houston, Minnesota, where they lived self-sufficiently while participating in the life of the community.”

Mary Farrell, Shipwreckt Books, and Laureate Writers Series organizers Ken McCullough and Emilio DeGrazia are members of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.