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Parallel Press releases three new poetry chapbooks by Pfingston, Elbe, Sornberger
Posted 6/13/2003
MADISON, Wis. --Parallel Press has released three new chapbooks in
2003, with three more to
follow this year. Parallel Press, an imprint of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Libraries, released Roger Pfingston's Singing to the Garden,
followed by Light Made from Nothing by Susan Elbe and most
recently, Bones of Light by Judith Sornberger. All three works
delve into the human soul and examine its every emotion.
Pfingston draws on common life around him in his poetry: the somberness of a fallen apple left for the bees, joyous memories as a child in the southern Indiana, the frustration of a seeping septic tank. He explores the repose of country life and incorporates sensual imagery into Singing to the Garden.
In Light Made from Nothing, Elbe analyzes her life through
poetry, beginning with her entry into the world and ending with a work
on death and eternity. She discusses painful heartbreaks, relives catching
a fish in Alaska and analyzes a tarot card reading. Her poem "Oconto
County
Fair" recalls a memory from childhood and reflects the different paths
she and an old friend took.
Sornberger's Bones of Light echoes themes of religion, love, relationships and youth. In "Mother-in-law" the poet discusses the delicate connection between a daughterless mother and a daughter-in-law. Nature and country life are especially prevalent in her works, as she writes about country fairs, her love of the Platte River and even a circling hawk in relation to her personal life.
Pfingston, Elbe and Sornberger are all award-winning poets who have
published works in newspapers, journals, anthologies and chapbooks.
Pfingston is a retired English and photography teacher who published
some of his early poetry in the New York Times. Elbe, who received
a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
works as a Web content analyst in Madison. Sornberger, originally from
Nebraska, now teaches English and women's studies at Mansfield University
of Pennsylvania. 
For more information, visit: http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu/chapbooks/poetry. Each Parallel Press chapbook is $10 and $50 for an annual subscription (six books).
Orders may be sent to: The Parallel Press 372 Memorial Library 728 State Street Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-2600 E-mail: parallelpress@library.wisc.edu.
