Parallel press releases Welter chapbook

Poet, naturalist and storyteller Matt Welter is the latest Parallel Press chapbook author with the release of “Our Sainted Lady Esther.”

This chapbook marks the ninth release for the publishers and features strong imagery, tongue-in-cheek elegies and dramatic narratives. The Parallel Press is an imprint of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries.

“Our Sainted Lady Esther” is a nature-filled collection of works that reveal the invisible connections between people, places and natural elements. Welter delves into the rich possibilities of blending the ideal and mythic worlds in 10 poems that reflect his work as a naturalist.

A chapbook is a small-format literary work, usually of poetry or essays.

Welter has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize four times, including once for the poem, “Our Sainted Lady Esther,” featured in this chapbook. His works have been featured in hundreds of small press journals, and this is one of two chapbooks that Welter will release this year.

Welter holds a bachelor’s degree in English from New Mexico State University and a master’s in environmental education from UW-Stevens Point. He works for the Wisconsin Conservation Corps.

Each Parallel Press chapbook is $10; annual subscriptions for six are $50. Titles may be ordered by writing: The Parallel Press, 236 Memorial Library, 728 State St., Madison, WI 53706.