August 28th, 2020
SAINT PETER, MINN. – A socially distant, bring-your-own seating event serves as the official launch of Said The Old Widow To The New, a recently released collection by St. Peter poet Ronda Redmond, on Friday, September 4, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Arts Center of Saint Peter’s parking lot.
“Grief is revealed through the surreal and the practical,” says Redmond, the Arts Center’s longtime lead writing instructor whose husband, poet Jim Redmond, died in April 2019. “When a partner dies, only the widowed is granted full access. I’m inviting the reader to the roped-off edges of the site to witness the journey.”
The event also includes the unveiling of an outdoor installation by Abby Daleki, a Mankato artist whose illustrations are featured throughout the collection.
Books will be available for sale in the Arts Center’s gallery shop, which will be open during the event. The reading is free, and all ages are welcome. Audience members are required to bring their own seating and refreshments, and to maintain social distance. Hand sanitizer will be available inside the Arts Center, where masks are required.
The event is made possible by support from the State Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature to KMSU Radio.