Le Trouvère Prétendu by Peter Siedlecki

There are many treasures to be found in these poems, mining the complexities of working class life to academia, childhood to age, with music yet! His muse takes him in such unexpected directions, like writing a love song to his dog – that poem 'Heike' will always be one of my favorites. And anyone who writes that he groans when he catches sight of his old self in the bathroom mirror is a kindred soul – for me poetry begins there. Congratulations, Peter Siedlecki, on a fascinating, dare I say 'heartwarming', book! You have followed your own advice and left “something lovely behind.” There are many treasures to be found in these poems, mining the complexities of working class life to academia, childhood to age, with music yet! His muse takes him in such unexpected directions, like writing a love song to his dog – that poem 'Heike' will always be one of my favorites. And anyone who writes that he groans when he catches sight of his old self in the bathroom mirror is a kindred soul – for me poetry begins there. Congratulations, Peter Siedlecki, on a fascinating, dare I say 'heartwarming', book! You have followed your own advice and left “something lovely behind.”

—Edward Field, author of Counting Myself Lucky: Selected Poems 1963-1992; Variety Photoplays, and Stand Up, Friend, with Me

The speaker here initially reminds, not just himself, but all of us that “consciousness fades into clouds.” The ensuing poems skillfully resonate with our awareness and our fears of mortality. Moving further into the work, we are able to see in these well-crafted poems that metaphor and music transcend it all. They move, in hope and reminiscence, towards showing the reader what a delight it is to read music, even for those who don’t know how. I love this book and find this troubadour, Peter Siedlecki, entirely authentic.
—Carole Southwood, Author, Call Me Shady; Listen and See: Twenty-two poems and a Story; and Abdoo, The Biography of a Piece of White Trash.

In the great tradition of troubadours whose guitars gently weep, Peter Siedlecki’s poems read like prayers to love and loss. From lyrical musings on memory to fully-scored musical compositions, Le Trouvère Prétendu hums with beauty, its heartbeat driving toward breathlessness.
— Barbara Cole, Artistic Director Just Buffalo Literary Center

Peter Siedlecki is Professor Emeritus of English and Poet in Residence at Daemen College. He also coordinates the Readings at the RIC poetry series. He is a former Dean of Arts and Sciences at Daemen and Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Literature at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany. He is the current director of the Catherine Burchfield Parker Artist Salon. In the early 1970’s he was part of a folk singing group called The Circle that also included Mary Ellen Matta, Tom Dose and Jim Chase and performed at various colleges and coffee houses. He presently sings with The St. Joseph University Church choir and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. He is a former member of Freudig Singers of Western New York. His voice coach is the internationally acclaimed soprano, Cristen Gregory. His two previous collections are Voyeur (2006) and Going With The Flow (2015).

Book Information:

· Paperback: 122 pages
· Binding: Perfect-Bound
· Publisher: BlazeVOX [books]
· ISBN: 978-1-60964-340-9