358 Denise Poncher: Art as Compass: Following the Pull of Creative Expression

358 Denise Poncher: Art as Compass: Following the Pull of Creative Expression

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau December 10, 2025 Duration: 29:56

Denise Poncher, 73, has spent her life noticing experiences that call her to create. A multidisciplinary artist—-creative writer, documentary photographer, custom art framer, collagist, fiber explorer—-she treats each medium as a path toward deeper understanding. Legacy writing now invites her to weave together difficult losses of significant people with joyful threads of being a nurturing grandmother. Once a painfully shy child, Denise found courage and confidence through her art, ultimately bringing hidden stories such as domestic violence into public view during her MFA graduate work. Outside the corridors of art, she served in public service roles from Department of Justice inspector to equestrian instructor. Today, Denise continues to seek new forms of creative expression—-guided by the belief that personal truth has the power to resonate far beyond the self.

"The deeper I go into my own experience, the more universal my message becomes." - Denise Poncher

Connect with Denise:

Email: drponcher@gmail.com

Fine art photography by Studio 626 in Oak Park, IL - Alignable

Thanks to our Sponsor—Women’s Connection

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Women’s Connection is a member-driven nonprofit organization for vibrant, accomplished women who are 50 years old and beyond. In chapters around the country, including a virtual Coast-to-Coast (C2C) chapter, women connect to enjoy shared interests and empower each other to thrive. https://womenconnecting.org

Recognizing the AGE-WISE COLLECTIVE

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-Wise Collective, comprised of women-led podcasts that feature stories from women 50+ and topics that promote the pro-aging movement.

Meet: Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, host of Wisdom at Work: Older Women, Elderwomen, and Grandmothers on the Move! Profiles of disrupters and influencers who kick stereotypes to the curb. http://www.wisdomatworkpodcast.com


Hosted by Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined turns the page on a well-worn cultural script. This is not a series about decline, but a collection of dialogues focused squarely on expansion. You’ll hear from women who are starting businesses, deepening their creative practices, forging new relationships, and confronting societal expectations with a refreshing blend of honesty and humor. These conversations, rooted in personal journals and lived expertise, delve into the practical and the profound-from the science of longevity to the personal journeys of resilience that define this chapter. The podcast moves beyond inspiration to offer tangible insight, framing the later decades as a time of active reinvention. Tune in for stories that replace stereotypes with specificity, and discover a community redefining what it means to grow older with purpose and curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined
Podcast Episodes
369 Arlene Bomer: Living a Life of Adventure with Purpose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:48
At 75, Arlene Borner may not be running marathons, but she is still running—and skiing on snow and water and playing pickleball. She may no longer be teaching children how to swim or speak English in places like Sweden o…
367 Patricia Koko: Turning Ideas into Services with Lasting Impact [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:58
When Patricia (Pat) Koko, age 82, reflects on her life’s work as a young homemaker turned consummate volunteer and community change-maker, she often says things like, “that was kind of fun,” or “there just was a need”—-s…
366 Suzi K Edwards: A Chaotic Life Reignited by Yoga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:03
Living high throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s filled Suzi’s life with glitter, dazzle, and celebrities who sadly, broke her heart. As a luxury designer of women’s clothing in New York, Suzi was sought after by big name…
365 Reedy Gibbs: Broken Pieces Can Be Mended [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:55
n writing her memoir, BROKEN PIECES (and the fun things you can do with them), Reedy is hopeful that her life's missteps might help others. When she began studying Method Writing with a brilliant teacher, “her life's sto…
360 Deb Krier: Trying Not to Die [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:08
Like most people, when Deb Krier was told she had metastatic breast cancer in 2015, she went into a tailspin. She previously worked for an oncologist and later, the American Cancer society and still was not prepared. Wha…