Peninsula College's Foothills Writers Series welcomes Port Ludlow poet Bill Mawhinney on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Mawhinney will read from his collected works starting at 12:35 p.m. in the Little Theater on the campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles. The reading is free.

Mawhinney earned an English degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1963, then moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he worked as a proofreader, preparatory school master and construction estimator.

When he retired from Raytheon after 18 years as facilities engineer, technical writer, newsletter editor and corporate trainer, he and his wife, Wanda, an abstract painter, built a home in the forest west of Show Low, Ariz. While there, he became very active in the creative writing field, organizing annual community readings called Favorite Poem Nights.

He also led monthly poetry circles at the local library, volunteered as a poet in fourth_grade classrooms and offered poetry workshops and readings throughout the Southwest.

After a devastating wildfire, Mawhinney moved to Port Ludlow, where he organized and now hosts the Northwind Reading Series. He also performs poetry in local retirement homes through the Arts To Elders program.

Mawhinney's work has appeared in Heron Dance, The Raintown Review and online journals. He is the author of two collections of poetry, "Songs in My Begging Bowl" and "Cairns Along The Road."

For more information on the Foothills Writers Series, visit Web site www.pencol.edu.