William Mawhinney was born in Avalon, Pennsylvania, in 1939. He earned an English degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1963 and moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he worked various gigs as a proofreader, preparatory schoolmaster, and construction estimator. After 18 years at Raytheon as a facilities engineer, technical writer, newsletter editor, and corporate trainer, he and his wife, Wanda, an abstract painter, retired to the forest west of Show Low, Arizona. While there, he led monthly poetry circles at a local library, volunteered as a poet in elementary school classrooms, and offered poetry workshops and readings throughout the Southwest. Chased from the woods by a wildfire, he now lives in Port Ludlow, Washington. He is the author of two collections of poetry: Songs in My Begging Bowl and Cairns Along The Road. He performed poetry in retirement homes through an Arts to Elders program. For 13 years he curated and hosted the Northwind Reading Series in Port Townsend. His work has appeared in Heron Dance, Windfall, Minotaur, and Rainshadow Journal. The Port Townsend Arts Commission named him Angel of the Arts for 2011.
For decades I jotted down phrases that captured images that came to me—a dollhouse staircase, a cat lapping sunlit water, or icicles reflecting a sunset like jeweled daggers—then stuffed them in folders or slid them in desk drawers. I never … Continue reading →
On February 6, Poet William Mawhinney presented his farewell as the 13-year host of the Port Townsend Washington Northwind Poetry Reading series. At the start of National Poetry Month, his message will inspire all of us to listen to poetry read by poets, and perhaps a few who might want to create or help with … Continue reading →
This week during National Poetry Month, William Mawhinney offers us an account of the way sound is at the root of his poetry practice. His books, Songs in My Begging Bowl, which appeared in 2002, and Cairns Along the Road, which appeared in 2009, are both available through him for $10 each. To order, email … Continue reading →