Peninsula College, in collaboration with Centrum and Fort Worden Hospitality, is proud to present the Studium Generale Speaker Series featuring the renowned translator and author, Red Pine (Bill Porter), on March 7, 2024. This engaging event will take place at the Commons at Fort Worden, 210 Battery Way, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to all.

Red Pine, celebrated for his translations of ancient Chinese poetic and religious texts, is a figure of global repute. His work brings to light the profound wisdom and beauty of China’s literary heritage, earning him accolades including two NEA translation fellowships, a PEN Translation Prize, and the inaugural Asian Literature Award of the American Literary Translators Association. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Born in Los Angeles in 1943 and a veteran of the US Army, Porter eschewed the academic path after attending the University of California and Columbia University. His journey led him to a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, setting the stage for a life immersed in Eastern philosophy and literature. Porter’s career has seen him produce over a thousand programs about his travels in China for English-language radio stations in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

His latest anthology, “Dancing with the Dead: The Essential Red Pine,” brings together over thirty ancient Chinese voices, including Buddhist poets Cold Mountain and Stonehouse, as well as Tang-dynasty poets Wei Yingwu and Liu Zongyuan.

Residents of Port Townsend and beyond are invited to seize this unique opportunity to hear from one of the world’s most distinguished literary voices. This event is made possible thanks to the generous contributions of Bill Porter/Red Pine, Peninsula College, Centrum, and Fort Worden Hospitality. For more information, contact kdoran@pencol.edu or aforrestal@pencol.edu.