Dorothy Skiles, long time resident and Sunland-Tujunga’s poet laureate for 2012-14, will be giving a farewell reading at the upcoming Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga’s Monthly Poetry Reading Series. The community is invited to the event that will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Bolton Hall Museum. Skiles’ poetry reading will be accompanied by photos of her travels with her husband Bill, an amateur photographer and also a long time resident of Sunland-Tujunga.

Dorothy Skiles is the president of the Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga. Since May 2010, Village Poets has sponsored monthly poetry readings inviting well-established poets from Los Angeles, the foothills, and beyond. These events are a meeting place for the community and poets alike to gather and enjoy an afternoon of poetry. Routinely, there are two open reading segments welcoming new or seasoned poets who want to share their work. Poets are welcome to bring their own poems and sign-up for the open reading.

Over the last 17 years, Skiles has been involved in the local poetry scene and her poems appeared in a variety of community publications. She is also a long time member of the Sunland-Tujunga Chupa Rosa Writers. Her chapbooks include “The Sidewalk Gallery” (1979), “Ear to Earth” (1996), “Spine Flower Blues” (1999) that is a collaborative work by the Chupa Rosa Writers, and “Riddle in the Rain” (2003), a collaborative work with Marlene Hitt. She also has poems in “Meditation on Divine Names,” edited by Maja Trochimczyk, and “From Benicia With Love,” edited by Don Peery.

In 2013, Skiles served on the Bolton Hall Centennial Committee that planned numerous celebratory events. She currently serves on the Verdugo Hills YMCA senior advisory board, as well as facilitating a monthly Y poetry group. She also enjoys sharing her poetry with seniors at Sunland Park Senior Citizen Center. Skiles is an active member of the Lutheran Church in the Foothills, and has brought poetry to various church events, including facilitating an Evening of Poetry event in September 2013. She is also an active member of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) that promotes educational opportunities for women.

Light refreshments will be served; a $3 donation is appreciated.

More information on the Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga can be found at www.villagepoets.blogspot.com.

Bolton Hall Museum, 10110 Commerce Ave., Tujunga.