Artistic endeavour is more than just a sideline for Windsor lawyer Peter Hrastovec. An actor with community theatre, past president of the Windsor Symphony Society, and a self-proclaimed “foodie,” he will release his second collection of poetry, Sidelines, with a public launch tonight—Wednesday, April 8.

Hrastovec, a UWindsor English and law grad (BA 1979, LLB 1982) and a partner with the firm Shibley Righton LLP, says he draws inspiration from many facets of life.

“I could say that it comes from the heart. I’m moved by a lot of things, people and places,” he says. “The whole idea of writing has always been a part of my life.”

He says he likes the vehicle of poetry: “One of my university professors referred to poetry as a high-energy construct that can say a lot in a small amount of space.”

Hrastovec is a past president of the University of Windsor Alumni Association and received the Alumni Award of Merit in 1998. Sidelines follows 2012’s In Lieu of Flowers, similarly published by Black Moss Press.

Wednesday’s reception is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue, and will also launch Gillian Cott’s memoir Make Me, Remake Me, and Sunday with the Tigers, edited by UWindsor professor Dale Jacobs.