The Community Education Program presents “A Literary Gathering of Readers and Writers” on Saturday, March 28, 2009, Noon-4 p.m., Room 804. For more information or to register, please call (510) 723-6665.

Following are the bios of the participating panel members . . .

Barbara Bentley
In her just-published memoir, A Dance With the Devil: A True Story of Marriage to a Psychopath, Barbara Bentley shares how her fairytale dreams collided with the world of psychopaths and domestic violence. After finding the strength to stand up for herself in her marriage, she discovered that she still had to fight against victimization by California’s antiquated divorce laws. Barbara took on the state legislature and, in successfully petitioning to change the laws, showed that one person can make a difference. Over the past month, Barbara has appeared on KGO-TV’s “A View From the Bay” and done numerous radio and print media interviews. “A Dance With the Devil” reads like a page-turning novel, earning 5-star reviews on Amazon.com. Barbara lives in Walnut Creek.

Margaret Lucke, whose latest book, House of Whispers, has been called a fascinating blending of romance, mystery and the paranormal . . .an entertaining haunted house whodunit” has been fascinated by the power of stories and the magic of creativity since she produced her first book at age 5 (she still has the only copy). In addition to books, her writing credits include scripts for mystery weekends, short stories, feature articles, and book reviews. She’s also an editor, writing coach, and fiction writing instruction at UC Berkeley extension, among other institutions. She loves to travel, and her writing career has given her opportunities to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, England, and Italy, as well as Alaska and other U.S. places, although most days she journeys no farther than her desk—and into her imagination. She lives in Hercules, California.

Patrick May has been a reporter for three large metropolitan daily newspapers around the United States but considers his real resume his 26-year collection of stories--from compelling coverage of major breaking news (the 9/11 attacks on New York City; the first Gulf War; the Kosovo Crisis; assorted earthquakes, riots, crime waves, wildfires, and hurricanes) to hard-hitting human interests tales--from light features to multi-part series on economic trends and criminal-justice issues--and nearly everything in between. He has won numerous journalism awards over the years, including the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, which he shared with several other reporters, for the Miami Herald’s coverage of Hurricane Andrew; and has made appearances on many radio and television talk shows, including Larry King Live. It was his love of writing and travel that drew him into newspaper journalism in the first place, having roamed extensively throughout the world, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South and Central America, and eventually circling the globe. And, he says, as long as he can continue to make a living of writing and traveling, that’s what he’s going to keep doing. He currently writes for the San Jose Mercury News and lives in the Bay Area.

Camille Minichino has published eight novels in her periodic table mystery series, which started with The Hydrogen Murder. Her new series, The Miniature Mysteries, is based on her lifelong miniatures hobby (written under the pen name Margaret Grace). After receiving her Ph.D. in physics from Fordham University, New York City, she had a long career in research, teaching, and writing and is currently on the faculty of Golden Gate University in San Francisco and on the staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She is on the Board of the California Writers Club and lives in Castro Valley.

Ann Parker is a science writer by day and an historical mystery writer by night. Her critically acclaimed Silver Rush mystery series is set in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the early 1880s. She earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at UC Berkeley, before falling into a career as a science writer nearly 30 years ago. The only thing more fun for her than slipping oblique William Butler Yeats references into a fluid dynamics article is delving into the past. Her ancestors include a Leadville blacksmith, a Colorado School of Mines professor, and a gandy dancer on the Colorado railroads. Ann is a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, among other organizations. She lives with her husband, and their two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.