Natalie Borgardt first began taking dictation for a Central Valley author at age 14. She enjoyed technical editing with an East Coast software company and began to pursue writing with the new millennium. Natalie's inspiration comes from her own life experiences and observations.

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Marguerite Costigan’s poetry reflects her love of art, nature, and the music of language. She has read poetry to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara audiences for 20+ years and has been published in Asylum, Café Solo, and Pudding Magazine. She’s been the featured reader at the live poetry series Corners of the Mouth, and San Luis Obispo’s annual Poetry Festival. Marguerite also served as Proofreader for TALES FROM THE CORNER.

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Dennis Cutshaw says he “…writes out of desperation. There’s nothing else I can do. I’m too old and beat up for a real job. I just climb up to the old garret every night and face that blank piece of paper while rats nibble on my toes. It’s a life…sort of.” He’s waiting for a call from NPR.

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Charlotte Delitescere~Bloom was born in Bretigny, Medieval France in 13??. She attributes her youthful appearance to exercise, an organic diet, and “this freaky statue I bought at Napoleon Bonaparte’s rummage sale.” Miss Bloom enjoys archery (both of arrows and eyebrows), folk dancing, and paratrooping. Her many fans eagerly await the publication of her first novel, Green Grow the Lilacs and, weather permitting, the sequel Druscilla.

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Paul Alan Fahey is a learning disabilities specialist and instructor at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. He is the editor of Mindprints, A Literary Journal www.imindprints.com, a publication for writers and artists with disabilities or those with an interest in the population. His work has appeared in Byline, Kaleidoscope, Thema and The New Times. He recently won first prize in nonfiction and second prize for the short story at the 2005 Cuesta College Writer's Conference.

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Troy Parker Farr wrote for small newspapers and in aerospace as technical writer/editor. Publications include an essay in Science of Mind magazine, letters to the editor in the San Luis Obispo Tribune and a recent honorable mention in a Writer’s Digest poetry contest.

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Allen Gadberry is retired and writes fiction and poetry part time from his home in Santa Maria, California with his wife Carlene who is an avid Quilter. With his varied background as a Marine Combat Veteran, Fireman, Policeman, and Private Investigator, he can draw upon all of these experiences for his writing.

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Bart Gardner ~ Submission Committee Representative for TALES FROM THE CORNER (Creative Writing Workshop) ~ I’ve spent three years writing The Curse of the Pirate’s Pipe. The Pipe exists, bought at a renaissance fair from an old woman with hair like a bundle of dried Curly Willow boughs. I can still hear her cackle as she handed it over with her three-fingered hand. When I went to return it, at the insistence of my wife—some issue about ancient relics of the damned in her house—the old woman was gone. Would you like to buy a pipe?

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Rita Mizzi Hassett, Born in NYC. Mother of five lovely children and five lovely grandchildren. Currently working as RN in San Luis Obispo. Published in children’s anthology by Charles Scribners and Sons in NYC years after I moved to California. Also, was published (poetry and two short stories) by Family Time Magazine out of the Midwest which is no longer being published.

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Debra Davis Hinkle’s writing was ignited by the pain and anger felt at the death of her Mother and fueled by the scars of child abuse. She excels in creative non-fiction and her short stories on child abuse are haunting. Debra is working on: (1) a cookbook of her Mother’s recipes, (2) tweaking her personal journal Grieving Daughter, Dying Mother, (3) a book on auditory dyslexia. Photos of her menagerie can be seen on her website: www.cleanmyatticsale.com. She can be reached at dkhinkle@pacbell.net.

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Ken S. Hutchison began writing at sixteen. His first piece was a science fiction novel, Quasar. In 1984, he wrote his first poem and now has over 260 to his credit. In 1988, one of his poems, “Peace of Mind,” won the “Golden Poet Award” in a West Coast poetry competition. It was subsequently published in the New American Poetry Anthology.

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Karen Juran ~ Editor of TALES FROM THE CORNER. Karen’s lifelong writing experience includes genres as diverse as poetry, journalism, technical books, song lyrics, television and novels. She’s served as Editor on several publications and Judge for national writing competitions. Karen is credentialed for public school through graduate college instruction. Since 2000, she’s held the position of Writing Workshops Leader for the SLO Barnes & Noble ~ offering Creative Writing and Writing Children's Literature groups. Her first novel, The Third Son, is about to be released and has a second in progress. Email Address: talesfromcorner@aol.com.

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Kenneth Knight’s Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Special Theory of Relativity, But Were Afraid to Ask, is written in a light, witty tone for anyone to easily understand. After serving in the British Royal Navy during WWII, Ken graduated as a Mechanical Engineer and was superintendent of a major power plant. In 1966, he came to the US where he was the senior designer of major electric generating stations. At 66 he sailed the Pacific to Hawaii in his 28-foot sloop.

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Jim Leonard is a retired consultant for industry proposals to the federal government. Now living in San Luis Obispo, California, he is learning to “see as a child” again through interactions with his grandchildren. Mr. Leonard is publishing his first book titled A Little Bible Guide for Carly.

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Gloria Pautz uses colorful characters who lived in the blue-collar town in Ohio where she spent her childhood. They are woven into many of her witty and diverse stories. Editor’s Note: Gloria was the first author to join the Creative Writing Workshop in 2000 and Writing Children’s Literature in 2002. Her dedication and talent as a participant in these and other local writer’s workshops have been an inspiration to us all.

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B. Carter Pittman views writing as the ultimate artistic medium, enabling him to create an entire universe within his own specifications. He has explored many genres of writing, including poetry, songs, and fiction, some of which have been published. Currently, Carter writes a column entitled “Carter’s Corner” for www.meandermagazine.com.

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Debbie Pittman ~ Illustrator for TALES FROM THE CORNER, has been painting commercially since she was 16, and sold approximately 1,000 paintings “through the years.” She works primarily in acrylic and oils, but has done works in watercolor, sculpture, pen & ink, digital graphic design, photography and with non-traditional materials. Some of her photography has graced national magazine covers. She’s been commissioned to do animal portraiture and specializes in horses. For more on Debbie’s work go to www.meandermagazine.com and contact her at: Qtrmoonsw@aol.com.

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Shirley Powell (S. I. Powell) has appeared in various newspapers and magazines, from True Romance to The Cleveland Plain Dealer to National Motorist. "Not on the Itinerary" is a true tale of her husband Jim's experience on a tour in Russia. They live in San Luis Obispo.

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Susan Pyburn is a freelance writer and photographer living in San Luis Obispo. Previous work has appeared in Pilgrimage, Escapees, New Times, Brentwood Bla Bla as well as Malibu Surfside News. She is writing a travel memoir. Her photographs have appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine and San Luis Obispo Art Center, among others.

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Terry Sanville ~ Design Editor for TALES FROM THE CORNER. Terry writes fiction full-time with stories published in GRIT Magazine, Beginnings, a New York City journal, and R-KV-RY, a Greenwich Village journal. He lives in San Luis Obispo, California with his artist-poet wife, Marguerite Costigan (his in-house editor), and two cats (his in-house critics).

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Robin Shen is a graduate of Cal Poly and is currently working in the aerospace industry at Vandenberg Air Force Base. A Central Coast resident since 1994, he currently lives in Santa Maria and can be seen riding regularly by the sea at Pismo Beach. (Note: For background and photos of Robin and his horse, “Marchello,” that inspired Hurricane, go to: www.robinshen.com

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Helen M. Sherry, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist/writer dedicated to helping children and teens. Her work deals with serious subjects in a creative, engaging manner. Prior publications span the range from right-brain poetry to parenting issues to left-brain annual stock reports. She lives in Nipomo, CA with her husband and two sons. She’s writing a Young Adult novel dealing with grief.

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Carolyn F. Shortt combines her love of poetry by writing stories, poems and press releases. Her first triumph was publication of poems in a Bay area newspaper. Presently she reads and/or acts out stories for preschoolers at Dayspring Preschool, and writes stories and PR for the First Baptist Church, Nipomo, CA.

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Laurie Woodward ~ Submission Committee Representative for TALES FROM THE CORNER (Writing Children’s Literature Workshop) ~ Laurie has always lived with her head in the clouds. As a teacher in Santa Maria, California she enjoys using her own writing experiences to help students create their own stories. She lives in the small town of Nipomo with her husband, son and daughter along with chickens and a Weimaraner named Oliver. (Laurie’s husband, David E. Stroup contributed the photo for “Encore.” David’s been Artist-in-Residence for National Parks and garnered numerous, prestigious National awards and recognitions.)

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Moira Wunderlich—I have lived in SLO town for the past 14 years after having lived in several ‘faster’ places. All my life I have enjoyed the written word and guess have been a ‘wanabe’ writer for a long time.

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“Every act of kindness is a little bit of love we leave behind.” ~ John Williams