Have Lunch With New York Times Bestseller Joyce Maynard at Monatalvo, 5/2

Montalvo Arts Center continues its Montalvo Writers Series with a literary luncheon with author/journalist Joyce Maynard, 11:30am, May 2. Maynard began publishing her stories in magazines when she was 13 years old, and is now author of 17 books, including three New York Times bestsellers.

Maynard has also been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a regular contributor to NPR and national magazines, and a longtime performer with The Moth, the non-profit group dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling heard on NPR. The moderator of the conversation will be Katherine Maxfield. Known for her friendly yet probing style that encourages writers to reveal their thought processes and creative practices, Maxfield will discuss Maynard's career and her most recent publication, The Best of Us.

A life-affirming reflection on coming to understand true love through the experience of loss, The Best of Us follows the 19-month battle that Maynard and her husband endured as he fought pancreatic cancer.

This literary luncheon will be presented at Montalvo Arts Center, 15400 Montalvo Rd., Saratoga. For tickets ($50, includes a lunch paired with wine) and more information the public may visit montalvoarts.org or call 408-961-5858.

Joyce Maynard came to national attention when The New York Times ran as a cover story, "An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back on Life" written by Maynard, then freshman at Yale. Since then Maynard has authored 17 books, including the novel To Die For and the best-selling memoir, At Home in the World - which was translated into 16 languages. In 2002 she founded the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala, where she hosts a weeklong workshop in personal storytelling every winter. Currently, Maynard runs workshops in memoir-writing at her home in Lafayette, California.

Katherine Maxfield graduated cum laude with a BA in economics from Ohio University, has an MBA (marketing) from Santa Clara University, and an MFA (writing) from St. Mary's College of California. After leaving the corporate world, Maxfield turned to writing in 2002 and helped launch Montalvo's Writers Series in 2014. Maxfield's conversations have been favorably compared by audience members to Terry Gross' Fresh Air, City Arts & Lectures, and Celebrity Forum.

With readings, conversations, panel discussions, and even concerts, the Montalvo Writers Series gives audience members the opportunity to engage with leading writers of diverse genres as they present new work and discuss their craft, inspirations, and process.

Montalvo Arts Center is a donor-supported nonprofit institution whose mission is to engage the public in the creative process, acting as a catalyst for exploring the arts, unleashing creativity, and advancing different cultural and cross-cultural perspectives. Located in Silicon Valley's Saratoga Hills, Montalvo occupies a Mediterranean-style Villa, built in 1912 by Senator James Duval Phelan and surrounded by 175 stunning acres. Senator Phelan bequeathed the Villa and grounds to the people of California for the encouragement of art, music, literature, and architecture, a mandate Montalvo has carried forward ever since its founding. The grounds include the campus of the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program (LAP), the Claire Loftus Carriage House Theatre, and the Lilian Fontaine Garden Theatre. For more information about Montalvo Arts Center and its programs, the public can call 408-961-5858 or visit montalvoarts.org.

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