Dear editor, The Napa Valley Writers’ Conference runs Sunday, July 27 to Friday, Aug. 1, at the Upper Valley Campus in St. Helena. Writers will be coming from as far away as Spain for the long-established program. Some of these poets and fiction writers find it difficult to afford lodging in our expensive valley so the conference finds housing for those who require it.

This year the conference is short of housing. If you have a spare room or an alcove with a futon that you are willing to offer to a writer from July 31 to Aug. 1, please contact Ann Newton Holmes at 963-4851 or holmes@fcs.net. Your reward: The conference invites you to be its guest for world-class daytime lectures at the Upper Valley Campus and evening readings at St. Supery and Robert Mondavi wineries and the Napa Valley Opera House. Many who have shared their homes have discovered, however, that the greatest perk is the sparkling company of a creative guest.

Ann Newton Holmes / Deer Park