FLASH FICTION: CLAUDIA MONPERE, KATHRYN SILVER-HAJO, & PATRICIA Q. BIDAR

Patricia (moderator) is a third-generation Californian from the Port of Los Angeles district, with family roots in Santa Fe, southern Arizona, and the Great Salt Lake. She has lived in the East Bay for three decades. "Pardon Me for Moonwalking" (Unsolicited Press, 2025), her second book, is a collection of short stories and flash fiction.

Claudia (reader) is a longtime Bay Area resident and Senior Lecturer at Santa Clara University. Her upcoming collection of flash fiction is called "The Periodic Family" (Cowboy Jamboree 2026).

Kathryn (reader) studied in the Creative Writing MFA program at Emerson College, has a degree in Middle Eastern studies is a fluent speaker of Arabic. After graduating, she moved to Beirut from Boston with her future husband and lived there for several years during times of war and conflict—but also of joy and inspiration. "Spinning," her third book, will be published by Cowboy Jamboree Press in 2026