Charan Sue Wollard was born in 1951 in Oak Park, Ill., and grew up in northern Virginia. She started writing in her youth, experimenting with poetry, short stories, plays and, later, screenplays. In high school, she was poetry editor for the school literary magazine.

She graduated from George Washington University in 1973, with a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization. The next year, she moved to the California, where she began a 27-year career in journalism.

She studied art at Las Positas College from 2000-2006. Her artwork has appeared in local and regional shows.

Her poetry and short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and literary magazines, and on her website www.livermorelit.com. She is the current Poet Laureate of Livermore, CA.

“In My Other Life” is her first poetry collection.

Wollard has been married since 1971 to Reece Wollard, a pilot and musician. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.