Lois Requist received her BA and MA in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Since, she has written and published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her three books are Where Lilacs Bloom, RVing Solo Across America, without a cat, dog, man, or gun, and Late Harvest Green.
Publications of poetry, newspaper articles, fiction and nonfiction include weekly columns—Caffeine Chronicles at BeniciaPatch.com, and Personally Speaking for the Contra Costa Sun. Other places she has published include Alaska Quarterly, Amelia, San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, Futurific Magazine, Monterey Life, Oakland Tribune, Benicia Herald, Oh! Idaho, Old West, Rocking Chair Reader-Coming Home, Sacramento Magazine, Survivors Review, ehow.com, and Trillum Literary Journal.
Active for many years in the League of Women Voters, she served as President of the Diablo Valley and Benicia Leagues, and on the board of the California LWV. She was Executive Director of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, in Lafayette, California. In Benicia, she cofounded Carquinez Village, which connects, supports, and inspires seniors in this area. She’s also active in Benicia Literary Arts.
On the personal side, she loves travel and has moved about the world extensively besides the RV trip which led to the book mentioned above. She very much enjoys living in the small community of Benicia. She served as Poet Laureate and continues to be active in the writing community. Walking all over town helps her stay fit and healthy. She is grateful for a network of friends and family that support and challenge her.
Though she’s lived most of her life in California, she’s written a good deal about Idaho. Benicia has alleys and that may be part of the reason it connects her in some way to Nampa, Idaho, where she grew up.
She’s always been an avid reader, interested in politics, and trying to understand the universe she lives in. She still has lots of work to do, in that regard.
