An excerpt from the upcoming book by Armando Nieto, Mary Conrad, and Matt Pallamary: The Santa Barbara Writers Conference Scrapbook — Words of Wisdom from Thirty Years of Literary Excellence 1973 – 2003
After Ray Bradbury’s inspirational welcome the first night of the conference in 1978, Charles “Sparky” Schulz opened the second night with a piece of chalk in hand. As he took the stage and approached a blackboard the audience hushed.
With deft strokes he created a figure familiar to fans around the world, and when he turned back to the audience, Snoopy at a typewriter was visible over his shoulders.
He smiled and said, “I just wanted to prove I’m no fake.”
That rendering of Snoopy at typewriter has been the logo of the SBWC since 1976, and always brings smiles to the thousands of SBWC attendees who participated in workshops or just came to hear one of the featured speakers over the past forty plus years.
Charles "Sparky" Schulz became a fixture of the conference until his death in February of 2000, and for many, especially SBWC attendees, Sparky was as beloved as his dog, and his depiction of Snoopy at his typewriter will always keep the artist alive in their hearts.
