The State - News from April 14, 1986

Between 70 and 80 people attending a literary conference at Sacramento City College fell sick with what appeared to be food poisoning, county health officials said. The outbreak occurred during a conference on realism in young-adult literature, and about two dozen of those who fell ill sought help at local hospitals, with symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and shortness of breath. At University of California, Davis, Medical Center, 18 were treated and released, a spokeswoman said, including well-known children’s book authors Paula Fox and Vera Williams.