WRITERS CONFERENCE : PUBLIC EVENTS

Although the Santa Barbara Writers Conference is already sold out, the following is a partial list of special presentations open to the public. Events are $5 each, payable at the door. No reservations are accepted. The Miramar Hotel is three miles south of Santa Barbara off U.S. 101 at the San Ysidro exit. Call 684-2250.

Friday, 8:15 p.m. Ray Bradbury, best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories, will open the conference.

Saturday, 4 p.m. Charles Schulz, creator of the popular comic strip Peanuts, which is read daily by more than 100 million people in 24 languages, will speak on “Forty Years of Peanuts.”

Saturday, 8 p.m. Steve Allen, comedian, composer, pianist, actor and author of 34 books, will lecture on “The Erosion of Intelligence in America.”

Sunday, 8 p.m. John Hersey, Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose books include “A Bell for Adano” and “Hiroshima,” will receive the conference’s Lifetime of Literary Excellence Award.

Tuesday, 8 p.m. Amy Tan, author of “The Joy Luck Club,” will speak about her best-seller novel, which is a runner-up for the National Book Club Award for 1990.

Wednesday, 4 p.m. Joan Quigley will speak about her book “What Does Joan Say,” which describes her years as astrological adviser to Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

Wednesday, 8 p.m. Brian Garfield, a novelist, screenwriter, critic and producer, will speak on “How Many Hats Can A Writer Wear?” He has written a number of books including “Death Wish,” “Hopscotch” (which was made into a motion picture) and “Manifest Destiny,” a current best-seller.

June 28, 4 p.m. A travel writing panel will include such experts as Jerry Hulse, travel writer and editor of the Los Angeles Times Travel section, and Joan Tapper, editor of Islands Magazine.

June 28, 8 p.m. Gore Vidal, novelist, essayist, screenwriter and controversial political figure, will be awarded the conference’s Lifetime of Literary Excellence Award.