Mark Powers is a Master Beekeeper and former OCBA president. That expertise plus years of beekeeping and his medical background qualify him well to share “Bee Sting Allergy — What Beekeepers Need to Know” at the Oct. 9 club meeting.

Bring an appetizer or desert and join us at the Orange County Center of the NC Cooperative Extension, 1020 US Highway 70 West in Hillsborough, at 6 pm for a time of food and conversation. Hive talk will run from 6:15-6:45 pm and the program begins at 7 pm, followed at 8 pm by a very brief business meeting.

A native of West Lebanon, NH, Mark majored in engineering at Cornell University before receiving an MD from Dartmouth and then venturing south to the University of North Carolina for an internship and residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. 

After almost 40 years in clinical practice and teaching, he retired from Duke University as an Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine and began writing, growing fruits and vegetables, and beekeeping. He also has been a volunteer Duke Forest Steward.

Mark has written several medical thrillers: A Swarm in May, Breath and Mercy, Nature’s Bite, and The Desperate Trials of Phineas Mann (shortlisted for the Hawthorne Prize in Fiction, finalist for the Indie Excellence Award, and winner of the Independent Authors Award in the medical thrillers category).

He also writes short stories. Rabbits was published in the journal Does It Have Pockets (https://www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/mark-powers?rq=rabbits). The Monsta was published in the spring/summer edition of moonShine review, and Match.com was published in the fall/winter edition. The Caddy has been accepted for the next edition. Bail Money has been accepted for publication by Lowlife Lit, and Fledglings has been accepted for publication by Tiger Leaping Review. To learn more or connect with Mark, visit https://hawksbillpress.com.

Mark’s wife, Karen Lauterbach, is also a beekeeper and OCBA member.