With standing-room-only audiences, publicity in the New Yorker, and lively participation from Samuel R. Delany, Pat Murphy, Tim Pratt, Jack Womack, and Cat Rambo ('05), two July readings highlighted the coast-to-coast presence of the Clarion West community. On Wednesday, July 15, in New York City, Ellen Datlow and KGB's Matthew Kressel hosted a CW benefit featuring Delany, Womack, Rambo, and alumni Rajan Khanna ('08) and Kris Dikeman ('05). See photos from the event here. On Thursday, July 23, San Francisco's Borderlands Books hosted Pat Murphy, Tim Pratt, Rachel Swirsky ('05), Vylar Kaftan ('04), and Amelia Beamer of Locus magazine for a second CW benefit reading organized by Erin Cashier ('07).
Cashier said the San Francisco event went "fabulously." She expects to make the reading an annual event with the enthusiastic support of Borderlands owner Alan Beatts.
Khanna reported that in addition to reading participants, many alumni, including K. Tempest Bradford ('03) and Meghan McCarron ('04), were in the appreciative New York audience. Khanna spoke to them about the Amazon.com challenge grant and Write-a-thon, and read remembrances from absent CW alumni. Event hosts Datlow and Kressel donated $50 to Clarion West on behalf of the KGB Fantastic Fiction reading series. SFScope's more detailed write-up of the KGB event can be found here.
