May 2014 Clarion West Alumni News
Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, and award nominations are in the air. Clarion West is busy preparing for the intensive Six-Week Workshop. We hope you’ll join us and our instructors for the Summer Readings Series and participate in our annual Write-a-thon as a writer or supporter.
This month, we have a long and exciting list of alumni with award nominations and new publications. We’re also starting up a new monthly feature: links to stories and books by alumni that you may have missed. If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming edition of the alumni news, please send your links and the year you attended Clarion West to alumni@clarionwest.org. We’d love to hear from you!
Featured this month
“Long Enough and Just So Long” by Cat Rambo (CW ’05)
“Pinned and Wriggling on the Wall” by Usman T Malik (CW ’13)
The Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard (instructor), available from your local independent bookseller.
Awards
Randy Henderson (CW ’09) has won the grand prize in the 30th annual Writers of the Future contest. You can read a transcript of his acceptance speech on his Web site.
Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston (CW ’12) has earned a Montana Book Award honor.
Usman Tanveer Malik (CW ’13) was awarded the 2013 Written Backwards DRAWA Inspiration Award. “The DRAWA Inspiration recognizes an individual somewhat new to the craft, someone with emerging talent, a strong, literary powerhouse waiting to erupt; this is the person to watch closely.”
Ann Leckie (CW ’05) has won the 2013 BSFA Award for Best Novel and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Ancillary Justice.
Nominations
Clarion West alumni have been nominated in a number of categories for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.
Best Novel
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (CW ’05) (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
Best Novella
“Wakulla Springs,” Andy Duncan (CW ’94) and Ellen Klages (Tor.com 10/2/2013)
“The Weight of the Sunrise,” Vylar Kaftan (CW ’04) (Asimov’s 2/2013)
Best Novelette
“Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,” Henry Lien (CW ’12) (Asimov’s 12/2013)
Best Short Story
“If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,” Rachel Swirsky (CW ’05) (Apex 3/2013)
Best Novel
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (CW ’05) (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
Best Novella
“Wakulla Springs,” Andy Duncan (CW ’94) and Ellen Klages (Tor.com, 10/2013)
Best Short Story
“If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,” Rachel Swirsky (Apex Magazine, 3/2013)
Best Related Work
We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative, Kameron Hurley (CW ’00) (A Dribble of Ink)
Publications
“Super-Earth Mother,” a novella by Guy Immega (CW ’06), appears in the anthology Extreme Planets, out now.
The essay “Fear and the Dauntless Girl” by Blythe Woolston (CW ‘12) appears in Divergent Thinking: YA Authors on Veronica Roth’s Divergent Trilogy. Her new two-book contract includes MARTians, a novel that’s growing out of a story she wrote while at Clarion West.
Maura McHugh’s (CW ’06) short story “Valerie” is part of the anthology La Femme, edited by Ian Whates, which will have its publication launch by NewCon Press at Eastercon in Glasgow, UK.
David Levine’s (CW ‘00) Hugo-winning short story “Tk’Tk’Tk” has been adapted into a short play, which was presented as part of an evening of short science fiction plays called “Brave New Sci-Fi” in April 2014. He has a novelette in the May/June issue of F&SF titled “The End of the Silk Road.” He has also just sold a short story, “Mammals,” to Analog.
Margot Adler (CW ’73) has a new book out now called Vampires Are Us: Understanding Our Love Affair with the Immortal Dark Side. You can see her talking about the book in a video on YouTube.
Alyx Dellamonica’s (CW ’95) story “The Ugly Woman of Castello di Putti” has been published at tor.com.
“Eight Months Left” by Katrina S. Forest (CW ’09) has been published in Every Day Fiction.
The final issue of Superficial Flesh contains the work of several Clarion West alumni: Cassandra Rose Clarke (CW ’10), Cat Rambo (CW ’05), Caren Gussoff (CW ’08), and Lucas Johnson (CW ’09).
Neile Graham (CW ’96) has a poem in Strange Horizons called “The God of Lost Things.”
“The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown” by Caroline M. Yoachim (CW ’06) was published in Drabblecast in April 2014.
The Mammoth Book of SF Stories by Women, edited by Alex Dally MacFarlane, has stories by four Clarion West alumni: Nisi Shawl (CW ’92), Alice Sola Kim (CW ’04), Rochita Loenen-Ruiz (CW ’09), and E. Lily Yu (CW ’13).
Analog has bought a novella by Henry Lien (CW ’12) called “The Great Leap of Shin.” It is set in the same world as his Nebula-nominated kung fu figure skating novelette, “Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters.”
Jay O’Connell (CW ‘94) has had a number of stories appear in Asimov’s recently: “That Universe We Both Dreamed Of,” “Dignity,” and “Solomon’s Little Sister.” He has stories forthcoming in Asimov’s and F&SF this year.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are expanding their Splinter Universe website to include fiction by other working writers.
Nisi Shawl (CW’92) has a nonfiction piece in Strange Horizons: “Reviewing the Other: Like Dancing about Architecture.”
“Those Are Pearls That Were His Eyes” by Daniel Marcus (CW ’92) was published in Escape Pod in April.
Tracie Welser (CW ’10) has a story titled “A Doll is Not a Dumpling” in the March/April 2014 issue of Interzone. She wrote a non-fiction piece, “The Status Quo Cannot Hold,” for Women Destroy Science Fiction, which will be out in June.
Appearances
Steve Miller (CW ‘73) and Sharon Lee will be Principal Speakers at Philcon 2014, the world’s oldest ongoing SF convention. Along with dozens of other well-known writers, artists, filkers, and fans, they’ll bring lots of literary fun to the outskirts of Philadelphia November 21 to 23, 2014.
Passages
Clarion West is saddened to note the passing of Lucius Shepard, a Clarion West instructor and the author of many short stories, novellas, and novels. He was a dear friend to many in our community, and he is missed. His series of essays on writing is available for free download from Electric Story.