Board & Staff Members
Clarion West incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1986, with workshop alumni and other interested members of the science fiction community forming its first Board of Directors. With the help of many dedicated volunteers and a core of committed professional staff, Clarion West has produced some of science fiction and fantasy’s top writers and editors. Graduates have received every major form of recognition in the field, including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards.
Board of Directors
Shweta Adhyam
Chair
Shweta (CW ’17) speaks five languages, belongs to four cultures, has had three careers, loves two cities, and thinks escapism is excellent.
She/her.
Misha Stone
Vice Chair
Misha is a librarian in Seattle specializing in readers’ advisory. Misha loves books, karaoke, coffee and fall in the Northwest.
She/her.
M. Huw Evans
Secretary
Huw (CW ’12) served as workshop administrator 2014–2017. He writes, edits, and—when time and family permit—reads.
He/him.
M. L. Krishnan
M. L. Krishnan (CW ’19) is a writer and editor who hails from the coastal shores of Tamil Nadu, South India. She works with khōréō Magazine and lives in the Midwest.
She/her.
Jon Lasser
Jon (CW ’16) lives in Seattle. His stories have appeared in Galaxy’s Edge, Diabolical Plots, Underland Arcana, and elsewhere.
He/him.
Alexandra Manglis
Alexandra Manglis (’17) is a Cypriot writer living in New England. She likes long naps and deep time.
Tod McCoy
Tod (CW ’10) runs Hydra House Books, writes contemporary fantasy and poetry, and loves pizza and chimichangas. But not mixed together.
He/him.
Kris Millering
Kris (CW ’09) is a linguist by training, a tech tinkerer by trade, and a writer and photographer by avocation.
She/her.
Zola Mumford
Zola is an academic librarian; researcher; co-leader of the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute; a community story training program of the Wa Na Wari community arts project; and a writer.
Dominica Phetteplace
Dominica Phetteplace graduated from Clarion West in 2007. She is a writer and math tutor based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She/her.
Nisi Shawl
Nisi (CW ’92) has been on the board for over 20 years! They are still writing. Their time as CW’s Communications Director helped tighten their prose.
They/them.
Yang-Yang Wang
Yang-Yang (CW ’14) is an actor and writer. A lover of brevity, and former board chair, he can be found Wednesday evenings on a Fantasy Author D&D Twitch Stream.
He/him.
Staff
Elly Bangs
Database Specialist
Elly attended Clarion West in 2017. She rides her bicycle everywhere and enjoys pie, dream pop, and obscure factoids about outer space.
She/her.
Marnee Chua
Executive Director
Marnee is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, nonprofit administrator, reader, and loves to scuba dive. She prefers stories with kimchi in space.
She/her.
Amy Hirayama
Events and Residency Coordinator
Amy is a writer, educator, and sumo wrestling fan. She loves forest bathing and cooking elaborate Japanese celebratory feasts.
She/her.
Stephanie Morris
Class and Content Coordinator
Stephanie reads stuff out loud, fangirls professionally, and occasionally writes stories. She attended Clarion West in 2017.
She/her.
Erik Owomoyela
Back-End Developer
Erik built his first website for a Star Trek role-playing group, and then went to journalism school. He attended Clarion West in 2010.
He/him.
Rashida J. Smith
Program Director
Writer, mom, and occasional cellist, Rashida attended Clarion West in 2005. She loves oatmeal raisin cookies, “kissing books” and superhero movies.
She/her.
Jae Steinbacher
Workshop Manager
Jae is a writer, editor, and dual class factotum/sorcerer. They love cats, second world fantasy, and seeing the mountain come out, and they attended Clarion West in 2014. Jae’s been helping run the Six-Week Workshop since 2018.
They/them.
Suzanne Tompkins
Special Projects Coordinator
An independent association manager/meeting planner, Suzanne has been CW’s Office Manager and/or Bookkeeper since 2005. She’s worked on Facilities at many recent Worldcons.
She/her.