Alumni Hub

Sponsor an Application Fee

Support the workshop application fee for an emerging writer! Help make the application process as accessible as possible: If you are someone who usually donates application fees, or if you’d like to do so, we will be managing a pool for applicants who can’t afford to pay, and to cover the balance for writers applying at a sliding scale rate. Donate today!

Connect with Clarion West and Fellow Alumni

A full list of our alumni is published at the Alumni Directory.

Publication Announcements

You can send us information about your publications and awards, as well as update your name, email, and social media here.

Share Your Announcements!

Follow Clarion West on Social Media & Connect With Alumni

You can follow Clarion West on Bluesky and Instagram, like our Facebook page, or watch our videos on YouTube. Tag us in your big announcements, and help share upcoming events!

LinkedIn: We have a new Clarion West Alumni and Instructors group on LinkedIn for all Six-Week and Novel Workshop affiliated folks! Use this link to request to be added to the group.

Discord: Clarion West’s community Discord has private channels for Six-Week and Novel Workshop alumni. Join here and message staff to be added to these channels.

Subscribe to the Alumni Newsletter

Be sure to subscribe to the Clarion West newsletter for updates on other alumni, what’s happening at Clarion West, and new opportunities for writers. If you’re not sure if you’re getting the newsletter or if we have the right email, click below to subscribe. Update our system on your special interests and what you want to hear more about!

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Instructor Selection Meetings

Join Clarion West alumni, instructors, staff, and board members as we nominate and select instructors for the 2027 Six-Week Workshop. The workshop will be virtual in 2027 while we eagerly await residential space to become available in the El Rey (read all about it here). It will also follow the new format with staff-led weeks 1 & 4 and instructors leading weeks 2, 3, 5, & 6. Whether or not you can join us for the instructor selection meetings, please complete this survey to help us pick the instructors for 2027!

The Instructor Selection Meetings to finalize our top choices for the Six-Week Workshop in 2027:

Instructor Selection Meeting #1: February 28, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Register for Instructor Selection Meeting #1

Instructor Selection Meeting #2: March 14, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Register for Instructor Selection Meeting #2

Alumni Engagement Committee Monthly Meetings

More information coming soon! Join with fellow Six-Week and Novel Workshop alumni to plan reunions, con meetups, and more. You can also attend this group to support Regional Affinity opportunities: Do you want to be put in touch with other alumni in your country, city, or metro area? We’re working on new ways to get our alumni in touch, from hubs like New York City and LA to places outside the U.S.

Keep an eye on this space to learn how to get connected and plan events in your area! Email to be added to upcoming committee meetings.

Author Events

Steamy in Seattle 2026 is March 21st! Join us for Steamy in Seattle 2026 where guests Kimberly Lemming and Stephanie Burgis (CW ’01) are in conversation about cozy monster romance! 

Learn More

Alumni Opportunities

Indie Bookshop Opportunity! 

Zines on display at CAM

Common Objects Bookstore, a part of the Common AREA Maintenance (CAM) artists and writer collective in downtown Seattle, is providing a brick-and-mortar opportunity for independent writers, artists, and creators to share their work. With a focus on amplifying voices and publications that may not have other outlets, fostering a culture of creativity, generosity, and joy, this the perfect place to feature your independent work! Zines, chapbooks, comics, novellas, novels, and art books are all welcome. Submit an interest form for consignment and tell them you’re a Clarion West alumni! We’re aiming to fill up a bookshelf dedicated to alumni works!  

Fill Out The Consignment Form Here
Custom bookshelves with zines and art books.

The basics:
The store is open during events at Common Objects and other community events such as the Belltown Art Walk. Works are sold on commission. If accepted, a commission contract will be signed with you and CAM. Proceeds from bookstore sales support growing the bookstore and CAM’s broader mission to cultivate an inclusive and affordable creative community. You do not have to be based in Seattle, but getting your work to CAM will be up to you. 

Clarion West is partnering with CAM as a member-organization at their downtown Seattle location as we work together on creating a thriving writing community and supporting the rehabilitation of the El Rey Building. 

Get Human Creator Certified!

A message from past board member, Ned Hayes:
For writers at all levels of their career, being distinguished as a real, human creator seems increasingly important in the age of AI. As a result, I’ve joined together with other writers and creators to form Human Intelligence®, to stand as a bulwark to protect human creativity. Our team is composed of novelists, dancers, artists, musicians, writers, coders, and creators of every type and description. We believe that every human being is a creator. We celebrate and defend the intrinsic value of human-created work: We won’t allow the wonder and glory of human creativity to be diminished.

Our team uses a variety of tools to combat the predation and destructive potential of generative AI. One of these tools is the Human Creator certification, certifying you (and your work) as a human creator and licenses your use of the Humanright™ mark. With this lifetime certification comes early access to the Institute’s evolving set of tools designed to authenticate, protect, and promote your work.

Free Certification for Clarion West Alumni
We’re partnering with Clarion West because we care deeply about supporting the work of Human Writers, not about licensing to AI companies (unlike a few other companies out there). Through an anonymous donor, all Clarion West alumni have been offered free “Human Creator” certification. This is through the generation donation of a community member and a matching gift from the Human Intelligence Institute – (HII).

If you find such a ‘human’ certification to be valuable in your work with agents, publishers or writing communities, use the Clarion West sign-up page to get started.

Please feel free to reach out to me at ned at human.global, if you have questions or want to learn more about the Institute or their work with Clarion West.

Recommendation Letter

Do you need a recommendation letter from our team?

Clarion West staff regularly write recommendation letters for residency programs, fellowships, grant opportunities, MFA programs, and more. Please provide:

  • Your name used in the application and the year you attended Clarion West;
  • The name of the program you are applying to, plus the contact name;
  • A letter template including: what the program needs to know about you and your most recently attended programs, education, and any relevant accomplishments;
  • A deadline for completing the letter. Please note: the Clarion West staff needs at least two weeks notice for a letter of recommendation. Our team is small and already under a number of tight deadlines. Please do not send us anything that needs a faster turnaround.

Email us at to get started.

Workshop Support

Learn More: A New Partnership & Building Opportunity for the Workshop

Summer Workshop Location/Housing

Since 2020, our previous housing partners closed while the cost of dormitories has significantly increased. In 2024, the organization committed funds from savings to hold the Six-Week Workshop in Seattle and support 83% of participants with scholarships. As a result of the high costs of the dormitory spaces, the workshop will be virtual until our new residency spaces are ready for move-in. Click on the link above to learn how we are working toward a long-term solution in the heart of Seattle!

Summer Wish List

Check out our Summer Wish List for opportunities to donate Clarion West goodies to the class of 2026 or sponsor a party.

Six-Week Mentors

Each year, we pair new Six-Week Participants with an alumni mentor. We look for mentors who have the time and energy to make introductions with students and check in with them weekly during the workshop. If you would like to be considered for a Six-Week Mentor, send your information to and you will be sent an information survey when the next class is invited!

Application Readers

We are always looking for a team of enthusiastic and committed application readers for the application season. We want well-read speculative fiction fans, writers, and teachers to help us select each class (now including Novel Writing Workshop applicants and Six-Week Workshop applicants!).

We are committed to assigning three readers to every application for a diversity of perspectives, in order to give a fair review to all applicants. Readers commit to attend a virtual orientation before application review begins. Email to indicate your interest in participating and to receive a notification when readers are invited to apply.

Ways to Give

Instructorships

Each year, we recruit the most talented writers from around the world: past instructors include Carmen Maria Machado, N. K. Jemisin, Ted Chiang, George R. R. Martin, Ann Leckie, P. Djèlí Clark, Fonda Lee, and so many more. The right instructor at Clarion West can change lives, inspire dreams, and make careers.

Instructorships support the honorarium, travel, meals, and other expenses for our instructors. Alumni have supported instructorships independently, with their class, or by supporting a fund with any amount. To learn more, email .

Scholarships

The cost of classes and workshops, travel, and time away can be a barrier to attending our programs. To reduce some of these barriers, we are committed to providing scholarships covering full and partial tuition to our residential workshops; discounts to reduce the cost of online classes; free events and programs for our community; and free seats in online classes for PGM/BIPOC writers.

We welcome donations to support our general scholarship fund, named scholarships, and sponsorships to cover our free programs! If you would like to organize a class scholarship, please email us at .

Learn more about all the ways you can give back at our Giving page.

More News