News of the allegations against Neil Gaiman began breaking as this year’s six-week workshop hurtled into its third week. As we emerge from the workshop and have time to process this news, our board and staff want to take a moment to recognize that a culture of silence and protecting prominent authors has been widespread…
The workshop had a bit of a shake-up this week. Due to the CrowdStrike airline disruptions, our Week Six Instructor, Carmen Maria Machado, was unable to join us in person. The class adjusted to a hybrid format easily, which involved an all-seeing and all-hearing owl. Very on-brand. While we missed Carmen’s presence on-site, she was…
Our Week 5 instructor, Ruoxi Chen, brought her deep knowledge of markets and vast experience as an in-house acquiring editor to the classroom this week. Among lightning feedback rounds and deep dives into comps and influences, Ruoxi encouraged the class to imagine the markets to which they might eventually send their work. Actively considering the…
Our Week four instructor, Sarah Pinsker, brought energy to a week traditionally considered to be one of the toughest, with the students’ energy levels crashing and stories taking strange turns. But strange is where fiction gets good, and Sarah encouraged the students to lean into the weird. A singer and songwriter known for her nontraditional…
Our second alumnus-turned-teacher this year, Week Three instructor Cadwell Turnbull, inspired the class with a project idea: the craft dictionary. The art of the writer’s craft is discovering how an effect is accomplished — whether it’s physically moving characters from setting A to setting B or using unexpected perspectives to surprising effect — and the…
In the Six-Week Workshop, our Week One instructor, Usman T. Malik, continued the proud tradition of Clarion West students coming full circle. He returned to the six-week fold with insight sharpened by his experience in the 2013 cohort. From Day One, he offered the cohort invaluable advice for thriving over the next six weeks, from…
Meet Carolina Rodríguez Fuenmayor Each year, Clarion West works with a new artist to create an image that is used across the Write-a-thon, on our website, and for the Summer of Science Fiction & Fantasy reading series poster. The poster illustration is custom designed by the artist with their personal interpretation of speculative fiction. In…
Every year, the Seattle Public Library (SPL) turns the entire city into a book club by selecting a book for Seattle to read and discuss. Clarion West is pleased to partner with SPL for this year’s Seattle Reads selection, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Grab a copy of Parable at your local library…
Streaming Link Available | 7:00 PM | Open to the Public* 7/23 $5 ticket minimum at Town Hall Seattle Accessibility: All readings are held in ADA-accessible venues. Closed captioning is automatically available in Zoom. Contact at least seven days before the event to request special accommodations, such as an ASL interpreter or live captioner. Usman…
From Vonda N. McIntyre to Today A Free Virtual Panel Saturday, June 8 at 11 am PST Four award-winning authors discuss the roots and future of feminist science fiction, with a special focus on Clarion West founder Vonda N. McIntyre and other major influences on the genre. About the Event Vonda N. McIntyre contributed extensively…