Applications are open for the 2022 Clarion West Workshop for speculative fiction writers. Offered every summer in Seattle, Clarion West has over 600 graduates, including Russell L. Bates (winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival), editor Sheree Renée Thomas (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction), Nisi Shawl…
We wrap up November and the United States’ Native American Heritage Month with the following list of recommended speculative fiction reading by Indigenous writers of North and Central America and the surrounding islands. On this list, we focus primarily on those writers who are current members and/or descend from the First Nations of Canada, the…
During our 2021 Write-a-thon, we spoke with three writers who are also a chaplain, an ICU nurse, and a doctor of psychiatry, to hear their insights on the topic of mental health for writers–as well as writing about mental health. That panel is recorded on YouTube here: Mental Health for Writers. The time went so quickly…
Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Recipients This summer, the Carl Brandon Society generously donated two full scholarships to Clarion West students. Lue Palmer of Toronto, Canada, and Shakirah Peterson of Los Angeles, California, were each recipients of the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship. Since 2007, the Carl Brandon Society has donated this scholarship in Octavia’s…
As we reach the close of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, we’ve put together the following list of recommended reading by authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror who are also of Hispanic and Latinx descent. We recognize that the United States’ Hispanic Heritage Month has a history of exclusion and misrepresentation of the Spanish-speaking community,…
Imposter syndrome. Doomscrolling. Adult attention deficit disorder. These are just a few of the mental and emotional experiences that make our stories feel like failures and rob us of the joy of our craft. So how do we deal with them? During our 2021 Write-a-thon, we spoke with three writers who are also a chaplain,…
Clarion West is thrilled to announce our plan to return to an in-person workshop for 2022! With excitement, we announce the instructors for our 2022 Six-Week Summer Workshop: Week 1 – Susan Palwick Week 2 – P. Djèlí Clark Week 3 – Fonda Lee Week 4 – Tobias S. Buckell Week 5 – Bill Campbell Week 6 – Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane…
We hope you’re enjoying Week 5 of our annual Write-a-thon. Sheree Renée Thomas, a Clarion West alumna herself, is teaching the six-week workshop participants. We all just heard that her collection NINE BAR BLUES is up for a World Fantasy Award, alongside several other Clarion West alumni and instructors! We’ve moved our two-session workshop, How…
It’s Week 4 of the Clarion West Write-a-thon, and we’re proud to partner with FIYAHCON! On Monday, workshop administrator Rashida J. Smith moderated the live panel, Uncovering Cover Art, which was recorded and is now viewable at this link. We’re running writing and critique workshops for teens, led by K. Tempest Bradford, Alethea Kontis, and…
Do you know about SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America? SFWA not only hosts the Nebula Awards and conference, they also provide grants to organizations and support to writers in our genres, including mentorships and guidance through the publishing process. SFWA officers and leaders have included several Clarion West graduates and instructors…