Online Class Proposals

What We Look For

Clarion West offers a wide range of online programming on the craft and business of writing in the spring, fall, and during our summer Write-a-thon. Our classes focus on speculative fiction (including but not limited to science fiction, fantasy, and horror) and must appeal to genre fiction writers. 

Review Process

Proposals will be evaluated as they are received for our upcoming season. We consider our current needs, recent past offerings, student requests and how well proposals compliment our mission and vision. We look for instructors with some prior teaching/presentation experience, writing/publishing experience, and a complementary pedagogic approach to our core values and current workshopping models. Being an alumnus of Clarion West, Clarion, Odessey, or other intensive writing programs is not a requirement.

Not all proposals submitted will be selected. If we cannot offer your class for the upcoming season, we will keep it in mind for future seasons. 

Class Formats

Below are the formats and general expectations for each class type. Please decide which best fits your material and teaching style. 

• 1-hr Community Classes: 60-minute webinar for large audiences intended to give a broad, general overview of writing/publishing business or writing-adjacent topics. Great for beginners or folks new to submitting! (Examples: submissions process, art briefs, taxes, working with editors or agents, self-care for writers, non-fiction, etc.) 
• Single-session Classes: 90-120 minutes long with your unique spin on a specific craft element. We encourage into practical advice and examples and class discussion. Generative exercises are a plus. Maximum class size 30. (Subject examples: outlining, trilogies, plotting, speculative poetry, utilizing folklore, sub-genre or specific focus such as developing culinary systems in spec fic)
• Multi-session Classes: 90-120 minutes per class, 2-6 sessions. These content-rich classes must offer the opportunity to deep-dive into a subject, generate substantive work, or offer workshopping opportunities to students. Expect to get a lot of one-on-one time with students. While these mostly appeal to intermediate and advanced writers looking for quality feedback and in-depth craft, we are open to beginner-friendly options! Smaller class sizes are ok, but we expect a minimum of 8-12. (Examples: revisions, editing the short story, writing a novella, outlining your novel)

Instructor Pay

We pay instructors $150/hr or 1/2 the total class income, whichever is more ($100/hour or 1⁄3 of class income for classes with two instructors) for single-session classes and a flat rate of $150 for community classes. 

Student Fees

Fees for students vary depending on length. We offer reduced rates for students with financial need, and free seats for BIPOC/PGM writers. You can find out more about our financial aid and equity policies here. 

Recording Policy

Our current recording policy is to record classes with instructor permission and make recordings available only to registered attendees for a limited time after the class runs. If you are interested in making your recording part of our on-demand library, please let us know in your proposal!

Additional Resources:

• Previous/Current Class Listings
• Example Class Descriptions
• Online Class and Accessibility Tips