Equity & Inclusion

At Clarion West, we’ve seen how a writing community can inspire and encourage writers to continue their writing goals and help them overcome personal challenges. 

However, we are also aware that many barriers to accessing our community exist, especially for writers of the Global Majority, or those identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). We are committed to addressing as many of these barriers as possible to create a more inclusive, welcoming, and safe space for the PGM/BIPOC writers wanting to be part of our community. 

We realize that inviting writers and instructors from different backgrounds to participate in our programming is not the only step toward a more inclusive and equitable community and thus have been taking steps to ensure that our workshop culture is built to support inclusivity. This includes providing BIPOC writers with full- and partial-tuition scholarships to our residential workshops, lower-cost classes, and free seats in our online classes, as well as access to free community events and programs.

For additional resources: 

Pricing and Registration: 

Clarion West offers a Helping Hand Discount for our online classes and programs. This means there is a standard price, which is shown for each class or workshop for those able to pay it. 

Limited free registration: We offer a percentage of seats in every class to PGM/BIPOC writers for free, on a first-come-first-served basis*, regardless of financial need. Please email us with the name of the class you would like to enroll in, even if the class appears full: info@clarionwest.org. We ask that you limit your request to 3-5 classes maximum, listed in order of the first choice to last, and we will be in touch to confirm your registration or offer alternatives if we cannot fulfill your initial request.

* in some cases, seats may be awarded by lottery. See individual classes for details.

Read more about our reduced-price registration, discounts, and financial aid scholarships here.