The Seventh Week features a roundup of news from within the Clarion West community. You’ll find interviews with instructors, former students, and volunteers; reports from staff and board members; and articles on the world of creative writing.

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Seventh Week

Seventh Week Fall 2024

ByClarion West

Workshop Report by Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14), Workshop Manager; In Session! Fall Classes, Spring Classes, & More by Rashida Smith (CW ’05), Program Director; Steamy in Seattle 2024 by Marnee Chua, Executive Director; Clarion West Turns 40+! by Jae Steinbacher; Summer 2025: Virtual Six-Week Workshop Format & Instructors by Jae Steinbacher; Donor Spotlight: Linda Breneman…

Seventh Week | Six-Week Workshop

Summer 2023 Workshop Report

ByJae Steinbacher

The Six-Week Workshop moved back online this summer, with a cohort that embraced the flexibility of working from their homes and making global connections remotely. Our 15 students joined from Brazil, Ghana, the U.K., Mexico, the Bahamas, and the U.S., with a high concentration of East Coasters! Although the group was faced with the challenge…

Author Interviews | Seventh Week

Interviews with Samit Basu, Sagan Yee (CW ’21), and Fawaz Al-Matrouk (CW ’21)

ByStefani Cox

This year, in lieu of our usual Spring Seventh Week newsletter, we decided to feature a few interviews from our Clarion West Six-Week Workshop community! We’re excited to share a conversation with Week 3 instructor Samit Basu, where he discusses his work, publishing journey, and what he’s looking forward to with Clarion West. We’ve also…

Alumni News | Featured | News & Updates | Seventh Week | Six-Week Workshop

Final Report on Clarion West’s Evolving Workshop Culture Project

ByJae Steinbacher

The Clarion West Writers Workshop was founded on the belief that writers from diverse backgrounds need an opportunity to be heard — and to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Clarion West has historically been successful in reaching women writers and LGBTQIA+ writers, and many of our graduates are actively publishing in the field.  With…

Featured | News & Updates | Seventh Week

In Memory of Greg Bear

ByMarnee Chua

It’s one thing to have a relationship with individuals. A friendship. A long-term admiration. A fan’s enthusiastic following.  It’s another to have a relationship with an organization. What does it mean for an organization, an entire body of people, thoughts, and ideals, to miss a single person?  I’m sitting down to write this tribute as…

Fall 2022: Watch ‘Round, Cayden Browne by N.A. Blair; Workshop Report by Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14), Workshop Coordinator; Donor Spotlight: Isabel Cañas (CW 18) by Stefani Cox, Communications Specialist; In Memoriam by Marnee Chua, Executive Director

Spring 2022: Alumni Highlight: Sheree Renée Thomas (CW ’99) by Stefani Cox, Communications Specialist; Summer Workshop Instructor: P. Djèlí Clark by Stefani Cox, Communications Specialist; Introducing the Clarion West Class of 2022! by Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14), Workshop Coordinator; Write-a-thon 2022 by Evan J. Peterson (CW ’15), Development and Outreach Coordinator

Fall 2021: The Plagiarism of Locusts by Rhiannon Rasmussen (CW ’14) and Veles Svitlychny; Comings, Stayings, and Goings by Marnee Chua, Executive Director; Donor Spotlight: Linda Deneroff by Evan J. Peterson (CW ’15); Six-Week Workshop in Review by Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14); Update: Incubating a New Workshop Culture by Marnee Chua, Executive Director; 2021 Write-a-thon by Evan J. Peterson (CW ’15) & Stephanie Malia Morris (CW ’17)

Spring 2021: Let’s Face It; Students Are Pretty Magical: An Interview with Nalo Hopkinson by Yang-Yang Wang (CW ’14) and Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14) • Living as a Writer: An Interview with Tod McCoy and M. Huw Evans by Emily C. Skaftun (CW ’09) • Nerdlesque: Our Next Evolution Revealed! by Evan J. Peterson (CW ’15, Fundraising & Outreach Coordinator) • Summer 2021 Updates by Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14, Workshop Coordinator)

Fall 2020: Volcano Woman Story by Kiini Ibura Salaam (CW ’01) • Welcome New Board Members and Staff by Marnee Chua, Executive Director • Donor Spotlight: Susan C. Petrey Fund by Evan J. Peterson (CW ’15) • Summer 2020 Review by CW Workshop Team • Writing Prompts from 2021 Six-Week Workshop Instructors by CW Workshop Team and more.

Spring 2020: Opposites Attract: a Co-Interview on Craft by Tina Connolly and Caroline M. Yoachim • The 2020 Write-a-thon is Coming! by CW Staff • Announcing New Staff by Marnee Chua, Executive Director • As Important as Anyone Else’s Story: An Alumna Interview With Maura McHugh by Nisi Shawl • Online Workshops In Development by Jae Steinbacher, Workshop Coordinator • Inclusive Buildings House Great Writing and Lasting Memories by Marnee Chua • 2020 Summer Readings and Interviews by CW Staff and more.

Fall 2019: The Cool Kids Story by Elly Bangs (CW ’17) • Clarion West Receives Copyrights and Bequest by CW Staff • Summer of ’19 by CW Staff • Vonda N. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship by CW Staff • Reflections from the 2019 Six-Week Summer Workshop by Monte Lin (CW ’19) and more.

Spring 2019: Our 2019 Editors Interview Each Other Interview by Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan; In Memoriam: Vonda N. McIntyre (1948 – 2019) by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Clarion West… on Reddit!? Highlights from two AMAs by Jeremy Sim, Communications Specialist; Building Bridges: Clarion West at the Wing Luke Museum and Hugo House in 2019 by CW Staff; CW Summer Reads: Publications by our alumni this year by CW Staff and more.

Fall 2018: A Manual for Reading Books / Un Manual para Leer Story by Andrea Chapela (CW ’17); What We Did Last Summer by Jeremy Sim, Communications Specialist; A Farewell to the 2018 Six-Week Summer Workshop by Dennis Staples (CW ’18); In Memoriam: K.C. Ball, Gardner Dozois, Ursula K. Le Guin and Mary Rosenblum by CW Staff and Board; The Women in Speculative Fiction Giving Circle by Marnee Chua and more.

Spring 2018: Indrapramit Das: There for Each Other Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Workshop Update: The Workshop’s Busy Season by Neile Graham (CW ’96), Jae Steinbacher (CW ’14), and Huw Evans (CW ’12); Letter from Our Executive Director by Marnee Chua and more.

Fall 2017 Workshop Report

Spring 2017: John Chu: Improvising Statues Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Workshop Update: Plots and Plans by Neile Graham (CW ’96), Huw Evans (CW ’12), and Katie Sparrow (CW ’05); From Our Executive Director by Marnee Chua, Executive Director and much more…

Fall 2016 Workshop Report

Spring 2016: Elizabeth Bear: The Real, Live Bear Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Workshop Report: Quietly Busy Bees by Neile Graham (CW ’96) and Huw Evans (CW ’12); Forging New and Diverse Voicesby Caroline Bobanick, Executive Director and much more…

Fall 2015 Workshop Report

Spring 2015: Cat Rambo: Most Awesomely Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Workshop Report: Ready for Inspiration by Neile Graham (CW ’96), and Huw Evans (CW ’12); How to Con Like a Pro by Cynthia Ward (CW ’92) and much more…

Spring 2014: Eileen Gunn: Stubborn and Tightly Stacked Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Eventful Horizon: Our First Workshop Report by Neile Graham (CW ’96) and Huw Evans (CW 12); Rolling with the Punches by Mark Bukovec, (CW ’06) and much more…

Fall 2013: Eugene Myers: Building on the Work of Others by Kelley Eskridge; Clarion West’s 30th Anniversary Workshop by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), Workshop Director and much more…

Spring 2013: 30th Anniversary Commemorative Photo Essay by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), Workshop Director; Looking Backward and Forward by Leslie Howle (CW ’85); and much more…

Fall 2012: Clarion West Founding Mothers Round Robin conducted by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Writers and Tigers and Sharks by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), Workshop Director; and much more….

Spring 2012: Rachel Swirsky: Communities of Choice Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); Living with Louise by Arinn Dembo (CW ’90); Heroes and Stories by Leslie Howle (CW ’85); and much more….

Fall 2011: Hiromi Goto: Interrupting Expectations Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); How to Build a Good Author Website by Patrick Samphire(CW ’01); Going the Distance by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), Workshop Director; and much more….

Spring 2011: Andrea Hairston: Making Meaning and Finding Patterns Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); A Day in the Life of a Video Game Writer, Part Two by Diana Sherman (CW ’02); Springing Ahead and Looking Back by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), Senior Workshop Administrator; and much more….

Fall 2010: Minister Faust: Writing is not a performance art Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); A Day in the Life of a Video Game Writer, Part One by Diana Sherman (CW ’02); Celebrating Old and New Traditionsby Leslie Howle (CW ’85) and much more….

Spring 2010: Kij Johnson: A Million Suppositions, or Turtles All the Way Down Interview by Nisi Shawl (CW ’92); From the Chair by Kelley Eskridge; 2010 Musings by Leslie Howle (CW ’85), and much more….