Play The Story Oracle
Introducing Clarion West’s Story Oracle, a text game written by friends and alumni of Clarion West! Make a donation during the campaign and be transported to a narrative labyrinth where you’ll be invited to make a series of fantastic (or romantic, mysterious, terrifying…) choices. Your decisions will generate a personalized recommended reading list curated by some of your favorite Clarion West authors including Stephen Graham Jones, Martha Wells, Fonda Lee, Cory Doctorow, and more!
This event replaces the Write-a-thon as this year’s summer fundraising activity.
The labyrinth is open June 21-August 1.
Start your adventure here by making a donation of $5 or more! Tap the Donate button above or enter your desired amount in the form below.
Want to give more than $5? Scroll to check out additional rewards!
Did We Mention There Are Rewards?
Your gameplay supports Clarion West’s programming, no matter what choices you make. The size of your donation grants you access to even more fun stuff, from physical copies of your recommended works, to Clarion West swag and discounts on programming and events:
Journey the Labyrinth
Donate $5-$99 and receive:
- Game play for up to 2 rounds (10 total recs!)
- Bookshop.org discount code for 15% off purchase of your recommended tales.
Through the Crystal Ball
Donate $100-$149 and receive:
- Game play for up to 2 rounds (10 total recs!)
- Bookshop.org discount code for 15% off purchase of your recommended tales.
- A hand-curated flash fiction story on a postcard
A Magical Tome
Donate $150-$299 and receive:
- Game play for up to 2 rounds (10 total recs!)
- Bookshop.org discount code for 15% off purchase of your recommended tales.
- A hand-curated flash fiction story on a postcard
- A physical copy of 1 title from your recommended books
The Oracle’s Library
Donate $300-$499 and receive:
- Game play for up to 2 rounds (10 total recs!)
- Bookshop.org discount code for 15% off purchase of your recommended tales.
- A hand-curated flash fiction story on a postcard
- Physical copies of 5 of your recommended books
Enter a New World
Donate $500+ and receive:
- Game play for up to 2 rounds (10 total recs!)
- Bookshop.org discount code for 15% off purchase of your recommended tales.
- A hand-curated flash fiction story on a postcard
- Physical copies of 5 of your recommended books
- $75 off a 2026 Clarion West event or class of your choice!
Your donation is tax-deductible* and supports Clarion West’s programming and general operations.
*Tiers offering physical items may have a non tax-deductible amount of $35 per book shipped.
How It Works
Make a donation of at least $5 USD to Clarion West at the gate to start your adventure!
Make your way through the labyrinth, choosing your path wisely!
At the end of the game, you’ll receive a personalized recommended reading list based on your choices.
Play up to 2 rounds per donation! With over 100 possible recommendations, we’ve got options for you, wherever you fall on the alignment chart.
Intended for Mature Audiences: The Story Oracle game narrative and book recommendations list may contain elements of horror, mature themes, and language considered inappropriate for some audiences. Clarion West has not added content notes or warnings. We encourage all players to review book recommendations on their own terms.
Still Have Questions?
Thank you to our sponsors for The Story Oracle!
Clarion West’s mission is to support emerging and underrepresented writers and therefore seeks to prioritize community and spotlighting the work of writers of color and LGBTQIA+ writers.
This game could not have been made without the contributions of our amazing The Story Oracle team. Credits.