Clarion is a six-week workshop for new and aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded by Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion State College in Pennsylvania. Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm were among the first teachers at the workshop. The first was held in 1968.Originally an outgrowth of Knight and Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, USA, the workshop was later held every summer at Michigan State University until a 2007 move to University of California, San Diego.
Clarion is a residential workshop, limited to a small group of students. Each of the six weeks is taught by a different professional writer or editor. It is primarily focused on short story writing. However, there are discussions about novel-writing as most of the instructors are successful novelists.
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Clarion at San Diego
Clarion moved - effective 2007 - to the University of California, San Diego. The Clarion Foundation is responsible for the move, which has proved very successful. The La Jolla location is within walking distance of the coast and has pleasant summer weather.
The first San Diego session concluded on August 3, 2007. Over 80 students applied for the 19 available positions. The instructors for this "Clarion Revival" session were Gregory Frost, Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer, Karen Joy Fowler, Cory Doctorow, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. Clarionites also had discussions with Kim Stanley Robinson, Nancy Holder, David Brin and Vernor Vinge. The nine women and ten men ranged in age from 16 to 53, writing everything from hard science fiction through high fantasy, slipstream, and magical realism. Students came from all over the US and Canada, and one participant was from England. Several have had short stories published; others are currently writing novels; and one already had a book contract.
The 2008 session (29 June - August 9, 2008) had as instructors Kelly Link, James Patrick Kelly, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Neil Gaiman, Nalo Hopkinson and Geoff Ryman.
In 2009 session (28 June through 8 Aug, 2009) instructors were Holly Black, Larissa Lai, Robert Crais, Kim Stanley Robinson, Elizabeth Hand, and Paul Park. The 2009 Graduates were Heather Albano, Tiffani Angus-Bodie, Liz Argall, Mishell Baker, Paul Boccaccio, Katie Crumpton, Edward Gauvin, Grady Hendrix, Tanner Jupin, Nina Kuruvilla, Matthew London, Patrick Nolan, Leonard Pung, Shauna Roberts, Kenneth Schneyer, Eric Schultz, Nicholas Stenner, and Nicole Taylor.
The 2010 instructors will be Delia Sherman, George R.R. Martin, Dale Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Jeff VanderMeer, and Ann VanderMeer.
Applications will be accepted from December 1 - March 1. The actual session will be from June 27 - August 7, 2010.
Other Clarion Workshops
- Clarion West Writers Workshop is held annually in Seattle, Wa. It was founded in 1971.
- Clarion South Writers Workshop is held in Brisbane Australia. It was founded in 2004. It currently runs biennially.
Some Clarion instructors
- Steven Barnes
- Terry Bisson
- Holly Black
- Algis Budrys
- Octavia Butler
- Orson Scott Card
- Suzy McKee Charnas
- Robert Crais
- Samuel R. Delany
- Gordon Dickson
- Thomas Disch
- Cory Doctorow
- Gardner Dozois
- Tananarive Due
- Harlan Ellison
- Charles Coleman Finlay
- Karen Joy Fowler
- Gregory Frost
- Neil Gaiman
- Joe Haldeman
- Elizabeth Hand
- Harry Harrison
- Nina Kiriki Hoffman
- Nalo Hopkinson
- George R. R. Martin
- James Patrick Kelly
- Damon Knight
- Nancy Kress
- Ellen Kushner
- Larissa Lai
- Geoffrey A. Landis
- Fritz Leiber
- Kelly Link
- Judith Merril
- Maureen McHugh
- Mary Anne Mohanraj
- Paul Park
- Tim Powers
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- Spider and Jeanne Robinson
- Joanna Russ
- Geoff Ryman
- Delia Sherman
- Sean Stewart
- Theodore Sturgeon
- Mary A. Turzillo
- Jeff VanderMeer
- Howard Waldrop
- Kate Wilhelm
- Robin Scott Wilson
- Patricia Wrede
Some Clarion West instructors
- Kathleen Alcalá
- Greg Bear
- Octavia Butler
- Pat Cadigan
- John Crowley
- Ellen Datlow
- Samuel R. Delany
- Gardner Dozois
- Nicola Griffith
- Joe Haldeman
- David Hartwell
- Nalo Hopkinson
- Nancy Kress
- Ursula K. LeGuin
- Ian R. MacLeod
- Maureen F. McHugh
- Patrick Nielsen Hayden
- Paul Park
- John Shirley
- Dan Simmons
- Gordon Van Gelder
- Vernor Vinge
- Howard Waldrop
- Connie Willis
Graduates of Clarion, Clarion West and Clarion South include:
- Daniel Abraham (Clarion West 1998)
- Kathleen Alcala (Clarion West 1987)
- Michael A. Burstein (Clarion 1994)
- Ed Bryant (Clarion 1968)
- Tobias S. Buckell (Clarion 1999)
- Nathan Burrage (Clarion South 2005)
- Octavia Butler (Clarion 1970)
- Ted Chiang (Clarion 1989)
- Greg Cox (Clarion West 1984)
- Robert Crais (Clarion 1975)
- Glen Cook (Clarion 1970)
- Kathryn Cramer (Clarion West 1984)
- Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Clarion South 2005)
- Cory Doctorow (Clarion 1992)
- Andy Duncan (Clarion West 1994)
- Gregory Frost (Clarion 1975)
- Richard Garfinkle (Clarion West 1992)
- Kathleen Ann Goonan (Clarion West 1988)
- Eileen Gunn (Clarion 1976)
- Paul Haines (Clarion South 2004)
- Nalo Hopkinson (Clarion 1995)
- Ron Horsley (Clarion 2002)
- Kij Johnson (Clarion West 1987)
- Vylar Kaftan (Clarion West 2004)
- Fiona Kelleghan (Clarion West 1995)
- James Patrick Kelly (Clarion 1974 and 1976)
- Peg Kerr (Clarion 1988)
- David Barr Kirtley (Clarion 1999)
- Ellen Klages (Clarion South 2005)
- Geoffrey A. Landis (Clarion 1985)
- David D. Levine (Clarion West 2000)
- Kelly Link (Clarion 1995)
- Will Ludwigsen (Clarion 2006)
- Sonia Orin Lyris (Clarion West 1992)
- Louise Marley (Clarion West 1993)
- Vonda N. McIntyre (Clarion 1970)
- Susan Palwick (Clarion West 1985)
- Tim Pratt (Clarion 1999)
- Michael Reaves (Clarion 1972)
- Kim Stanley Robinson (Clarion 1975)
- Mary Rosenblum (Clarion West 1988)
- Michaela Roessner (Clarion)
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Clarion 1985)
- Sara Ryan (Clarion 1991)
- Al Sarrantonio (Clarion 1974)
- Lawrence Schimel (Clarion West 1991)
- Carter Scholz (Clarion)
- Darrell Schweitzer (Clarion)
- Lucius Shepard (Clarion 1980)
- William Shunn (Clarion 1985)
- Lucy A. Snyder (Clarion 1995)
- Catriona Sparks (Clarion South 2004)
- Martha Soukup (Clarion 1985)
- Bruce Sterling (Clarion 1974)
- Jean Sullivan (Clarion, 1968 1970)
- Karina Sumner-Smith (Clarion 2001)
- Bruce Taylor (Clarion West 1972)
- Amy Thomson (Clarion West 1984)
- Robert Thurston (Clarion, 1968 1970)
- Karen Traviss (Clarion 2000)
- Mary Turzillo (Clarion 1985)
- Lisa Tuttle (Clarion 1971)
- Gordon Van Gelder (Clarion West 1987)
- Jeff Vandermeer (Clarion 1992)
- Leslie What (Clarion 1976)
- David Wise (Clarion 1971)
Further reading
- Wilhelm, Kate (2005). Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop. Small Beer Press. ISBN 1-931520-16-X.
External links
- Clarion official website
- Clarion West official website
- Clarion South official website
- The Clarion Foundation nonprofit formed to promote and sustain the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop
- Links to blogs and articles by Clarion students and instructors writing about the Clarion experience
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