Quick update - I'm part of Clarion West!
A group of writing nerds talking about sci-fi/fantasy
This is a late update so I’ll keep it short. For those who don’t know, Clarion West is one of the oldest non-profits focused on sci-fi/fantasy writing and most well known for their highly acclaimed, intensive 6-week short story workshops that take place in-person in Seattle. Past instructors for the workshop have included Nebula and Hugo award winners like N.K. Jemison, Ted Chiang, Octavia E. Butler, and George R. R. Martin. For the first time ever, they are running a Novel Writing Workshop. It’s completely virtual and takes place over a 9 months.
I found the application at 10pm on December 14, 2024. The deadline was 11:59pm, December 15, 2024. Needless to say, my expectations were low, but I still wanted to challenge myself to apply. I usually apply to 1-2 fellowships/workshops a year. I’ve never been chosen for one before, but still think it’s a good way to keep myself accountable, push to produce new material, and revisit the why of why I write.
I applied with the first three chapters of my current WIP, Golden Boys. Only one other person in the world had read those chapters in full, so it felt really cool to send out such new content. I really wanted to be selected, but wanting something also opens you up to possibility of disappointment which is vulnerable and disgusting, so I told myself to get over it. They weren’t going to choose me and I could apply next year when I had longer than 26 hours to submit an application.
On a particularly hard and stressful day at work I opened my email to find I had been selected. Cue disbelief, extreme excitement, and pure, unbridled glee.
We started the workshop in early March and I’ve really loved getting to know the other writers (12 of us total) and reading their works. Everyone has such creative worlds and characters that span from necromancy, memory magic, deadly reality TV shows, and dragon hounds. It’s a ton of fun.
Our instructor is Samit Basu, author of the highly acclaimed Jinn-Bot of Shantiport and others. Samit writes sci-fi in dystopic settings. I love it. The world building feels suffocating, tense, and full. The characters are nuanced, gray, and stubborn. I’m already learning a lot and looking forward to eight more months of this. Other guest lecturers we’ll hear from include N.K Jemison, Fonda Lee, and others. Super excited to learn from the greats.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading and can’t wait to continue to build, polish, and nurture Golden Boys so one day it might be on your bookshelf :)
Take good care,
Hannah
P.S. you can find the official press release here and check out my classmates in the workshop!
Edit: the original newsletter said Jane Fonda instead of Fonda Lee. *Facepalm* This is not the first time I’ve made that mistake and I also don’t know what’s wrong with me.