I've joined the Board of Directors of the Clarion Foundation, a new nonprofit that will manage the Clarion Writers' Workshop, a "boot-camp for sf writers" at Michigan State University that I graduated from in 1992 and taught this past summer. The workshop runs every summer for six weeks, and accepts some 17 students each year. The format is intensive writing and daily critiquing, with tutelage from six instructors. Past grads include Octavia Butler, Bruce Sterling, Nalo Hopkinson, Kathe Koja, Jeff Vandermeer, Pat York, Lucius Sheppard and innumerable other leading lights of the field. You may recall my review of Kate Wilhelm's amazing memoir/writing instruction book about her 27 years teaching Clarion.
The workshop is open for applications for next year, and we've just announced our instructor roster:
Plans have been announced for the 2006 workshop, which will run from June 26 to August 4 and will be taught by Samuel R. Delany, Gardner Dozois, Nancy Kress, Joe and Gay Haldeman and, as the traditional anchor team, Kelly Link and Holly Black. The workshop will be returning to Owen Hall where it was held from 1990-2003.
The application deadline for the 2006 workshop is April 1, 2006. Application information is available online at www.msu.edu/~clarion, by email, or by writing to the Clarion Workshop, 112 Olds Hall, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824-1047.
