Clarion call – the workshop that will eat Liz in June and July

Mar 25, 2009

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At last I am able to speak those jewelled words, “I have been accepted and am going to Clarion.” We were asked to stay mum and keep our itching fingers away from the keyboard until everything was finalised.

What does this mean? Clarion is an amazing 6 week writers’ workshop. There’s Clarion South, Clarion West and the original Clarion (originally in the East and now in the significantly less East location of San Diego, University of California). I’ll be going to Clarion at UCSD, where I shall be taught by amazing authors, critiqued by amazing Co-Clarionators (my official word for classmates) as well as hone my own art of critiquing. I’m also excited about staying in a dorm at a college, not something I had during my own university experience (which involved a lot more time at home feeding chickens).

I have heard so many good things about Clarion and chatted to good people who rave about the Clarion experience. It is a workshop you can only do once, so this year it is my once in a lifetime opportunity.

You can see more information at the Clarion Website, but swiftly said, my tutors will be Holly Black, Larissa Lai, Robert Crais, Kim Stanley Robinson, Elizabeth Hand, and Paul Park.

My co-clarionators will be:

Heather Albano
Mishell Baker
Stacie Brown
Katie Crumpton
Nicolas Dayton
Edward Gauvin
Grady Hendrix
Tanner Jupin
Nina Kuruvilla
Matthew London
Patrick Nolan
Leonard Pung
Shauna Roberts
Kenneth Schneyer
Eric Schultz
Nicholas Stenner
Nicole Taylor

Some of us have already found each other on facebook and twitter and we have a members only blog where we’re getting to know each other as well. They seem like a really interesting and diverse crowd with a lot of love for the craft.

Comments

4 responses to “Clarion call – the workshop that will eat Liz in June and July”

Diana

March 25, 2009

Paul Park was one of my teachers; he’s awesome!

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Kaye

March 25, 2009

!@#$%^! KSR!!!!! OMG Liz, this is going to be so incredibly, amazingly, totally, without-a-doubt AWESOME!!!

I’m sooooo happy for you *hugest, biggest, squishiest hug*

Reply
Durand Welsh

March 30, 2009

Hey,
I was the lone Aussie at Clarion 2008 in San Diego. It was the best 6 weeks of my life. Worth every cent and then some. It changed my life. I even brought back an American Clarionite and am keeping her in my house.
I’m kind of surprised they’re letting any Australians back in after me being there last year. Er, the less said the better. Mysterious Galaxy bookshop is cool, as well.
I envy you for getting Robert Crais as a tutor, though. The campus is great. But be very wary of Canyon Vista. (A cafeteria of questionable quality.) We fought off food poisoning for 6 weeks. Be very, very wary of the salad.
Don’t believe what they’ll say about rattlesnakes in the canyons. I never saw one. And go to the beach. It’s cool and within walking distance. And the science lab where Gregory Benford set Timescape is on the campus. Although I only viewed it from afar.
I got your name off the Clarion 2009 roster, which got emailed to us Clarion alumni. Just so you know I’m not just another creepy internet weirdo.
Have fun. Join the club.

Durand

Reply
Liz

March 30, 2009

Thanks for all the kind words. It feels lovely. I have a side project now (that I don’t really have time for) of collecting links to Clarionite’s blogging about their Clarion experiences. There’s so much interesting and exciting stuff about it.

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