About the Workshop
The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop is one of the oldest and most prestigious writers' workshops in the nation. Established in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson with help from eminent science fiction writers Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm, the workshop provides an intensive six-week education in the basics of creating speculative fiction. It is considered a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Over a third of Clarion alumni go on to become published, and many have gone on to critical acclaim. Distinguished alumni of the program include Octavia Butler, Jeff Vandermeer, Ted Chiang, Cory Doctorow, Kelly Link, Kim Stanley Robinson, and more.
From 1972 to 2006, the workshop was hosted by Michigan State University in East Lansing. It is currently hosted by the University of California, San Diego.
About the Foundation
The Clarion Foundation was created in 2005 for the express purpose of supporting the Clarion Workshop both financially and strategically, in order to ensure that the Workshop will continue to provide a high-quality educational experience for aspiring writers. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and provide support through fund-raising, publicity, volunteer efforts, and interaction with the faculty and administration at UCSD. The Foundation's board of directors includes some of the most illustrious names in science fiction and fantasy writing.
Rae Carson and C.C. Finlay running a Clarion workshop. Image credit: Zez Wyatt
Tuition only covers a small percentage of the operating costs of the Clarion Workshop. The rest is funded through individual donations, grants, and partnerships managed by the Clarion Foundation. If you’d like to donate to support to continued operation of the Workshop, click here.
The Clarion Foundation is run entirely by volunteers. If you’d like to donate your time or expertise, you can explore our volunteer opportunities here.
Octavia Butler (far right) attending the 1970 Clarion Workshop. Seated: Harlan Ellison. First row (from left): Vonda N. McIntyre, Lucy Seaman, Lynn Marron, Debbie Goldstein, Jeanie Sullivan, Mel Gilden, and Steve Herbst. Back row (from left): Alan Edward Rubin, David Skal, Tom Slattery, Ralph Benko, Gerry Conway, Jean Mark Gawron, Russell Bates, Joe Manfredini, unidentified person, and Octavia E. Butler.
Life At Clarion
Kelly Link and Karen Joy Fowler running a Clarion workshop. Image credit: Angus McIntyre
In order to foster the essential group bonding and community building that is part of the Clarion experience, all attendees reside in Clarion housing. Students have private bedrooms in a four-student college apartment with a shared bathroom.
A different professional writer or editor conducts the workshop during each of the first four weeks, while the last two weeks are run by a two-writer anchor team. The resident writers live nearby and are continuously available to students. Each instructor brings their own approach and expertise to the workshop model. In the traditional Clarion model, each student submits a different piece of short fiction each week, for a total of six stories. Three to four students are workshopped each day. There is a reason that Clarion is described as an “intensive” workshop—attendees live and breathe writing for a month and half.
During the workshop, each morning is devoted to critiquing manuscripts in a workshop setting. Afternoons, evenings, and weekends are devoted to individual writing, conferences with the current writer-in-residence, social activities, and the completion of class assignments. Besides writing advice and feedback on workshop submissions, the resident writers also offer career and publishing guidance.