It's Clarion Time Again!

I've spoken here about Clarion and what it meant to me (in my case it was Clarion: TOS,  in East Lansing, MI, and now in San Dieg0).  Short form: it was life-changing.  It gave me the courage to make the shift from writing Regencies to writing (among other things) SF and fantasy.  It gave me a group of peers, many of whom I'm still in touch with, to whom the structure of a story, or the flow of a sentence, or the shaping of a character, were as important as they were to me.  I tend to wax mystical and a little goofy about the program, so here's the official language:

• Clarion is an intensive six-week summer program focused on fundamentals particular to the writing of science fiction and fantasy short stories. It is considered a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Instructors are among the most respected writers and editors working in the field today. Over one third of our graduates have been published and many have gone on to critical acclaim. The list of distinguished Clarion alumni includes Ed Bryant, Octavia Butler, Bob Crais, Cory Doctorow, George Alec Effinger, Nalo Hopkinson, James Patrick Kelly, Vonda McIntyre, Kim Stanley Robinson, Martha Soukup, Kelly Link, Bruce Sterling, and many others.


• Clarion participants are selected from applicants who have the potential for highly successful writing careers and who submit writing samples with an application. Some have already been published. Though most come from the United States, students from countries worldwide frequently participate. Clarion students range in age from late teens to those in mid-career, and represent a wide variety of academic and working backgrounds.

To do all this Clarion, and its sister program, Clarion West, need money.  For scholarships, for special programs, for maintaining the quality of the experience for writers.  And to raise money, every year they hold a write-a-thon.

For the second year, I'm participating in the Clarion Write-a-Thon.  If you sponsor me (or any other writer participating), 100% of the funds go toward making sure Clarion will be there for another writer.

I have undertaken to write 126 pages over the six weeks of the program--three pages a day, in and out.  I'll post segments from time to time on my page (where you can make a donation).

Please drop by.  Send money, if you can.  Or perhaps become inspired by the wealth of talent and support and enthusiasm the Write-a-thon generates every year.

Excuse me: I've got pages to write.