Yukon Science Fiction Writer   Jerome Stueart, the Yukon, and science fiction in wild places

Are you interested in taking your writing to the next level?  If you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, you should definitely, seriously, consider taking the six weeks in San Diego offered by Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop.

They offer you professional instruction–all the teachers are published writers.  They invite a host of guest speakers including other sci-fi/fantasy writers who are friends of the teachers, guest editors, publishers, agents.  They put you in contact with those who can seriously move your career along.

The quality of the students is HIGH.  Every one of my classmates was a good writer, a thoughtful reader and an astute critic of people’s work.  We were asked to read each other’s writing and assist in making it the best it could be.  I got the best critiques there.

No, it’s not cheap, but I wouldn’t expect it to be.  Nothing good is.  It is an investment.  There are partial scholarships, though, to help.  The campus is stunning to stay on for six weeks.  The writing and reading are intense.  You will write more than you ever had before–and you will want to because these are the people you want to have look at your writing.

While I was there, we got to go to ComiCon, a HUGE showcase for science fiction and fantasy in San Diego.  And we got to run around on the campus and visit any department we wanted to.  Think about that: world class biologists, physicists, medicine, CalTech, etc.  And think about the authors, agents, publishers–all trying to make you the next group of writers who make it.  That much care and concern is overwhelming.  Then imagine these writers–not only your 18 fellow writers, but also your teachers–becoming friends and colleagues for life.  Good for sharing frustrations with, and for sharing market leads with.

It’s 2011, and Desirina is on the cover of Realms of Fantasy. Nick has no problem with repeat sales at Asimov’s.  Kater landed an agent, has been in a kick-ass zombie anthology aside the big writers and continues to sell stories.  Matt’s book Powerless is out.  Ramsey is a columnist at Weird Tales.  Peter was nominated for an Aurora.  Keyan and Shweta frequently publish short fiction.  And I know the difference Clarion made in my sales.  All of us are getting work accepted and published at different frequencies–but our Clarion background made a difference in our lives.  Editors admit that they rely on Clarion grads, or grads from established writers workshops, to provide them with quality science fiction and fantasy.  And the names of former Clarion grads is heartening:

From the Distinguished list of Alumni on the Clarion UCSD site:

Kim Antieau
Michael Armstrong
Dale Bailey
Judith Berman
Bruce Boston
Alan Brennert
Edward Bryant
Tobias Buckell
Susan Burke
Michael Burstein
Octavia Butler
Ted Chiang
Mona Clee
Graham P. Collins
Robert Crais
Cory Doctorow
Linda J. Dunn
Jeff Duntemann
Scott Edelman
Kelly Eskridge
Nancy Etchemendy
Marjorie Farrell
Gregory Frost
Joseph Gangemi
Gavin Grant
Nicola Griffith
Eileen Gunn
Gustav Hasford
Pamela Hodgson
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Alexandra Honigsberg
Nalo Hopkinson
Michael Jasper
Richard Kadrey
James Patrick Kelly
Kathe Koja
Aimee Kratts
Geoffrey Landis
Kelly Link
Marjorie Liu
Jason Eric Lundberg
Allan Maurer
Kelly McClymer
Seth McEvoy
Vonda McIntyre
Lois Metzger
Sasha Miller
Mario Milosevic
Hilary Murphy
Pat Murphy
Pamela Noles
Brooks Peck
Tim Pratt
David Prill
Madeleine Robins
Kim Stanley Robinson
Michaela Roessner-Herman
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Richard Paul Russo
Rhondi Vilott Salsitz
Al Sarrantonio
Felicity Savage
Darrell Schweitzer
Lucius Shepard
Gary Shockley
William Shunn
David Skal
Dean Wesley Smith
Lucy Snyder
Martha Soukup
Bruce Sterling
Mary Turzillo
Lisa Tuttle
Leslie What
Paul Witcover
William F. Wu
Marc Zicree

Invest in your Future.  Go to Clarion this year.

Below you’ll find the Press Release for Clarion 2011!

________________________________

Announcing the

2011 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop

@ UC San Diego

June 26 to August 6, 2011

Clarion is widely recognized as a premier training ground for aspiring writers of fantasy and science fiction short stories. The 2011 writers in residence are

Nina Kiriki Hoffman    John Scalzi

Elizabeth Bear                David Anthony Durham

John Kessel                     Kij Johnson

Since its inception in 1968, Clarion has been known as the “boot camp” for writers of speculative fiction. Each year 18-20 students, ranging in age from late teens to those in mid-career, are selected from applicants who have the potential for highly successful writing careers. Students are expected to write several new short stories during the six-week workshop, and to give and receive constructive criticism. Instructors and students reside together in campus apartments throughout the intensive six-week program.

The application period for the 2011 workshop is December 1 – March 1. Applicants must submit two short stories with their application. Scholarships are available. Additional information can be found at http://clarion.ucsd.edu.