Go West Venerable Clarion

Starting with next year’s workshop, the Clarion Writers Workshop will move from its long-time home at Michigan State University to the University of California, San Diego. Apparently state budget cuts forced MSU to reduce support for the workshop.

For those of you who don’t know, the Clarion Writers Workshop trains budding science fiction and fantasy writers. Many graduates of the workshop have gone on to be published authors, including Octavia E. Butler, Vonda McIntyre, Kim Stanley Robinson and Bruce Sterling.

I’ve dreamed about going to the workshop for many years. I just always lack the time and funds. But now that it has moved to my home state of California, it might be more of a possibility.

Also, San Diego is such a lovely place to visit. My favorite haunts include the zoo, the wild animal park and the downtown area. When my husband and I first got married we went to SeaWorld in San Diego, and I introduced him to flan at a local Mexican restaurant. It is now one of his favorite desserts.

UCSD has made a five year offer, giving the Clarion Foundation full creative control of the program, as well as paying for operating costs. “We think that this will give the workshop the long-term stability it needs,” Robinson, who acted as liaison with UCSD, told SciFi Wire.

Writers in residence for the 2007 workshop include Gregory Frost, Mary Anne Mohanaraj, Jeff VanderMeer, Cory Doctorow, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman.

For more information, vist www.theclarionfoundation.org/rw-home.htm.

This leaves me with one question: So what about Clarion West? Does it have to move to the East coast and change its name to Clarion East?