Clarion West has issued the following press release:

The National Endowment for the Arts announced today that Clarion West will receive a $10,000 Art Works grant to support its six-week summer workshop and its one-day workshop series. Clarion West is one of 817 arts organizations nationwide recommended to receive a grant from the second round of fiscal year 2013 Art Works funding.

Clarion West’s summer workshop, now in its 30th year, gives 18 emerging writers of speculative fiction the opportunity to study with highly regarded writers and editors in the field. This year’s instructors are Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Margo Lanagan, Samuel R. Delany, and Ellen Datlow.

“We are immensely proud of the role Clarion West plays in developing the careers of new writers who are engaged in the work of re-imagining our lives and our world through alternate realities,” said Karen G. Anderson, Clarion West’s board chair. “This NEA grant will help us sustain our flagship summer workshop as well as provide one-day workshop opportunities to more writers in the Pacific Northwest dregion.”

Arts Works grants support: The creation of art that meets the highest standard of excellence; public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts; and enhancing the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,547 eligible applications for the second round of fiscal 2013 Art Works grants and recommended 817 of those applicants for funding. The awards total $26.3 million and span 13 artistic disciplines and fields. For additional information on the NEA Art Works program, visit http://www.nea.gov/news/news13/Grant-Announcement-April-2013.html.

About Clarion West

Clarion West is a nonprofit organization that for more than 30 years has presented intensive six-week summer workshops in Seattle for writers considering a career in speculative fiction. In conjunction with the summer workshops, Clarion West organizes public readings and appearances by acclaimed authors. In 2011, Clarion West began offering one-day workshops for speculative fiction writers on topics such as honing character and setting, writing scenes, and jump-starting a novel. Clarion West receives support from government, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, individual donors, and an extensive network of volunteers. Major donors include 4Culture, Amazon.com, and SF3. For additional information about Clarion West, please visit www.clarionwest.org.