Help Tempest Help Clarion West Help Beginning Writers Help Themselves

Today, K. Tempest Bradford is starting her write-a-thon on behalf of Clarion West. As a graduate of Clarion and an instructor at both Clarion and Clarion South, I can tell you that all three versions of the workshop offer an invaluable service to SF/F writers. It's not just the workshop--although that's paramount--it's also about the value to the community, something that I think manifests itself most strongly at Clarion West because of their location in Seattle.I'm sponsoring Tempest to the tune of $100. You should too--especially since Amazon has given Clarion West a matching grant. Here's more information, right from Tempest... - JeffHello everyone, Tempest here. Jeff has been kind enough to let me steal a few pixels on his blog to encourage you to sponsor me in this year's Clarion West Write-a-thon. There's a ton of information about the fundraiser, the workshop, and the scholarship I'm also raising money for here. But if you want the short version, here are 5 reasons to become a write-a-thon sponsor:1. You're intrigued by the idea of a write-a-thon. Is it like a marathon? Yes. Except without training, carbo-loading, and warm-ups. There is some stretching, though, as writing will put a crick in your neck.2. You like getting things for free. Like PBS and NPR, I'm offering free gifts to people who pledge at different levels. You could get some free books, some cool jewelry, or your name in a story.3. You fancy yourself a patron of the arts. You'll totally have some bragging rights over your friends if you sponsor me. And if it turns out your friends are sponsoring me, too, you can always say "I pledged way more than you!" Well, only if you actually pledge more. And don't you want to be more patronizing than your friends? (oh wait...)4. You love science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature and want more of it. Donations go toward supporting the current and future students of Clarion West. Clarion and Clarion West students go on to do amazing stuff. See: Octavia Butler, Benjamin Rosembaum, Nisi Shawl, Cory Doctorow, Ted Chiang, Nalo Hopkinson, Kelly Link, and many, many more.5. You believe that SF/F/H literature can only be improved by a greater diversity of voices. Clarion West is very committed to diversity amongst its students and instructors, and the Octavia E. Butler Scholarship provides financial support to writers of color who've been accepted at Clarion and Clarion West. Voices of color are very much under-represented in this field. By donating to this scholarship and this workshop, you're doing something significant to correct that.So there you go, the 5 best reasons I have for sponsoring me for the Write-a-thon. However, this isn't about me, really--it's about the students. If you sponsor me, you're supporting them. If you help me reach my goal of raising $1000, you're raising money for them. And hey, you don't even have to sponsor me to be part of this. There are many, many writers who could use your pledges and encouragement to meet their writing and fundraising goals.Even if you can only commit to giving a little, every donation counts. Click here to sign up! And thanks :)