"Perhaps Elisabet Turner is a witch after all." We're charmed to share an excerpt from Inkpot Gods, the fourth entry in @seananmcguire.bsky.social's iconic Alchemical Journeys series!

This was such a joyful moment, the @common-area.bsky.social community is so kind and welcoming and we are thrilled to be creating a one-of-a-kind artist residency program that will (some year soon) also host the Six-Week Workshop in a fully ADA accessible building!

My new Genre Grapevine covers the partnership between Clarion West @clarionwest.bsky.social and Common AREA Maintenance in Seattle to establish a long-term, affordable space for artist residencies, classes, and other events. Includes interview with @marneechua.bsky.social on what this means for CW.

In collab with @common-area.bsky.social, we're renovating & reimagining the El Rey Building in Seattle as affordable housing for artists, performance and gallery space, and the home of the Clarion West Six-Week Writing Workshop residency. GiveBIG to support this exciting new chapter: bit.ly/4eUfi6t

Our popular Flash Fiction Groups are back and now open for registration! These groups offer endless possibilities. The only limitation? Your word count. Find out more here: clarion-west-online.teachable.com/p/2026-ffg

Love building projects or the vibes of the in-person Clarion West Six-Week Workshop? Need some good news for a change? Learn about our exciting new initiative to rehabilitate the El Rey building in Seattle and develop an artist residency program (and contribute) here: www.wagives.org/organization...

Upcoming Book Launch Events for The Curve of the World: May 16 at 11AM PT: Virtual Book Launch with @nisishawl.bsky.social, L. Timmel Duchamp, and Debbie Notkin July 16 at 7PM PT: Reading and discussion with @nisishawl.bsky.social and @theoactually.bsky.social at Elliott Bay Book Company!

Clarion West Has Found A Home for the Six-Week Workshop file770.com/clarion-west...

Congratulations and welcome to the Clarion West Six-Week Workshop Class of 2026! On behalf of the staff, board, and alumni we look forward to celebrating the wild and amazing worlds you create this summer.

Absolutely read @catvalente.bsky.social's post "Blood Money: The Anthropic Settlement." I feel the same way. If an author received money from the settlement, good for them. But it doesn't change the harm done by Anthropic and other companies. 1/ catvalente.substack.com/p/blood-mone...

Such a great event put on by Clarion West! Can’t wait to dive into some fun new romantasy reads. 😍

The Clarion West workshop changes lives, and they're also committed to fundraising scholarships (like the one that made it possible for me in 2001!) to make it accessible for everyone. Even $5 from you can help change more writers' lives for the better! www.clarionwest.org/get-involved...

Steamy in Seattle (this Saturday!) celebrates the work of underrepresented writers in speculative fiction. Every dollar goes toward scholarships, sliding-scale tuition, and free programming at Clarion West. Can't attend? Donate and we'll throw in a fun prize: secure.clarionwest.org/campaigns/20...

#Fundraiserperk The kind folks of Clarion West have donated a $150 certificate to Clarion West to use toward any of their classes or workshops. Plus the April Locus e-issue and digital art by Francesca Myman. Donate at http://locusmag.com/...#Fundraiserperk or through our bio!

Check this one out, folks.

The incredible @taracampbell.bsky.social has put together an amazing program for teens this summer! Share it with any speculative-curious teens in your life!

We are a little too obsessed with the new mascot, but it’s so cute!

Great bundle that’s going to support a good cause! Go grab all these books and stories by two of my favorite authors!

New Six-Week Scholarship Announcement!  We are pleased to announce a new scholarship for the Clarion West Six-Week Workshop: the R.S. Blum Feminist and Gender Fiction Writer Scholarship for writers addressing feminism and gender issues as a primary focus of their work.

I’m a NO — not one more penny for ICE without stopping this violence. Two American citizens were killed by federal agents. No more roving patrols. No more secret masked police. No more warrantless raids. Investigate and prosecute ICE crimes. Get ICE out of Minnesota.

Great piece here from Mia: "The main function of slop is to take something from you: your time, your attention, your trust. It is passive in that it requires nothing from viewers but to sit back and consume"

We support the impeachment and removal of Noem, but we must not stop there. Trump, who is orchestrating this attack on our republic, must also be impeached and removed. There is no justification for only impeaching Noem and leaving Trump, the insurrectionist-in-chief, in office. @fsfp.bsky.social 1/

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

AOC: That is a fundamental difference between VP Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.

Some Indigenous/First Nations science fiction, fantasy, and horror recs for your Wednesday!

We’re so excited to be a part of this!

We've seen enough. Katie Wilson is the next Mayor of Seattle.

Has your King County ballot been counted? Visit the link below to confirm your signature has been verified, and if not, what you need to do to cure your ballot. info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/...

Americans are enraged, and they want fighters: an opposition party that communicates that they share and understand that rage. The Senate Democrats showed Sunday that they still don’t get that, and it’s not clear that some of them ever will. trib.al/mZfi6Qw

Happy Birthday, Nisi! $5 were never better spent!

To read the letters, visit our blog! freespeechforpeople.org/lawless-fede...

The DOJ's "demand for voters’ personal information, including driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers, is unprecedented and unlawful, and we will vigorously fight the federal government’s overreach in court."

Works Progress is now on Bluesky!

Calling Seattle area writers! Join us in person tomorrow at Third Place Commons for a free community writing session! Make some progress on your current Write-a-thon project, or try something new with one of our prompts. Visit clarionwest.org/upcoming-events to RSVP! #writeathon #writeathon2025

HELLO! Do you know teens who write comics who will be in Seattle in August 2025? Do those teens love speculative fiction? I'm teaching a workshop through Clarion & Hugo House August 4-8!! www.clarionwest.org/programs/tee...

Insiders including Meta' Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Safra Catz and JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon cashed out shares worth billions of dollars before President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements roiled markets

The number of worker cooperatives in the United States (and around the world) continues to experience growth. People are starting to recognize alternative ways to organize production—ones that incorporate democratic values into their working lives.

There’s still time to get your tickets for Steamy in Seattle on Saturday, May 10! Join us in person or online for a lively discussion with @annaguirre.bsky.social and Elizabeth Stephens, moderated by @jassilvera.bsky.social! www.clarionwest.org/event/steamy...

VIP Tickets to this year's romantasy Steamy In Seattle are now SOLD OUT! There's still time to join our Alien Romance Tea Party at our other ticket tiers. Your purchases support Clarion West's annual programs, sliding scale tuition, and scholarship programs.💕👽🫖 www.clarionwest.org/event/steamy...

Okay... we feel like we say this every week but *a lot* of stuff happened. Let's break it down, starting with @brbarrett.bsky.social on why the DOGE takeover is worse than you think... (sorry, but you gotta read this one.)

The People's Union USA, a grassroots group, is calling on Americans to join a national boycott by not shopping for 24 hours on Friday.

We just launched a 16TB archive of every dataset that has been available on data.gov since November. This will be updated day by day as new datasets appear. It can be freely copied, and we're sharing the code behind it to help others make their own archives of data they depend on.

Trump tells the head of the Federal Election Commission that she's been fired, but she's refusing to leave office.

Two federal workers, citing reports that Elon Musk’s associates are operating an illegally connected email server at OPM, seek a restraining order.

A physician member of the AMA—who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation—is sounding the alarm. “The current admin prohibited all communications of the CDC and other agencies with the public. Now, the public and physicians are left with no info on food recalls or disease outbreaks.“

The main office of the US Agency for International Development in Washington was unexpectedly closed Monday and workers were emailed shortly after midnight that they should not come in, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Breaking news: The White House has removed two top security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development, the world’s largest provider of food assistance, after they refused to let representatives of Elon Musk access restricted spaces.

So many good reads, folks. So many!

All departments were affected, including offices that address HIV and AIDS, infectious disease and child health.

Shop at your local food co-op if possible. Use this app to find them (US/CA): grocerystory.coop/food-co-op-d... Food co-ops are community-owned and democratically run. One of the most effective ways to strengthen our democracy is to support democratic businesses. 💜