Clarion West Write-a-thon challenge
In honor of the 30th consecutive Clarion West summer workshop and the 10th Clarion West Write-a-thon, here's a challenge that's 30 times 10. Kate Schaefer (yes, that's me, talking about myself in the third person) and Karen G. Anderson have pledged a dollar a person each for everyone who participates in the Write-a-thon, up to 299 people/$299. If Clarion West gets 300 participants, their pledges turns into $600 instead of $300 each, for a total of $1200.
Just think of it: 300 writers, each pursuing a separate artistic vision while getting a little extra motivation and encouragement from the others.
The deadline for signing up for the Clarion West Write-a-thon is June 22, the day before the workshop starts. The Write-a-thon sign-up page is at http://clarionwest.org/writeathon.
Any friends of the workshop want to join us in this challenge? You can make a challenge pledge publicly or anonymously; just send email to writeathon@clarionwest.org.
Feel free to spread this challenge around, and do sign up if you're writing this summer. We want to give that all money to Clarion West, but we won't do it if we don't get 300 participants.
Thanks!
The fine print, now in normal size type: what the hell is a Write-a-thon, anyway? It's a chance to be part of Clarion West without attending the workshop. It's a way to set yourself some ambitious writing goals, declare them in public, and try to achieve those goals at the same time as the students attending the workshop try to achieve their writing goals. Like any thing-a-thon, there's a fundraising component; unlike most thing-a-thons, the fundraising component is optional. Clarion West is a nonprofit, and it costs money to put on writing workshops, so we hope you will ask your friends to consider sponsoring you as you meet your writing goals. The writing always comes first, so if you want to participate in solidarity with other writers this year and think about maybe asking for sponsors next year, please go right ahead. And thanks again.