Rachel Simmons, a speculative fiction author and recent graduate of the famous Clarion West Summer Workshop in Seattle, knew exactly what she wanted when she applied for the intense, six-week writing program, writes Frank Catalano for GeekWire.

“It wasn’t a passing fancy, or it wasn’t a thing I was trying out,” she said. “It was a thing that I knew that was for me.”

Clarion West Summer Workshop is one of the most influential contributors to the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction, and has featured instructors such as Ursula K. Le Guin and George R.R. Martin. Several of the program’s graduates over the last three decades have gone on to write bestselling novels and become well-respected editors.

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Simmons originally learned about the non-academic program from a professor at Smith College in Massachusetts. According to Simmons, the experience is grueling. Every week, the students are expected to write a new short story, which is then critiqued by the other students.

“You’re doing that every day, and you have to pour a lot of your attention into that, and that never stops.” she said.

Read more about Rachel Simmons at GeekWire here.

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