More Than A Little Bit Disappointed
Monday, 11 September 2006 14:28![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_phil_physicsE-mail From The Clarion Foundation Today:
So Much For "Clarion East"
Clarion West is already on The Left Coast. We need another Clarion on The Left Coast -- and in California to boot? (SIGH) There's not a single academic institution east of the Mississippi that would be suitable? (DOUBLE-SIGH)
It's not that I have anything against the West Coast or California -- no wait, I do have something against California and the West Coast but that's a separate issue -- it's just that San Diego and the Pacific Ocean are too "nice". Suffering in East Lansing MI is, in itself, an art form. (grin) And quite frankly, more than one commentator has noted that Clarion West in Seattle suffers from "losing" people along the six weeks to the pleasant diversions of Seattle. That one of the differences between Westies and Easties is that in going to Clarion in East Lansing the latter knew they were going to buckle down and work. (double-grin)
And our Clarion class of 2004 broke down to 11 Eastern Time, 5 Central Time, 1 Mountain Time, 1 Pacific Time and 1 Australian, if I remember everyone's original addresses correctly. That's pretty much an East Coast and Midwest bias. And so the East Coast, Midwest and Plains states and provinces get to choose between San Diego and Seattle now? So much for driving to Clarion -- and Lord help you trying to fly with all the stuff you need for six weeks of workshopping.
I mean, San Diego doesn't even have a Meijers store.
And poop on Michigan State's brains for blowing a decent partnership. In particular, it galls that Clarion will not just not be ninety minutes away or that Archives Books in East Lansing, which has supported the workshop for so many years, is left hanging in the wind, but that we're not even talking about "close" or within a "day or two drive" to ever again visit Clarion. Not that my situation counts for anything in all this, but it is highly annoying.
Sighing Isn't Going To Help
No doubt I'll eventually embrace the new regime. I mean, it still will be a Clarion workshop. It still will be six weeks of Hell for the lucky participants. Clarion has moved before, there's nothing sacred about Michigan State. But gosh that stinks. I'd much rather it move to New York or Connecticut or Alabama than California. But after ranting here, I'll swallow my bitter disappointment.
Or else I'll start my own Midwest/Eastern workshop. Hey, I could win the $114 million dollar lottery this week...
Guess someone needs to update the Wikipedia entry. I don't have the heart to do it.
Dr. Phil
THE CLARION WORKSHOP IS ON THE MOVE
The Clarion Foundation is pleased to announce that the Clarion Workshop has a new home. It's difficult to leave MSU, having been there since 1972. However, the future looks very bright. Starting in the summer of 2007 the workshop will be held at the University of California, San Diego, with very strong administration, faculty, and financial support. Our acclaimed workshop, with its excellent teaching staff, will continue with no change in the structure of its operation. The faculty for 2007 will be Gregory Frost, Mary Ann Mohanraj, Jeff Vandermeer, Cory Doctorow, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. The workshop will run from June 25 through August 3.
So Much For "Clarion East"
Clarion West is already on The Left Coast. We need another Clarion on The Left Coast -- and in California to boot? (SIGH) There's not a single academic institution east of the Mississippi that would be suitable? (DOUBLE-SIGH)
It's not that I have anything against the West Coast or California -- no wait, I do have something against California and the West Coast but that's a separate issue -- it's just that San Diego and the Pacific Ocean are too "nice". Suffering in East Lansing MI is, in itself, an art form. (grin) And quite frankly, more than one commentator has noted that Clarion West in Seattle suffers from "losing" people along the six weeks to the pleasant diversions of Seattle. That one of the differences between Westies and Easties is that in going to Clarion in East Lansing the latter knew they were going to buckle down and work. (double-grin)
And our Clarion class of 2004 broke down to 11 Eastern Time, 5 Central Time, 1 Mountain Time, 1 Pacific Time and 1 Australian, if I remember everyone's original addresses correctly. That's pretty much an East Coast and Midwest bias. And so the East Coast, Midwest and Plains states and provinces get to choose between San Diego and Seattle now? So much for driving to Clarion -- and Lord help you trying to fly with all the stuff you need for six weeks of workshopping.
I mean, San Diego doesn't even have a Meijers store.
And poop on Michigan State's brains for blowing a decent partnership. In particular, it galls that Clarion will not just not be ninety minutes away or that Archives Books in East Lansing, which has supported the workshop for so many years, is left hanging in the wind, but that we're not even talking about "close" or within a "day or two drive" to ever again visit Clarion. Not that my situation counts for anything in all this, but it is highly annoying.
Sighing Isn't Going To Help
No doubt I'll eventually embrace the new regime. I mean, it still will be a Clarion workshop. It still will be six weeks of Hell for the lucky participants. Clarion has moved before, there's nothing sacred about Michigan State. But gosh that stinks. I'd much rather it move to New York or Connecticut or Alabama than California. But after ranting here, I'll swallow my bitter disappointment.
Or else I'll start my own Midwest/Eastern workshop. Hey, I could win the $114 million dollar lottery this week...
Guess someone needs to update the Wikipedia entry. I don't have the heart to do it.
Dr. Phil
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no subject
Date: Friday, 15 September 2006 18:33 (UTC)Leslie
no subject
Date: Friday, 15 September 2006 18:55 (UTC)Dr. Phil
BTW- weren't you reading with Walter Jon Williams at Archives Books two years ago? 'Cause that was one of the 2005 Clarion readings I made then. So we've sort-of met. (grin) Big huge guy with beard and a hat -- doesn't look anything like Kate Winslet from Titanic as in my LJ icon. (double-stuff-grin)
no subject
Date: Friday, 15 September 2006 22:36 (UTC)