The Seventh Week clarion west writers workshop • fall 2020 Volcano Galanggung By R. Hadian, U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Woman FLASH FICTION BY KIINI IBURA SALAAM (CW '01) He creeps up on me, quiet-like. A funky whisky scent invades my nose. When I take a step back, he scowls. "Why you actin scared, I jus wan talk to you. Maybe take you to a hotel." One jittery look around shows me empty lots and boarded-up buildings. I step off the curb and scoot across the street. The slap of my tennis is loud on down to the dirt. I lie there paralyzed "Go home. Don't talk to nobody, go the concrete, but I hear the beat of his while the old woman trickles a ragged straight inside. Go, now!" feet. line of salt in a circle around me. # Next thing I know, my knee twists "What do you see?" she whispers. "Been looking for you, baby." and I'm tumbling. I scramble sideways, With eyes closed, I see a figure The stench of liquor worms into my scraping my palms as I work my way dancing around the rim of a volcano. nostrils as I stagger down the street. underneath a chain-link fence. Inside, "Go." The volcano woman stirs. I duck tire rims and rusty engines, At her command, the dancing He grabs my wrist and I explode. limping through the mess of metal to figure descends. Light shoots from my eyes and I find a place to hide. "Clean yourself." sink my heat into his flesh. He falls, "Girlie, you all right?" The dancing figure undresses me screeching, at my feet. I whirl around to see an old woman and leads me to four clay pots. I dip At home, I wrestle the door open, sitting on a throne of twisted car fend- my hands into the first. Black paste click the lock behind me. ers, thick strands of hair coiled high on coats my fingers. "You're safe," the volcano woman her head. "Roach dung," she whispers as I flutters, whipping up a spiral of winds I nod mutely. slather it on my body. that cocoon me in softness. I release "Soup?" she says, motioning to a I dig into the next, scooping up rot- my terror to her warmth and collapse gigantic pot billowing steam. ten fruit to work into my hair. Tree sap on the floor. I shake my head and look back from the third cakes my armpits. The photo © Régine Romain KIINI IBURA SALAAM toward the street. gin from the last splatters my skin. writes electrifying "Girl, you come to my yard with a The dancing figure spins before me fantasy rooted in wolf chasin you and you in a rush to growing brighter and brighter. My culture, identity, and go back into the night?" eyes roll back in my head as every cell freedom. Her fiction In a flash, she is standing. Her arm in my body trembles in fury. Then, has been published outstretched, holding a steaming cup. without warning, I erupt. in two collections: My hand lifts. I try not to drink, but # Ancient, Ancient my body is not under my control. When I wake, the old bony fingers and When the World After the soup is inside me, I drop grab my arm and drag me to my feet. Wounds. THE SEVENTH WEEK | FALL 2020 | PAGE 1 Jessica L. Drake JLD Imagery Flashing Lights Photography Seattle Stephanie Skeffington Welcome New Board Members and Staff Shweta Adhyam (CW '17) Betsy Aoki (CW '16) Linda Breneman MARNEE CHUA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR As we approach the end of this year, I am pleased to share that several individuals have joined the Clarion M. Huw Evans (CW '12) Scott Sherman Evan J. Peterson (CW '15) West Board of Directors in 2020. Their addition to the board will help us better position the organization to for social interaction, metrics writing (stories and programs), grow, build capacity, and achieve our platforms, and gaming. With Eileen and 'rithmatic (including advanced plans to make our workshops more Brown, she is co-author of Digital mathematical topics like flexagons). accessible. They have already been Marketer, published by the British In addition, a new staff member, Evan engaging in our identity review and Computer Society. J. Peterson (all pronouns accepted) workshop review process and will be Linda Breneman (she/her) is a writer joined Clarion West in June, as our key to implementing our goals for the in Seattle. She works on fiction, essays, Marketing & Social Media Coordina- coming year. and video game journalism and pub- tor. Since joining the team, Evan has The following individuals joined the lishes Pixelkin.org. She is interested in also increasingly taken on a role with board in 2020: games and learning, consciousness, vir- our fundraising efforts, with an eye to- tual worlds, cockapoo dogs, literature, ward moving into our Fundraising & Shweta Adhyam (she/her) grew up speculative fiction, and her family. In Outreach Coordinator position by the in Madras, lives in Seattle, and writes 1996, she co-founded Seattle's literary end of the year. Evan writes strange speculative fiction. She has graduate center, Richard Hugo House. stories, nonfiction, poetry, and inter- degrees in physics and astronomy, has active games such as Drag Star! He worked as actuary and data analyst, In 2012, M. Huw Evans (he/him) left was the founding creative editor and speaks five languages, and strongly a career in health sciences and research then editor-in-chief of Minor Arcana believes escapism is vital. She is fren- to pursue his childhood dream of writ- Press and founder of the SHRIEK: A emies with ADHD, knows far more ing fiction. He attended Clarion West Women of Horror Film Series. Find about Hindu mythology than is good (where he wrote the first version of a Evan online at www.evanjpeterson. for her, and attended Clarion West in story for none other than the master com. 2017. She lives with her spouse and of time travel herself, Connie Willis), child. Shweta can be found on the web then served as Workshop Administra- Please join me in welcoming them. at www.shweta-adhyam.com and on tor for four years (2014–2017). Huw is This year has been an especially chal- Twitter as @shweta_adhyam. a freelance editor, a stay-at-home dad lenging time for our workshop and ... and a writer. community. I am so thankful our Betsy Aoki (she/her) is an industry board and staff's dedication to mov- pioneer with 20+ years of experience Scott Sherman (he/him) is a software ing forward and keeping our programs leading technical teams. Her jobs have engineer and writer. He enjoys reading thriving. centered on v.1 products and platforms (anything from a new perspective), PAGE 2 | THE SEVENTH WEEK | FALL 2020 Donor We love our donors. That may sound Susan, like many of us, was con- glib, but in 2020, support for the arts fused about her life. Her diaries and Spotlight and social progress cannot be taken for doodling revealed this. However, she granted. Clarion West nurtures writers of lived her life, no matter how confused, science fiction (and fantasy, horror, and with direction and intent. Much of her other speculative genres) — we support energy was funneled into the study of Susan C. the artists who imagine better futures languages and history, writing many and reimagine the present and past. Our of her notes and story ideas in Rus- Petrey Fund donors make this all possible; consider sian and Turkish. She began writing what Clarion West and other organiza- as a means of combating depression, tions would look like this year without the but it became much more. She partici- continued support of donors. Our donors pated in local writers groups and had EVAN J. PETERSON quite literally help create the future. been accepted to attend [the] Clarion (CW '15) This fall, we'd like to pay tribute to [Science Fiction and Fantasy Writ- the Oregon-based Susan C. Petrey Fund, ers' Workshop], but she was unable to photo courtesy of Debbie Cross and Paul Wrigley which has honored us for over attend for financial three decades with their Clarion reasons. Prior to West scholarship and the more her sudden death in recent fellowship for instructors. 1980, she'd had four Recent Clarion stories accepted for West Petrey schol- publication in the ars include Celeste Fantasy & Science Rita Baker (CW Fiction magazine. '19), Laurie Steve Perry took Penny (CW '15), uncompleted story and JY Neon Yang ideas and rough (CW '13). Recent manuscripts and Petrey fellows turned them into include instruc- three stories also tors Anne Leckie accepted by the magazine. (2019), Karen Joy Fowler (2018), EJP: Clarion West is the bene- and Pat Cadigan factor of your generous scholar- Susan C. Petrey (2017). For our ship for students as well as your fall Donor Spotlight, we interviewed fellowship for instructors. What is Debbie Cross and Paul Wrigley from your greatest wish for your philan- Our greatest wish is that the Susan C. Petrey Fund about Susan's thropy toward our organization and literary legacy and the opportunities they toward the Clarion Workshop in San the scholarship winners provide in her name: Diego? enjoy their time at the workshop and use the Evan J. Peterson: You honor Susan C. DC & PW: Our greatest wish is that Petrey's memory and legacy with your the scholarship winners enjoy their experience to change philanthropy. Can you tell us more time at the workshop and use the their lives in the future.