It is with great sadness that we report the death of Damon Knight on April 15th. A founder and longtime instructor of Clarion, for 27 years Damon taught at the Workshop along with Kate Wilhelm, making Clarion what Kim Stanley Robinson calls "an integral part of the American science fiction community."

Damon published scores of short stories, more than a dozen novels, and books on the history of science fiction and on writing fiction, including the popular instructional Discussion of Plot and the web-based art history work, "Will the Real Hieronymus Bosch Please Stand Up?". He also edited over 50 anthologies of science fiction. He shaped the direction of science fiction for over 40 years and also served the science fiction community by founding and acting as first president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. In addition to co-founding the Clarion Workshop, Damon established the Milford Writers' Conference for professional science fiction writers. He won the Hugo Award of the World Science Fiction Society for his collection of science fiction criticism, In Search of Wonder, and also received the Pilgrim Award of the Science Fiction Research Association and the Grand Master Nebula Award from his peers in the Science Fiction Writers of America. In addition, Michigan State University honored Damon and Kate by conferring upon them honorary Doctorates of Humanities for their involvement in and commitment to Clarion and young writers.

Drs. Damon and Kate at graduation pictured with David Wright

The Knight-Wilhelm Scholarship honors Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm, co-founders (with Robin Scott Wilson) in 1968, of the Clarion Workshop, which has been held at Michigan State University since 1972. To make a donation of any amount, send a check to:

Clarion
c/o Mary Sheridan
E-193 Holmes Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48825-1107

"What we get from science fiction---what keeps us reading it, in spite of our doubts and occasional disgust---is not different from the thing that makes mainstream stories rewarding, but only expressed differently. We live on a minute island of known things. Our undiminished wonder at the mystery which surrounds us is what makes us human. In science fiction we can approach that mystery, not in small, everyday symbols, but in bigger ones of space and time." (Damon Knight, from Definitions of Science Fiction)

With Deepest Sympathy,

Lister, Mary, Sarah, Emily and Amelia
Clarion 2002