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16-Year-Old UCSD Grad Among Those Attending Clarion Workshop
Christine Clark | August 20, 2007
At 16, Katie McLaughlin was the youngest student to enroll in the 2007 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop on UC San Diego’s campus. She was also the only UCSD student.
McLaughlin graduated from John Muir College this spring, and, upon graduation, was selected to attend the Clarion with other writers, many of whom are more than twice her age. But McLaughlin, who is from Portland, Ore., wasn’t intimidated by the experience. She left high school at age 12 to attend community college, which allowed her to transfer to UCSD as a junior right after she turned 15.
McLaughlin said she is an avid writer and reader of fantasy, but enjoyed writing feature stories for The UCSD Guardian while she was a student at UCSD.
The Literatures in English major said she was especially excited to get accepted to the Clarion because she is passionate about writing and the fantasy genre.
She said that although the Clarion was rigorous, she found it rewarding and enjoyed participating in the extracurricular activities with her classmates, such as attending a "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" midnight release party.
McLaughlin said she has no plans to move home after she completes the Clarion. She intends to get a job working in publishing or journalism and wants her own apartment. She also is considering attending graduate school to study the classics.
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