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{{Short description|Writing workshop in Eugene, Oregon}}
The '''Wordos''' is a [[writing circle|writing workshop]] based in [[Eugene, Oregon]], United States. Its members meet once a week to [[critic|critique]] stories and discuss the art, craft, and business of [[writing]]. It is a long-running [[speculative fiction]] critique group, and has a high concentration of [[publishing|published]] authors. However, having prior publishing credits is not a prerequisite to joining. The group has produced winners of the [[Galaxy Press]] international [[Writers of the Future]] contest six years in a row.<ref name=RGMarch07>{{cite news |last=McCowan |first=Karen |title=Eugene's bunch of Wordos continues to find success |url=http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/03/21/a1.scificentral.0321.p1.php?section=cityregion |newspaper=[[The Register-Guard]] |date=March 21, 2007 |accessdate=2007-09-20}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> 

The group promotes itself as a means to help writers produce [[fiction]] of salable quality, and to continually improve their writing abilities. The workshop's primary focus is on [[Short story|short]] speculative fiction, but members have had fiction of other lengths and genres critiqued.

==History==
Founded in 1987, "The Wordos" was originally called "The Eugene Professional Writers Workshops, Inc." The name was changed in 1995, to make it "shorter and friendlier." They kept the original name for business purposes, however.<ref name=FAQ>{{cite web |url = http://www.wordos.com/faq/ |title = The Wordos FAQ |accessdate = 2007-09-20 |publisher = The Wordos}}</ref> The group meets weekly in a local bookstore.<ref name=RGMarch07/>

==Notable members==
The membership over time has included, [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] and fantasy novelist [[Nina Kiriki Hoffman]], [[Surrealism|surrealist]] short story writer and novelist [[Ray Vukcevich]], science fiction writers [[Kathy Oltion]] and [[Jerry Oltion]], [[Bruce Holland Rogers]], [[Patricia Briggs]], fiction and non-fiction writer [[Leslie What]], [[Jay Lake]], [[Eric M. Witchey]], [[Devon Monk]] and many others. Deborah Layne, a long-time member, is also the founder of [[Wheatland Press]], the award-winning<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/2006.html |title = 2006 World Fantasy Awards Ballot |accessdate = 2007-07-17 |publisher = World Fantasy |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070722104054/http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/2006.html |archivedate = 2007-07-22 }}</ref> publisher of the ''Polyphony'' anthology.

==Method==
The Wordos follow the [[Clarion Workshop]] model of critiquing. A member reads a submitted story, writes comments on it, and then, on the evening of the workshop, speaks for one to three minutes offering those and other comments aloud. At the end of the evening, the critiqued story is given back to the author.<ref name=FAQ/>

Members also report on news over the previous week, including accepted stories, rejections, and re-write requests from publishers.

==Awards==
A member of the Wordos has won or placed in the [[L. Ron Hubbard]] [[Writers of the Future]] contest consistently since 2001. There have also been several [[Nebula Award]]-winning workshop members and members who have been nominated for or won the [[Endeavour Award]], [[World Fantasy Award]], and [[Philip K. Dick Award]]. One member, Marshall Moseley, was a finalist in the [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]] television series "[[Project Greenlight]]".

===Partial list of award-winning stories===
{{Expand section|date=January 2008}}

The following is a partial list of award-winning stories written by members of the Wordos:
{| class="wikitable" border="0" style="font-size:8pt"
|-
! Author
! Story Title
! Award
! Year
|-
| rowspan="8" | Bruce Holland Rogers
| "Hollywood Considered as a Seal Point in the Sun"
| Muse Medallion for [[Short Story]]
| ''1995''
|-
| ''Lifeboat on a Burning Sea''
| [[Nebula Award]] for [[Novella|Novelette]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/96-97/1996neb.htm |title = 1996 SFWA Nebula Award(TM) Winners |accessdate = 2007-07-17 |publisher = SFWA |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180757/http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/96-97/1996neb.htm |archive-date = 2007-09-30 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
| ''1996''
|-
| "Thirteen Ways to Water"
| Nebula Award for Short Story<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/98-99/neb98.htm |title = 1998 SFWA Final Nebula Ballot |accessdate = 2007-07-17 |publisher = SFWA |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930152302/http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/98-99/neb98.htm |archive-date = 2007-09-30 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
| ''1998''
|-
| rowspan="2" | "The Dead Boy at Your Window"
| [[Bram Stoker Award|Bram Stoker Superior Achievement Award]] for Short Horror
| ''1998''
|-
| [[Pushcart Prize]]
| ''1999''
|-
| N/A
| Individual Artist Fellowship from the [[Oregon Arts Commission]]
| ''1999''
|-
| "Bitter Pills"
| [[SF Age]] Readers' Poll; Best Short Story
| ''1999''
|-
| "Don Ysidro"
| Winner, [[World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction]]
| ''2004''
|-
| rowspan="3" | Jerry Oltion
| ''Abandon in Place''
| Nebula Award for [[Novella]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/97-98/1997neb.htm |title = 1997 SFWA Nebula Winners |accessdate = 2007-07-17 |publisher = SFWA |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180809/http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/97-98/1997neb.htm |archive-date = 2007-09-30 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
| ''1997''
|-
| rowspan="2" | ''The Astronaut from Wyoming'' (with [[Adam-Troy Castro]])
| [[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Analog]] Readers' Choice Award for Novella
| ''2000''
|-
| [[Seiun Award]] for Best Foreign Language Short Story of the Year
| ''2007''
|-
| rowspan="2" | Leslie What
| "The Cost of Doing Business"
| Nebula Award for Short Story<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfwa.org/awards/2000/winners99.htm |title = SFWA Nebula Awards(R): 1999 Winners |accessdate = 2007-07-17 |publisher = SFWA |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070709181209/http://www.sfwa.org/awards/2000/winners99.htm |archivedate = 2007-07-09 }}</ref>
| ''1999''
|-
| "Why I Wash the Dead"
| 1st Place, [[Oregon Writers Colony]] Essay Contest
| ''2000''
|-
| rowspan="3" | Eric M. Witchey
| ''Echo''
| [[New Century Writer Awards]]; 9th Place [[Novel]]
| ''1999''
|-
| "Dreams and Bones"
| 2nd Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners>{{cite web|url=http://www.writersofthefuture.com/awards.htm |title=Winners and Awards |accessdate=2007-09-21 |publisher=Writers of the Future |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20070909041919/http://www.writersofthefuture.com/awards.htm |archivedate=2007-09-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| ''Q3, 2001''
|-
| "Life and Death and Stealing Toads"
| 1st Place, [[Ralan's Spectravaganza]] "Grabber" Contest<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.spectravaganza.com/2003/1-win-03.html |title = Spectravaganza 2003  |accessdate = 2008-01-22 |publisher = Ralan.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821145642/http://www.spectravaganza.com/2003/1-win-03.html |archivedate=21 August 2007 }}</ref>
| ''2003''
|-
| Leon J. West
| "Memoria Technica"
| 2nd Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''Q4, 2002''
|-
| rowspan="2"| Jay Lake
| rowspan="2"| "Into the Gardens of Sweet Night"
| 1st Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''Q4, 2003''
|-
| [[John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/lake/lake_biblio.html |title=Author Biography and Bibliography |accessdate=2007-09-21 |publisher=SciFi.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401081751/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/lake/lake_biblio.html |archivedate=2007-04-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| ''2004''
|-
| Ken Brady
| "Asleep in the Forest of the Tall Cats"
| Published Finalist, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''2004''
|-
| Marshall Moseley
| "Wildcard"
| 3rd Place<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Greenlight/Blogs/moseley_1.shtml |title=The Backstory: Blogs from the Inside |accessdate=2007-08-31 |publisher=Project Greenlight |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010052630/http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Greenlight/Blogs/moseley_1.shtml |archivedate=2007-10-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Project Greenlight]]
| ''2004''
|-
| Stephen R. Stanley
| "Mars Hath No Fury Like a Pixel Double-Crossed"
| 1st Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''Q3, 2005''
|-
| Blake Hutchins
| "The Sword from the Sea"
| 1st Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''Q2, 2006''
|-
| Damon Kaswell
| "Our Last Words"
| 3rd Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=RGMarch07/>
|''Q2, 2007''
|-
| John Burridge
| "Mask Glass Magic"
| 3rd Place, Writers of the Future Contest<ref name=RGMarch07/>
| ''Q4, 2007''
|-
| Stephen R. Stanley
| Illustrator
| Winner, Illustrators of the Future Contest<ref name=WOTFWinners/>
| ''Q1, 2008''
|-
| Grá Linnaea
| "Life In Steam"
| 3rd Place, Writers of the Future Contest
| ''Q3, 2009''
|-
| Jacob A. Boyd
| "Lost Pine"
| 3rd Place, Writers of the Future Contest
| ''Q3, 2011''
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070206030648/http://www.wordos.com/ Wordos] (official website)
* [http://www.sff.net/people/j.oltion http://www.sff.net/people/j.oltion] Jerry Oltion's SFF.net profile
* [http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/10/12/books.html Eugene Weekly] newspaper profile of Nina Kiriki Hoffman
* [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/HOPING+FOR+A+HOLLYWOOD+ENDING.(Entertainment)(A+Eugene+writer+is+a...-a0119243849 Register-Guard] newspaper profile of Marshall Moseley
* [http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/01/29/bk.wordos.0129.p1.php?section=oregonlife%3Cbr%3E Register-Guard]{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} newspaper profile of the Wordos
* [https://archive.today/20070621001744/http://www.kval.com/news/noon/10159916.html?video=pop&t=a KVAL CBS 13]  interview with Damon Kaswell and John Burridge

{{SpecFicWorkshops}}

[[Category:Speculative fiction writing circles]]
[[Category:Writing circles]]
[[Category:Culture of Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Creative writing programs]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in Oregon]]