13 Reasons Horror Should Put On A Happy Face by Nzondi
Horror & Urban Fantasy Literature’s Effect on Health Awareness
In Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance in his portrayal of Batman’s most notorious villain in The Dark Knight, he said, “As you know, madness is like gravity … all it takes is a little push.”
The film, the actor and real life, orchestrated a cacophony that sends a chill up my spine to this very day. When I used to run the ScHoFan Critique Group in the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, I remember a time when I introduced a story with a suicide narrative. It was then that I learned …
Lee Murray: I write horror. I also suffer from anxiety and sporadically from depression. Most of the time, I’ve managed to keep this to myself, but, in recent years, I’ve tried to be more open with friends and family about my mental health. The interesting thing is, in doing that I learned that a lot of my horror colleagues are also pacing to and from at the ramparts checking for danger or engaged in all-out battles with kaiju of epic proportions. Was it time to open a discussion about horror writing and mental health? I consulted my friend, Forever Man…
If it’s true that some of the greatest horror fiction comes from the deepest personal pain, that the torment of the writer weaves itself into fiction, then Horror, the way it shines a light on the darkest parts of humanity, is in a unique position to look at mental health.
The Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce a new program to show support to those in the horror community and beyond facing mental health issues or helping friends and family members who are.
Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community
Amanda Lovelace – Growing up a word-devourer and avid fairy tale lover, it was only natural that Lovelace began writing books of her own, and so she did. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found waiting for pumpkin spice coffee to come back into season and binge-watching GILMORE GIRLS. (Before you ask: Team Jess all the way.) The 
Akwaeke Emezi was born and raised in Nigeria. They received their MPA from New York University and was awarded a 2015 Miles Morland Writing Scholarship. Emezi also won the 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. Freshwater is their phenomenal debut novel.
Nibedita Senis is a queer Bengali writer, editor, and gamer from Calcutta. She acquired several English degrees in India before deciding she wanted an MFA, too, and that she was going to move halfway across the world for it. She’s a graduate of Clarion West 2015, and her work has appeared in Anathema: Spec from the Margins, Podcastle, Nightmare (June 2018, Issue #69), and Fireside. These days, she can be found in New York City, where she 
By day, Aaron Dries works as a mental health and homelessness case manager. By night, he writes fiction to keep his sanity. His novels include House of Sighs and its sequel The Sound of His Bones Breaking, Where The Dead Go To Die (co-authored with Mark Allan Gunnells), A Place For Sinners, and The Fallen Boys. His short fiction has been 
