Charles Day to receive the Hammer Award from HWA

The Horror Writers Association periodically gives the Hammer Award (also known as the Silver Hammer Award) to an HWA volunteer who has done a truly massive amount of work for our organization, often unsung and behind the scenes. It was instituted in 1996, and is decided by a vote of HWA’s Board.

The award is so named because it represents the careful, steady, continuous work of building HWA’s “house” — the many institutional systems that keep the organization functioning on a day-to-day basis. The award itself is a chrome-plated hammer with an engraved plaque on the handle. The chrome hammer is also a satisfying allusion to The Beatles’ song, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” a miniature horror story in itself.

The Board has voted to give the 2012 Award to Charles Day, the Chair of our Mentor Committee. Charles has done an outstanding job relaunching that program, so that it now has a record number of both mentors and mentees. He has done so with his trademark commitment and good humor.

HWA’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Marge Simon, commented, “The HWA is a success because of the tremendous workload carried by our many volunteers, mostly unnoticed. Charles is an exemplar of these efforts, and the Board is pleased to recognize him.”

Charles will receive The Hammer Award at the Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet in New Orleans on 15 June 2013.

The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide organization promoting dark literature and its creators. It has nearly 1000 members who write, edit and publish professionally in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, games, films, comics, and other media.

For more information about the HWA or the Bram Stoker Awards, please visit www.horror.org. More information on the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet, which is part of the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend, incorporating the World Horror Convention 2013 is available at http://www.stokers2013.org. Press inquiries to president@horror.org.

An Affiliate Member of HWA, Charles Day is the owner of Hidden Thoughts Press (mental wellness collections), Evil Jester Press and the newly formed division of EJP, Evil Jester Comics & Graphic Novels/Anthologies. He’s been employed in the field of mental health over twenty-five years, earning his Master’s Degree in Public Administration about eight years ago. He takes all this experience to Hidden Thoughts Press. He’s also an author and artist, who enjoys creating the many characters he brought to life in his works. You can find out more about his upcoming writing projects, check out his art or find out what he’s up to next with that evil dude-in-the-box, the evil Jester by visiting: http://charlesdayfictionwriter.blogspot.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/charles.day.92