HWA Contribution to Nonprofit Literacy Organization

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, today announced a donation to Literacy, Inc., a Louisiana-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing the illiteracy rate in the United States.

The contribution of $5,000 was made possible by funds the HWA receives from the Authors Coalition of America LLC, an association of twenty-two independent authors’ organizations that focuses on repatriating foreign non-title specific royalty payments for American works photocopied abroad.

In order to receive a share of the funds Authors Coalition collects, the HWA agrees to invest the monies into educational initiatives.

“One of our priorities,” said HWA vice president John Palisano, “was to identify a unique and creative investment opportunity. Literacy, Inc. was the obvious choice as the organization has been taking a grassroots approach to fighting illiteracy for nearly a decade.”

Literacy, Inc. (www.literacyinc.com) employs a variety of tactics to fight illiteracy, including motivational speeches from its founder and distributing free e-readers and tablets to public high school students in Louisiana.

“This donation from the HWA will not only be used to encourage teens to read, but it will also provide these students with access to thousands and thousands of free downloadable e-books,” said Deborah LeBlanc, founder of Literacy, Inc. LeBlanc also stated that her mission is to provide e-readers to every public high school in Louisiana.

“HWA’s support will go a long way in helping us reach that goal,” she added.