2024 Horror Writers Association Elections for Officers and Trustees
The HWA’s annual elections will soon be upon us.
Up this year are three Trustee positions, as well as the offices of President and Secretary.
Please read the statements of the following candidates carefully. Links to the ballot will be sent out on or around August 19, 2024 to our Active and Lifetime members, with a due date of August 25, 2024.
The elected officers shall hold their respective offices for terms of two years, beginning on November 1 and ending on October 31.
Candidate Statement for Horror Writers Association PRESIDENT
Angela Yuriko Smith
I am honored to announce my candidacy for the office of President of the Horror Writers Association (HWA). This privilege is afforded to me by the countless benefits and support I have received from this incredible organization since I joined. In appreciation, I hope to give back as much as I can to the organization and its membership.
As a brand new member, I was in awe that then-president Rocky Wood would take the time to personally respond to my Facebook message. Peter Salomon, first editor and creator of the Poetry Showcase, graciously paused as he rushed between panels to share some kind words. Marge Simon embraced me as a friend, critiqued my writing, and helped me become a better poet. Linda D. Addison, dazzling in silver lamé, overwhelmed me with love at my first HWA experience, literally taking me under her wing. In these moments, I found my community. I fell in love with The Halloween People.
The Horror Writers Association has a legacy of nurturing talent and advocating for our genre. My vision for the future is to expand our outreach efforts to create more opportunities for writers at all stages and ages of their careers. I hope to champion initiatives that promote the horror genre in innovative ways and forge mutually beneficial relationships with adjacent industries. We are growing, and I hope to be a part of that growth.
Whether or not you choose me as President of the Horror Writers Association, I remain dedicated, driven by a solid commitment to our community and our craft. I hope to continue building upon our existing foundation of diversity, kindness, and innovation. I hope to contribute to the next chapter of our association’s history—a chapter filled with creativity, collaboration, and success for all.
Bio:
Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Ryukyuan-American poet, author, and publisher of Space and Time magazine. A two-time Bram Stoker Awards® Winner and HWA Mentor of the Year, she currently serves as an HWA Trustee, coaches authors and shares Authortunities, a weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.
Candidate Statement for Horror Writers Association SECRETARY
Becky Spratford
I would like to express my intention to run for reelection as Secretary of the HWA so that I can continue to build upon the work I have done for the organization over the last six years. I am respectfully asking for your vote for a few reasons.
Over the last six years, the HWA, like all of us, has been through a lot. I don’t need to elaborate as we have all lived through it, but what I can tell you, from my place on the Executive Board, is that through it all the HWA has not only grown, we have blossomed. We have welcomed more members than any time in our history. Membership has grown across all levels as we have actively recruited people from all over the Horror landscape. We have also seen a growth in the diversity of our members. But one of the most exciting things about the HWA right now is that our number of members who have reached the “Active” level is higher than it ever has been for the third year in a row.
As Secretary one of my duties is to oversee membership, but that is about more than helping us grow, it is about making us, the HWA Board, more accessible to you, the membership. In the last two years I have spearheaded significant changes in the HWA to make us more responsive to our members needs including making sure the annual member meeting was moved from the end of StokerCon to right in the middle and that it is conducted live both in person and online. I also have created a Members’ Only question portal where members can ask any and all questions directly to me, the Secretary, and then I can make sure that they get to the correct person immediately rather than the email getting lost in a maze of our organizational email addresses. In the last 18 months since this question portal opened, I have helped dozens of members get answers to their questions efficiently and effectively.
Being the Board member who oversees membership also means that I have had to lead the discussions around members who have not behaved well. While we, the HWA Board, cannot be the genre police in every space, I have helped lead the Board through these difficult situations by being the person who communicates with (either in writing or through video meetings) those involved in these situations. It can be an uncomfortable experience and it is one done quietly behind the scenes, but I do feel confident it has made a difference.
Finally, I bring valuable not-for-profit board experience to the HWA. I currently serve on my local library board and the Executive Board for the Illinois Library Association (also a membership organization). I have been proactive in sharing things from those experiences with the HWA Board in order to enhance our service to members. For example, I am currently part of the committee of Board members who are revising our By-Laws, which are a relic of the smaller organization we used to be. We are meeting monthly to make sure they reflect the larger, more professional organization we have become, including our addition of an Executive Director, and I have been using my connections in the not-for-profit world to gather examples of By-Laws for us to use to help inform our governing document. This unique experience has been invaluable as we continue to navigate unprecedented growth.
Thank you for reading this, and I hope you feel that I deserve the chance to serve as your Secretary for another two years.
Candidate Statements for Horror Writers Association BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Linda Addison
I have been an active member of HWA for more than twenty years. Many of the writers I’ve met over the years in the organization have been gracious in sharing information and lifting up my writing. I am running for Trustee to continue to give back to the community that has uplifted me. It’s been my honor to serve the organization as we continue to expand and create new outlets to support our community. Besides serving as Trustee I also chair the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee which creates The Seers Table monthly column for the HWA newsletter, and chair the committee for the annual HWA Diversity Grant.
If I am chosen, I will support the organization in the most inclusive and positive way possible. My strength is in being open to listen to all sides of a subject and come to a conclusion constructive for the majority.
Bio:
I am the author of five award-winning collections, including How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend and The Place of Broken Things (with Alessandro Manzetti). I am recipient of the HWA Mentor of the Year Award, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award, and SFPA Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry. Read more about me as a writer: www.LindaAddisonWriter.com.
Patrick Barb
The world’s a scary place. Whether coming to terms with the horrors of our past, finding our place in an uncertain present, or contemplating grim futures ahead, fear’s often the glue that binds us. It’s through a love of horror, an appreciation of things that scare us, those things which light up fear centers in our brain, that we find a shared humanity. It’s one of the many reasons I love the horror genre and the Horror Writers Association as an organization representing that genre. It’s also why I’m running for one of the 3 Trustee positions open this election cycle.
For those who don’t know me, my name is Patrick Barb. Like many of you, I’m a writer of weird, dark, and spooky things. And a reader of the same. I’m also a husband, a father of two young boys, and pet-dad to a large pup who thinks she’s a lapdog.
Since joining the HWA, I’ve found a community, no, a family, with which I can share my passion for all things morbid and macabre. When you’re a part of a family, it’s not enough to take from and appreciate the benefits of belonging to said group, however. Just as I’m an Active member of the organization in formal designation, so too do I wish to be actively contributing, actively giving back, actively helping the organization grow and shine its spotlight on creative acts forged in our shared darkness.
Prior to this election, I’ve given back to the HWA through several years of participating in the Mentorship program (first as a mentee and then, for the last 5 sessions, as a mentor myself). Talking about horror and writing, being able to pass along what I’ve learned, and learning in turn from my mentees, these have all been highlights of the Mentorship program experience. This reciprocal relationship isn’t limited to formal structures, however. I’ve found it in conversations online and in-person (at Stoker Con and other horror-related events). My column “Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author” at Shortwave Magazine (where I interview established and rising stars about the authors and works they admire) is another example of the uplifting potential in spotlighting the connections between our past and present and future, showcasing how we’re all bonded by a love of creating dark fiction. There’s so much to learn, and I love the way the HWA fosters an ecosystem of learning, teaching, and growing (both at the individual level and as an organizational whole).
In addition, I’ve served as a juror for the Bram Stoker Awards, participated in and moderated panels at Stoker Con, and have always strived to be involved in a positive and productive fashion, whenever and wherever opportunities present themselves.
As Trustee, I’d work with fellow board members to continue the great work already taking place, helping our members to share their voices, to ensure everyone feels as though they have a safe, secure seat at the table and a place on the bookshelves. Whether it’s making long-standing members feel welcome and appreciated (and never forgotten) or opening the doors and our arms wider to usher in and embrace new talent and voices whose unique perspectives can only serve to enrich our appreciation of those things that go bump in the night, I believe the outreach and coalition-building work we’ll continue is both good and necessary. Celebrating the success of one can, and should, feel like a celebration for all. This is achieved by a safe, inclusive, forward-looking organization willing to welcome all our fellow fear-makers and offer them tools for success.
In addition to my writing experience and time as an HWA member, I also bring 18+ years of editorial and book publishing experience, having worked in academic and trade publishing to acquire and develop projects with new authors, to the role of Trustee. I’ve been on both sides of the table and can use that experience to advocate fiercely and effectively for our members. As noted, the future of publishing will be fraught with new challenges, emerging pitfalls, and evergreen issues returning for one more scare. I want to be on the line with my fellow makers of the macabre, shining our lights into the darkness, keeping the monsters at bat.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
Bio:
Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and horrifying tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the dark fiction collection Pre-Approved for Haunting, the novellas Gargantuana’s Ghost and Turn, as well as the novelette Helicopter Parenting in the Age of Drone Warfare. His forthcoming works include the themed short-story collection The Children’s Horror from Northern Republic Press and the sci-fi/horror novel Abducted from Dark Matter Ink. His 2023 short story “The Scare Groom” was selected for Best Horror of the Year Volume 16. Visit him at patrickbarb.com.
James Chambers
I’ve been honored to work with the Horror Writers Association for nearly 15 years since my first volunteer role with the organization as part of the Membership Committee’s outreach program. I have volunteered in several roles over the years and have enjoyed evolving with the HWA as it has experienced record growth and expanded to unite more and more voices in the horror community. I’m seeking re-election as a Trustee so that I can continue working toward the goal that first inspired me to step forward and help out: making the HWA a welcoming group for horror writers of all backgrounds, experience levels, and voices. My time in the organization, serving on the Board of Trustees, and co-coordinating multiple StokerCons has shown me that writers of dark fiction have the inspiration and common ground it takes to support a positive, productive, professional, and diverse creative community. I hope to continue contributing to that as a Trustee.
My work in the HWA has included co-chairing the Bram Stoker Awards committee and contributing to adjustments and improvements of the Awards rules; coordinating the HWA’s Horror University program online and at StokerCon to connect some of the strongest voices in horror with new writers committed to learning and improving their craft; writing the first Member Handbook, which the Membership Committee has since revised and updated multiple times; co-chairing three StokerCons (including the HWA’s first virtual and hybrid conventions); and serving as one of the national StokerCon Committee chairs to help guide each year’s local con committee through the ins and outs of running the convention. As a Trustee, I’ve contributed to strategy and planning discussions to help guide the HWA through a period of record growth and interest in the horror genre. On a local level, I am co-coordinator of the HWA’s NY Chapter, a position I’ve held for more than 10 years, contributing to chapter activities, meetings, readings, and steady growth.
I value my volunteer time in varied areas of the organization and at different levels because it has enabled me to stay connected with membership and keep aware of member interests, needs, and feedback, all of which have helped shape my work as a Trustee. A recipient of the Richard Laymon President’s Award (2012) and the Silver Hammer (2016), I’ve been thrilled to work with the current Board and Executive team to tackle the challenges of navigating the HWA’s course into the future. I hope to continue this work by applying my experience as part of this amazing team to improving the HWA’s benefits and program offerings, to growing and securing the future of StokerCon, and to helping the organization to remain vital and dynamic for our more than 2,000 members.
Bio:
James Chambers is a Bram Stoker Award ® and Scribe Award-winning author and a four-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. He is the author of the short story collections A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World, described as “stellar” by Publisher’s Weekly, On the Night Border and On the Hierophant Road, which received a starred review from Booklist”; the novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, and the novellas, The Devil in the Green, Kolchak and the Night Stalkers: The Faceless God, Three Chords of Chaos, and many others, as well as the original graphic novel, Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and publications in multiple genres, including crime, fantasy, horror, pulp, science fiction, steampunk, and more. He edited the Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthologies, Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign and A New York State of Fright as well as Even in the Grave and Where the Silent Ones Watch. His website is: www.jameschambersonline.com.
Ellen Datlow
I’ve been a member of HWA for over twenty years and have served the membership in the capacity of trustee for a good chunk of that time. I’ve also served as a judge for the Stoker Award several times, sat on the Scholarship committee for two years, am currently on the publications committee, and helped run the HWA booths at Book Expo and NY ComicCon.
In 2017 I co-edited Haunted Nights, an HWA anthology, with Lisa Morton. I’ve enjoyed being a trustee, and proud of what the board has accomplished during my trusteeship. I hope to continue to serve for the foreseeable future, if I’m given that privilege. I’ve been editing sf/f/h short fiction for over forty years, currently acquiring and editing stories and novellas for Tor.com. I’ve also edited almost one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year.
Bio:
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h short fiction for over four decades. She was Fiction Editor of OMNI Magazine for seventeen years, then Editor of SCIFICTION, the fiction arm of the SCIFI Channel’s website for six years. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com and its horror imprint, Nightfire. She has edited numerous anthologies for adults, young adults, and children, including The Best Horror of the Year annual series, When Things Get Dark: Stories inspired by Shirley Jackson, Body Shocks: Extreme Tales of Body Horror, Screams From the Dark: 19 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous, Christmas and Other Horrors, and the forthcoming reprint anthology Fears: An Anthology of Psychological Horror.
She’s won multiple Locus, Hugo, Stoker, International Horror Guild, Shirley Jackson, and World Fantasy Awards plus the Splatterpunk Award, and in 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for “outstanding contribution to the genre”; and was honored with the Life Achievement Award given by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention. The Shirley Jackson Awards, Inc. recently presented her with a special award in recognition of the anthology When Things Get Dark: Stories inspired by Shirley Jackson (Titan Books, 2021).
She runs the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series in the east village, NYC, with Matthew Kressel.
She can be found on the website Datlow.com, and on twitter and facebook (google her).
Cynthia Pelayo
I have been a member of the Horror Writers Association since around 2008. I remember learning about HWA while pursuing an MFA in Writing and wanting to connect with other horror writers. I became much more active in the organization in recent years, attending local chapter meetings, volunteering as a mentor, editing the StokerCon souvenir book, and overall, trying to do whatever I can to improve diversity within the horror writing space. As a Latina, and first-generation person to grow up on the mainland, I am very well aware of the challenges many diverse writers face within professional organizations and the publishing space. I have faced many challenges to make it to this point in my writing career, and it’s because of that I would like to run as a board of trustee, to champion diverse voices and support and grow our community. I am also a neurodiverse voice, understanding that many neurodiverse people in our community face challenges with being seen, heard and supported. Horror should be a welcoming community. That is why we came to horror, many of us, because this is the genre that saw our pain, our fears, and accepted us when no one else did. It’s my goal to continue making the horror community, the horror genre, accepting, welcoming, and supportive for all.
