Black Heritage in Horror Month 2024: An Introduction by Dr. Lisa Wood

by Dr. Lisa Wood I’m often asked about being an African American writer in the horror genre. The question is fair; I am an African American writer who has been a psychological horror author for a long time, so it would follow that I have witnessed trends and patterns over the years and might have a comment toward it. But the question, in and of itself, is one that I wish never had to be asked again. It implies that there is a difference between African American people versus other racial groups in the genre. It implies that today a…

Horror Writers Association Releases the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballot for the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA is the premier writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with more than 2,000 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987. Works on this ballot are not referred to as “nominees” or “finalists.” Only works appearing on the Final Ballot may be referred to as “nominated works” and their authors as “finalists.” The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee congratulate all those appearing on the Preliminary Ballot.

HWA Calls For 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations

HWA Calls For 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations The Horror Writers Association calls for suggestions and nominations from the membership for the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual whose work has substantially influenced the horror genre. While this award is often presented to a writer, it may also be given for influential accomplishments in other creative fields. The award is presented each year during HWA's gala presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards at StokerCon. To be eligible for this award, a candidate must either be at least sixty years of age by…

HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2024 Spokesperson and Timeline

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, Booklist, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the fifth annual Summer Scares Reading Program. Summer Scares is a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come. Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2024 spokesperson, author Clay McLeod…

Submissions will open next month for the newest HWA members-only anthology!

Submissions will open next month for the newest HWA members-only anthology! SCARING AND DARING ADVENTURES will be an anthology of original fiction stories that draw from the rich tradition of classic works of children's literature and puts a “scaring” spin on the “daring adventures.” These stories will be intended for middle-grade readers and will reference characters, situations, or settings from famous works of literature that are in the public domain (generally pre-1923). The anthology will be edited by Eric J. Guignard and published by HarperCollins in 2025. Examples of stories this anthology could contain include ideas such as: The March…

HWA Election Results 2023

HWA Election Results 2023 Los Angeles CA September 29, 2023 The Horror Writers Association (HWA) held its annual election in September. We had a number of amazing candidates for the four open positions of Trustee. Offices of Vice President and Treasurer ran unopposed. Our members have voted, and we are pleased to share the results. Please welcome our new Vice President, Lisa Wood, and our new Treasurer, Michael Knost. Congratulations to Lisa Kröger, Brian Matthews, and Angela Yuriko Smith on being re-elected as Trustees; and welcome to new Trustee, Brian Keene. The elected officers shall hold their respective offices for…

Jonathan Lees Announces Final Frame Audience Award Winner

After this weekend's online screening, where 96 more people enjoyed The 8th Annual Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition, we have a winner of the AUDIENCE AWARD! David Yorke's new comedy-horror film, Eric. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see David recognized here. He is a UK filmmaker and a three-time finalist for Final Frame with the films Eject (Final Frame Finalist, 2020), Safekeeping (Final Frame Finalist, 2021) and now...   ERIC Director: David Yorke Writer: David Yorke UNITED KINGDOM / 2022 Joshua finally gets to meet Eric, the beloved dog of a girl he’s been dating. As the evening evolves,…
POETRY SHOWCASE HISTORY FROM AN EARLY ADOPTER

POETRY SHOWCASE HISTORY FROM AN EARLY ADOPTER

by Angela Yuriko Smith Were it not for Peter Adam Salomon and the HWA Showcase series he started, I might not be still poeting today. Our community is particularly kind to dark poets. From founding National Dark Poetry Day to be celebrated every October 7th (also a gift from Salomon, by the way) to getting the latest Poetry Showcase up in lights on Times Square NYC (thanks to current president John Palisano), the HWA brings the love to our scribblers of verse. Over the next few weeks the poets of HWA will be sharing their work from the Showcase in…

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) Announces The Release of its Next Publication: The HWA Poetry Showcase, Volume IX

PRESS RELEASE The Horror Writers Association presents its ninth annual poetry showcase featuring a selection of the best original dark poetry from the past year. Edited by Angela Yuriko Smith with judges Lee Murray, Maxwell I. Gold and Frances Lu Pai Ippolito, this year features Stephanie M. Wytovich, Geneve Flynn, and Naomi Simone Borwein as our featured poets. Cover artwork by Kyra Starr. Appreciation to HWA President John Palisano for doubling the payment to poets and awarding poets both payment and a contributor copy instead of poets choosing between two options. The artwork for this year’s cover pays tribute to…

StokerCon Pre-Party

The Stanley Hotel is proud to partner with TheNecronomi.Com and The Horror Writers Association to host the official StokerCon pre-party on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, and will feature a lineup of acclaimed horror writers in an intimate setting, featuring author readings and Q&A sessions about the genre. The NoSleep Podcast will perform a one-hour live performance of their award-winning horror fiction podcast. All ticket proceeds will go to the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department in an effort to repay our firefighters for all their hard work in saving the iconic hotel from the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires…

New Bram Stoker Awards® Category: Superior Achievement in Middle-Grade Novel

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is proud to announce the addition of a brand new category in the Bram Stoker Awards®: Superior Achievement in a Middle-Grade Novel. For purposes of this Award, Middle-Grade novels are defined as novels (see clause IVe) intended for the age group 8-13 with word length beginning at 25,000 words. A Middle-Grade novel that is deemed to be a ‘First Novel’ according to Rule IVf may qualify for consideration in the ‘First Novel’ category (see Rule IVr) if the author insists in writing that the work be considered for ‘First Novel’ rather than ‘Middle-Grade' novel; otherwise,…

Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition Special Viewing

PRE-ORDER FOR FREE NOW! Save your seat! Limited capacity screening! For six years, the Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition has unleashed a host of terrors upon our unsuspecting StokerCon audiences. Before we embark on our seventh edition, we would like to invite our members to enter the darkness once more to experience some of our very best and most memorable nightmares. For 24 hours, Saturday, November 6th at 8pm EST to Sunday, November 7th at 8pm EST, The Best of Final Frame, will be available FOR FREE to all StokerCon members worldwide. This special screening will include a suggested…

StokerCon Souvenir Book Publisher Announced

StokerCon2022 is pleased to announce the publisher for our Souvenir Book: Burial Day! Cynthia and Gerardo Pelayo have already been hard at work with some amazing ideas. We are thrilled with this partnership. Learn more about Burial Day here: https://burialday.com/

New Haunted Library Release!

The Horror Writers Association presents the Haunted Library of Horror Classics! The next volume in the Haunted Library of Horror Classics series—The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers—is now available for purchase! The King in Yellow is a book of short stories by American writer Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. The book is named after a play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories. The first half of the book features highly esteemed weird stories, and the book has been described by critics as a classic in the field of…

2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA is the premier writers' organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with more than 1,700 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987. The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee congratulate the winners and all the nominees. To see the recipients of the other awards presented at the ceremony, visit The Bram Stoker Awards®.

2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballot for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (see https://horror.org/) is the premier writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with more than 1,700 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987 (see http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/) Works on this ballot are not referred to as “nominees” or “finalists.” Only works appearing on the Final Ballot may be referred to as “nominated works” and their authors as “finalists.” The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee congratulate all those appearing on the Preliminary…

Winners — Bram Stoker Awards®

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, announces this year’s Bram Stoker Awards® winners after a ceremony held via Live Stream. “This year’s winners reflect a great showing of impressive works from a wide range of competitive finalists,” said John Palisano, HWA President. “This year’s winners truly represent a broad spectrum of titles in the horror and dark fantasy. HWA members and awards juries have again shown objectivity and dedication to the selection process for outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.”We proudly provide the list of talented winners…

Streamed Readings Scheduled for April 18!

BRAM STOKER AWARD™ READINGS SCHEDULE FOR APRIL 18 (ALL TIMES ARE PST) Watch them on the HorrorWriters Youtube Channel. 3:30 p.m.
  • Ann Dávila Cardinal (Young Adult Novel) reading from Five Midnights
  • Liana Gardner (Young Adult Novel) reading from Speak No Evil
3:45 p.m.
  • John Langan (Fiction Collection) reading from Sefira and Other Betrayals
4:00 p.m.
  • Sarah Read (First Novel) reading from The Bone Weaver’s Orchard
  • Donna Lynch (Poetry Collection) reading from Choking Back the Devil
And more! Check out the entire list.

2019 Specialty Press Award Recipient Named

The HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION is delighted to announce the recipients of this year’s Speciality Press Award to SST Publications. The award will be given during this year’s Bram Stoker Awards ceremony, taking place at Stokercon in Scarborough U.K. from April 16 through April 19, 2020. HWA, the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy and home of the iconic Bram Stoker Awards®, presents the Specialty Press Award annually to a publisher whose work has substantially influenced the horror and dark fantasy genres. HWA employs a hard-working committee for the selection process and recipients are chosen through…