In February: “Viktor Aurelius – On Gothic Poetry” and HWA Horror Poetry Showcase

☢ The Horror Poetry Showcase is back! To celebrate National Poetry Month, the Horror Writers Association will be holding their second annual HWA Horror Poetry Showcase in April 2015. Open to all poets, the Showcase will be accepting submissions throughout the month of April with four poems chosen by HWA member judges to be honored on the HWA website. Submission Guidelines: Submissions will be accepted via Submittable from April 1-30, 2015 and all rights will remain with the poets. Those interested in submitting should visit www.horror.org on or after April 1 to access the submissions link. Submissions are open to…
Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Nonfiction Writing

Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Nonfiction Writing

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy and home of the iconic Bram Stoker Awards®, today announced the launch of the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Nonfiction Writing, an endowed fund providing grants for research and writing nonfiction relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. The Fund will provide grants annually to individuals who are members of the HWA. A member in good standing of any level of membership is eligible, regardless of previous writing experience or achievements. Wood, the former President of the HWA, passed away in December…
2014 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced

2014 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballots for the 2014 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA is the premiere writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with over 1,300 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards® in various categories since 1987 (see https://horror.org/stokers.htm). The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards Committee congratulate all those appearing on these Preliminary Ballots. Notes about the voting process appear after the ballot listing. The Preliminary Ballots are: Superior Achievement in a Novel Tim Burke – The Flesh Sutra (NobleFusion Press) Adam Christopher – The Burning Dark…

Private Members Only Portal

Click the big red button to log into the Members-Only section of the website. IMPORTANT: You have three different passworded areas for the HWA: Your WildApricot one (where you renew and update your profile) Your Members-Only section one (where you have access to the internal website) Your Forum password (where you access the forums) You have control over your WildApricot and your Forum passwords. We do not change them for you. We have control over your Members-Only section password. You must ask us to change it for you. We strongly encourage you to set your WildApricot and your Forum passwords…

In January: “The Sex Lives of Monsters by Helen Marshall”

☢ To start off 2015, The Poetry Page would like to finish our tributes to the nominees for the 2014 Bram Stoker Award for Poetry. Last, but definitely not least, Helen Marshall was nominated for the brilliant The Sex Lives Of Monsters.   HWA: Do you still have the first poem you ever wrote? Would you be willing to share it? HM: Ha! No, I very much doubt I have my first poem. I started writing poetry when I was about five years old—not good poetry, mind you, but definitely poetry—and I suspect none of it has survived after its…

In December: Tom Piccirilli, Bram Stoker Award Winner

☢ To finish up 2014, a year that has seen the HWA Poetry Page shine a spotlight on Bram Stoker Award winning poets (as well as publishing the first HWA book of poetry), I’m honored to present an interview with poet Tom Piccirilli, who won the very first Bram Stoker Award for Poetry for A Student Of Hell in 2000. His latest book of poetry, Forgiving Judas, is now available. HWA: Any chance you still have the first poem you ever wrote, or something equally early in your poetry career? TP: No, I wouldn’t want to subject anyone to my…
Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship

Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship

Visit the official scholarship site for up-to-date information. The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy and home of the iconic Bram Stoker Award®, today announced the creation of the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship in honor of the organization’s late president, who passed away on December 1, 2014 as a result of complications from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The new scholarship, which joins the existing Horror Writers Association and Mary Shelley Scholarships, will focus on non-fiction. Rocky Wood, a two-time…
Statement from Lisa Morton, Acting President of HWA, about Rocky Wood

Statement from Lisa Morton, Acting President of HWA, about Rocky Wood

You all know by now that we lost HWA’s President Rocky Wood on December 1, due to complications from ALS. Rocky was diagnosed with this terrible disease in October 2010, and the extraordinary courage and grace he demonstrated in living with his ailments was a true inspiration. Many things about Rocky were inspiring. Glancing over social media today, dozens of people mention his kindness; he was always generous with his time and eager to help newer writers. He was a champion of women’s rights, he worked with local animal shelters, and he was always the first to donate to friends’…
HWA Adds a Facebook Page

HWA Adds a Facebook Page

HWA has added a new tool to its communications kit: www.Facebook.com/HorrorWritersAssociation. On this page, moderators will be bringing you all the biggest and latest news in the Horror/Dark Fantasy world. Each day, you’ll find new articles on books, movies, television, and comics, as well as reviews from the best media outlets and fun polls all related to our favorite genre. We hope that in addition to “Liking” and “Following” the new page, you will also interact with the postings and share your opinion. Oh, and as always, share the scares with your friends!

Dark Poetry Scholarship Rules

Rules – The Dark Poetry Scholarship. Authority – the Dark Poetry Scholarship is established by the authority of the Horror Writers Association Board. Only Horror Writers Association (HWA) members in good standing as of 1 March in the year the Award is given are eligible to receive either Scholarship. As a result, only those persons who are members of the HWA may apply. The application period shall be between 1 November and 31 December. The Board will appoint a sub-committee of no less than three members, who will be the sole determinants of the winners of each Scholarship. The sub-Committee…
Dark Poetry Scholarship

Dark Poetry Scholarship

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce The Dark Poetry Scholarship to supplement its Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Horror Writers Association Scholarships. The first Dark Poetry Scholarship was be awarded in 2015. Thereafter, the scholarship is given annually. The scholarship is designed to assist in the professional development of our members writing Horror and/or Dark Fiction Poetry HWA President Rocky Wood explained that the intent of the Dark Poetry Scholarship is to bring into prominence the very real importance and influence Dark Poetry has had on the Horror genre, “It is very clear to the HWA that there are…
Horror Writers Association Says “Thanks for the Nightmares”

Horror Writers Association Says “Thanks for the Nightmares”

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy and home of the iconic Bram Stoker Awards®, today announced the next theme, “Thanks for the Nightmares”, of its Horror Selfies viral campaign. Starting today, and running through November 30, HorrorSeflies.com is seeking selfies featuring the submitter’s favorite horror book, movie, or television series. Last month, the Horror Selfies campaign awarded one lucky winner a collection of nearly 70 signed books from some of the biggest names in horror. As part of November’s theme, “Thanks for the Nightmares”, the selfie garnering the most…
A Note from Rocky!

A Note from Rocky!

Hello and good news! HWA paid membership hit 1297 (a record) as of October 31! Members come from 27 countries including Norway and the Philippines (new this month). Five and a half years ago we had 240 members, and when I started my first term as President on Nov 1, 2010, we had 400. Congratulations and thanks go to all our volunteers (180 currently) over the last five years who've delivered the enhanced and new programs that are obviously satisfying new and renewing members, summarised here: https://horror.org/achievements.htm. Rocky Wood President
HWA now on Pinterest!

HWA now on Pinterest!

The HWA has established an exciting new vibrant presence on Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/horrorwriters/) with initial 'boards' for Halloween, the Bram Stoker Awards® and Horror Selfies, with more to come. We thank AJ Klein for the initial setup. Doug Draa has been appointed HWA's Pinterest Coordinator, with Janet J Holden as assistant coordinator. Doug Draa is an ex-pat Buckeye and Army veteran living in Nuremberg Germany with his wife and daughter. His (dis)formative years were spent in Newark Ohio, the real world counterpart to Gary Braunbeck's "Cedar Hill". Doug was On-line Editor for "Weird Tales Magazine" and editor of Weird Tales' sister…

New Horror Anthology for Teens from HWA

It’s scary out there. Especially if you're a teen. It’s a frightening world, and we live in troubling times. Globally, locally, even in the safety of our own bedrooms. It’s about to get a lot scarier. The Horror Writers Association and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers will launch "Scary Out There," an anthology of all-original horror stories for young adults, written by an incredible line-up of world-class bestsellers. New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award® winner Jonathan Maberry has gathered together a veritable who’s who of A-listers to tell stories that explore what horror means to…
Halloween Haunts: The Masque of the Red Horde by Gene O’Neill

Halloween Haunts: The Masque of the Red Horde by Gene O’Neill

Dim light spilling through a red-stained Gothic window cast a ghastly pall over a heavily shadowed long hall. At the center of the room, bathed in the bloody illumination, a naked woman lay down on a black velvet covered dais, her ritual complete except for the final oral incantation. As she finished murmuring the last of the ancient spell, a phantasm suddenly appeared from the shadows. The tall, gaunt figure, cloaked in a black shroud, features hidden by a corpse-like mask, moved effortlessly to her side, accompanied by a chilling draft. Without a word, the masked specter bent over the…
Halloween Haunts: Halloween Night by Keith Deininger

Halloween Haunts: Halloween Night by Keith Deininger

I grew up in a relatively safe neighborhood in Colorado Springs, which was why, when I went trick-or-treating in fourth grade, I was allowed to go with a small group of friends and no adult supervision, and how I ended up alone at the mouth of a dark tunnel, my friends no longer answering my pleas. I was a shy kid and didn’t like going up to people’s houses, even for candy, so as the night wore on and several of my friends went home and I was left with only my good friends Sam and Brad, I suggested we…
Halloween Haunts: The Phases of Halloween by Peter Adam Salomon

Halloween Haunts: The Phases of Halloween by Peter Adam Salomon

‘Baby’s First Halloween’ This entails adorable costumes, miniaturized, and usually pumpkin shaped. While there’s no need for candy, there’s an intense desire on the part of parents to show their little bundle of joy off. This particular phase is more pronounced with an only child. A second child will be shoved into the same pumpkin, a couple obligatory photos will be taken, and then the younger child will be buckled in a stroller while their older sibling collects all the candy. ‘Baby’s Second Halloween’ Baby no longer quite fits in the adorable pumpkin costume, plus it says ‘Baby’s First Halloween’…
Halloween Haunts: I’m Old Now and Halloween was Better Once… Really by John F.D. Taff

Halloween Haunts: I’m Old Now and Halloween was Better Once… Really by John F.D. Taff

Ok, you know, it's true what they say about growing old. Yes, about the aches and pains.  OK, yes, about the fossilfication of your music choices.  And, sigh, yes, also about the general jadedness about life and jaundiced viewpoints about…well, let's not stray too far, here, shall we? Also part of growing old is a distressing tendency to digress… No, what I'm talking about here is how those of us who are older—and at 50 years old I count myself amongst them—have a tendency to view our past as some sort of privileged golden age that was there only for…
Halloween Haunts: Tamlane and Alison Gross: Halloween Ballads by Lisa Morton

Halloween Haunts: Tamlane and Alison Gross: Halloween Ballads by Lisa Morton

Although magazines and books like to tell us that Halloween is an ancient festival with pagan roots, the truth is the holiday as we know it is really only a few centuries old, especially in terms of being a night that incorporates dark enchantments and spooky tales. Combining the Celtic Samhain with the Christian All Saints Day and All Souls Day (the latter wasn’t instituted in the Catholic Church until 998 A.D.), references to the holiday are basically nonexistent prior to the 16th century, and those few scarce mentions hardly sound at all like the holiday we love. For example,…