I Know Why the NyteBird Sings: An Interview with Linda D. Addison

I Know Why the NyteBird Sings: An Interview with Linda D. Addison   by David E. Cowen, Author of The Madness of Empty Rooms and The Seven Yards of Sorrow. Follow David at www.decowen.com.   I first experienced the work of Linda D. Addison in a volume of verse I still consider one of the great contemporary works of speculative poetry Four Elements (Bad Moon Books). Linda along with Marge Simon, Charlee Jacob and Rain Graves created what I consider one of the best examples of modern dark poetry. The HWA apparently did as well as it was awarded a…

HWA Announces the Top 3 Poems for the Poetry Showcase Volume V

It is with great pride and admiration that I can now share the top 3 poems and two honorable mentions chosen by the jury for the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V. -- David Cowen* HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V is edited by multiple Stoker nominee and Stoker winner for poetry Stephanie M. Wytovich, MFA. The top 3 chosen poets are: R J. Joseph is a Texas based writer and professor who must exorcise the demons of her imagination so they don't haunt her being. A life long horror fan and writer of many things, she has recently discovered the joys…

An Interview with New HWA Poetry Showcase V Editor Stephanie M. Wytovich

The Madhouse Comes to the HWA Poetry Showcase: An Interview with New HWA Poetry Showcase V Editor Stephanie M. Wytovich by David E. Cowen, Author of The Madness of Empty Rooms and The Seven Yards of Sorrow. Follow David at www.decowen.com.  On April 1, 2018, coinciding with National Poetry Month, the HWA will open a call for submissions for its fifth volume of the HWA Poetry Showcase. The first editor and brain child of this amazing series was HWA Active member and poet Peter Salomon. He edited the first two volumes which originally were produced only digitally. Peter established the…
In Praise of Poetry and the HWA

In Praise of Poetry and the HWA

As I write this there are lots of exciting happenings in speculative poetry. The Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry has just been announced. I’ve learned that master poets Alessandro Manzetti and Marge Simon have announced a new collaboration on War to be published by Crystal Lake Publishing. I hear rumors that Bruce Boston, never to rest on his already amazing laurels, has another book in the works. Linda Addison was named the recipient of this year’s HWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Also the HWA is continuing with the acclaimed HWA Poetry Showcase. This year…

The Time of the Sorceress — An Interview with Ashley Dioses

Weird. Most dictionaries will include in its definitions of this word the phrase “suggesting something supernatural; uncanny.” H.P. Lovecraft, an imperfect human who strove to perfect his craft, referred to his work as “Weird Fiction” S.T. Joshi’s classic “The Weird Tale” (University of Texas Press 1990) states in the preface that the Weird Tale “does not exist as a genre but as a consequence of a world view.” The Weird Tale has been a stable of horror for many years. Ms. Dioses has emerged as a rising star in a subset of this body of work: Weird Poetry. Ms. Dioses…

An Interview with Juan Manuel Perez, the Texas Chupacabra Poet

Finding Your Inner Chupacabra An Interview with Juan Manuel Perez, the Texas Chupacabra Poet By David E. Cowen. Author of The Madness of Empty Spaces (Weasel Press 2014) and The Seven Yards of Sorrow (Weasel Press September 2016); Editor HWA Horror Poetry Showcase Volumes III (2016) and IV (2017)   Juan Manuel Perez, a Mexican-American/Texas poet of indigenous descent (Purapecha/Otomi), is the author of Another Menudo Sunday (2007), O’ Dark Heaven: A Response To Suzette Haden Elgin’s Definition Of Horror (2009), WUI: Written Under The Influence Of Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. (2011), Live From La Pryor: The Poetry Of Juan Manuel…

BAD GIRLS, BAD GIRLS, WHAT YOU GONNA DO?

An Intimate interview with Marge Simon, Mary Turzillo and Weasel Press about their new book Satan's Sweethearts. by David E. Cowen. Author of The Madness of Empty Spaces (Weasel Press 2014) and The Seven Yards of Sorrow (Weasel Press September 2016); Editor HWA Horror Poetry Showcase Volumes III (2016) and IV (2017) Hurricane Harvey is now here in Houston a memory though the gifts it brought still blossom with the mold growing on so many walls. Now poor Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are in the process of having to pick up and dry off. If you ever…

An Interview with Poet/Author Peter Adam Salomon

An Interview with Poet/Author Peter Adam Salomon by David E. Cowen, Author of The Madness of Empty Rooms and The Seven Yards of Sorrow By the graces of the HWA (Lisa Morton asking nicely – what I’m supposed to say ‘no’ to her? I think not) and a plea from the prior guardian of this blog I am taking over the task of bringing this blog to the members of the Horror Writer’s Association on a regular monthly basis. Aha, you are likely saying to yourself, this blog entry is late. Yes it is. I reside in Houston and an…

An Interview with Angela Yuriko Smith

A former news journalist, Angela Yuriko Smith retired to write fiction. Her prose and poetry have been widely published in both print and online publications. She has nearly 20 books which include dark and speculative fiction for YA and adults, books for children and two collections of poetry. Her first collection of poetry, In Favor of Pain, has been nominated for a 2017 Elgin Award. When not writing, she teaches creative writing at Northwest Florida State College. HWA: What can you share about the inspiration and writing of In Favor Of Pain? In Favor of Pain was an accidental birth.…

2017 HWA Poetry Showcase Featured Poems

The Horror Writers Association is pleased to present the three featured poems from the 2017 HWA Poetry Showcase. After four years, the HWA Poetry Showcase has become a vibrant, global poetry competition featuring the best poetry, and the best poets, of the membership of the Horror Writers Association. This year was the second, and final, year of David E. Cowen being Editor for the Showcase. As such, I asked him to write an introduction to this HWA Poetry Page post about his experiences with the Showcase and dark/horror poetry: Poetry is dead. Long live the poetry of the undead! It…

Nominees for the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards® Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

Congratulations to everyone nominated for the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards®! Most especially, congratulations to the five nominated poetry collections for the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards®!!!! Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection: Boston, Bruce and Manzetti, Alessandro – Sacrificial Nights (Kipple Officina Libraria) Collings, Michael R. – Corona Obscura: Poems Dark and Elemental (self-published) Gailey, Jeannine Hall – Field Guide to the End of the World: Poems (Moon City Press) Simon, Marge. – Small Spirits (Midnight Town Media) Wytovich, Stephanie M. – Brothel (Raw Dog Screaming Press) To help celebrate and to promote these poets and to provide a larger sample,…

The Poets on the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot

Congratulations to everyone on the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot! Most especially, congratulations to the poets on the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot!!! Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection: Betts, Matt – Underwater Fistfight (Raw Dog Screaming Press) Boston, Bruce and Manzetti, Alessandro – Sacrificial Nights (Kipple Officina Libraria) Collings, Michael R. – Corona Obscura: Poems Dark and Elemental (self-published) Cowen, David E. – The Seven Yards of Sorrow (Weasel Press) DiLouie, Craig and Moon, Jonathan – Children of God: Poems, Dreams, and Nightmares from the Family of God Cult (ZING Communications, Inc., Jonathan Moon.) Gailey, Jeannine Hall…

An Interview with Vincenzo Bilof

From Detroit, Michigan, Vincenzo Bilof has been called “The Metallica of Poetry” and “The Shakespeare of Gore.” With a body of work that includes gritty, apocalyptic horror (The Zombie Ascension Series), surrealist prose (The Horror Show), and visceral genre satire (Vampire Strippers from Saturn), Bilof’s fiction remains as divisive and controversial as it is original. He likes to think Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and Charles Baudelaire would be proud of his work. More likely, Ed Wood would have been his biggest fan. HWA: Where did the concept/inspiration for 'Visions of a Tremulous Man' originate? VB: No matter how I answer…

Horror Writers Association Poetry Page Holiday Shopping Guide 2016

This year has seen a number of excellent poetry collections released by HWA members. To help those wondering what to buy for gift giving, the HWA Poetry Page is please to share a handy shopping guide with you. To start, 2016 saw the release of the third volume of the HWA Poetry Showcase. Edited by David E. Cowen (more on him later), the third volume is the first to be available as an electronic chapbook and also in paperback!   Volume I and Volume II also make great holiday gifts!!     David E. Cowen released The Seven Yards Of…

Interview with Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo

Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo is an International Latino Book Award winner. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, and The Missing and holds a Master of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son. With the publication of her new collection, POEMS OF MY NIGHT, Cynthia Pelayo constructs a narrative in her poetry in response to the work of Jorge Luis Borges that examines the themes and subsequent consequences of insomnia, death, and blindness. To help celebrate the release of this fascinating collection, the HWA Poetry Page is…