Poets of the Dark: Interview with Tania Chen

Tania Chen is a Chinese-Mexican queer writer of living nightmares. Their work was selected for Brave New Weird Anthology by Tenebrous Press, and has also appeared in Unfettered Hexes by Neon Hemlock, Apparition Lit, Strange Horizons, Pleiades Magazine, Baffling Magazine, Longleaf Review, The Dread Machine among others. They are a graduate of the Clarion West Novella Bootcamp workshop of 2021 and a recipient of the HWA’s Dark Poetry Scholarship. Currently, they are assistant editor at Uncanny Magazine and can be found on twitter@archistratego or mastodon at @archistratego@wandering.shop What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Gerri Leen

Gerri Leen lives in Northern Virginia and originally hails from Seattle. In addition to being an avid reader, she's passionate about horse racing, tea, and collecting encaustic art and raku pottery. She has stories and poems in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nature, Strange Horizons, Dark Matter and others, and has a poetry collection coming out from Trouble Department. She’s a member of SFWA and HWA. See more at gerrileen.com. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to delve into the darker side of poetry? The shows I…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with John Claude Smith

John Claude Smith has had three collections and two novels published, along with tales and/or poems in Vastarien, Pluto in Furs, the HWA Poetry Showcase series, and many more magazines and anthologies. His debut novel, Riding the Centipede, was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist. He is presently shopping two novels—one weird horror, one a non-traditional spin on vampires and werewolves—and an apocalyptic, music-based horror novella. Another novel is in final revisions, while there’s a fiction collection and a poetry collection in the works, too. Busy is good. He splits his time between the East Bay across from San Francisco, and…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Naomi Simone Borwein

Naomi Simone Borwein is a poet and academic. Her work appears or is forthcoming across a spectrum of publications: Space & Time Magazine, HWA Poetry Showcase IX (featured Poet), Beautiful Tragedies III, dancing girl press, Ghost City Review, Grim & Gilded, Ghostlight, Farside Review, Superpresent Magazine, Soliloquies Anthology, and elsewhere. Naomi is a past head poetry editor of Swamp Writing (2018-2022)—and a reader for Thanatos Review. Her academic writing spans from Horror and the Gothic into Experimental Mathematics education and mathematical philosophy. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with J.E. Erickson

J.E. Erickson is the author of Offerings to the Flower Moon: The Tale of the Abrams Witch (October 2022) and Dust Bunnies From Hell (October 2023). He currently writes horror and fantasy stories, and lives in an old house in the Midwestern United States with a nerdy soap maker, two spoiled dogs, and a (potentially) possessed vegetable garden. You can visit him at jeericksonwriting.com or on Twitter @maladjustined. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to delve into the darker side of poetry? Poetry has always been difficult for me,…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Janine Cross

Janine Cross is the author of Touched by Venom, voted by Library Journal as one of the top five sci-fi/fantasy novels of 2005 and the first book in The Dragon Temple Trilogy. She's also the author of Shadowed by Wings, Forged by Fire, and a literary novel, The Footstop Cafe. As a private pilot, she occasionally writes articles for aviation magazines. She’s in a long-term relationship with the semi-colon but flirts outrageously with the comma splice. You can find her at: janinecross.ca Perfectly Reasonable Interview Questions That I Nonetheless Struggled to Answer. What sparked your interest in horror poetry?  The…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Brianna Malotke

Brianna Malotke is a member of the Horror Writers Association based in Washington. Her poetry is in The Spectre Review and The Nottingham Horror Collective. You can find more of her horror work in the anthologies Beautiful Tragedies 2, The Dire Circle, Under Her Skin, Their Ghoulish Reputation, Out of Time and HorrorScope. In fall of 2022 her debut poetry collection, Don’t Cry on Cashmere, was published by Ravens Quoth Press. Looking to 2023, she will be a "Writer in Residence" at the Chateau d’Orquevaux in France and her first horror poetry collection Fashion Trends, Deadly Ends will be released.…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Sumiko Saulson

Sumiko Saulson is a Bram Stoker Nominated poet for their 2022 collection The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry (Dooky Zines), and an award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror whose latest novel Happiness and Other Diseases is available on Mocha Memoirs Press. Winner of the HWA Scholarship from Hell (2016) BCC Voice "Reframing the Other" contest (2017), Mixy Award (2017),  Afrosurrealist Writer Award (2018), HWA Diversity Grant (2020),  HWA Richard Laymon Presidents Award (2021), Ladies of Horror Fiction Readers Choice Award (2021) Sumiko has an AA in English from Berkeley City College, writes a column called…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Saytchyn Maddux-Creech

Saytchyn Maddux-Creech survived the MFA program at Colorado State University with their love of all things creepy intact. Saytchyn’s stories and poems can be found in numerous journals, many under the name Sandra Maddux-Creech. They live in northern Colorado with their partner and several beloved familiars. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to delve into the darker side of poetry? In kindergarten, I fell in love with a folk song our teacher taught us about a skeletal ghost. The song was called, “The Ghost of John.” I couldn’t write…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Teel James Glenn

Teel James Glenn has killed hundreds and been killed more times--on stage and screen, as he has traveled the world for forty-plus years as a stuntman, swordmaster, storyteller, bodyguard, actor, and haunted house barker. He is proud to have studied sword under Errol Flynn’s last Stunt double and been beaten up by Hawk on Spenser for Hire TV show. He did over two hundred episodic appearances on Soap operas, 70 feature films and 60 renaissance festivals all over the country. His poetry and short stories have been printed in over two hundred magazines including Weird Tales, Mystery Weekly, Pulp Adventures, Space…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Rook Riley

Rook Riley is the author of short stories in the following anthologies: Queens and Courtesans, A Lone Star in the Sky, Rebels and Revenants, Strange Afterlives, and Witches and Warriors. After the military and then the  Department of Defense took them to live on both coasts and smack in the Midwest, they moved back home to Texas. Currently, they are employed as a middle school teacher (Welcome to body horror at its finest!) and a freelance developmental editor. In addition, they also write horror novels, game in tabletop RPGs, practice Krav Maga, and spoon warfare. Hobbies include binge-watching streaming services and collecting tattoos. What sparked your…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Hillary Dodge

Hillary Dodge is an award-winning editor and author of several speculative short fictions and poetry, as well as three nonfiction books. She spends a good deal of time traveling, going places that are forbidden, and eating. She once had tea with a Roma in a cave in the mountains of Spain. Another time found her eight hours from civilization in the heart of the Atacama with a mad desert hermit. She has been published in online magazines, podcasts, and print anthologies, including Pseudopod, the HWA Poetry Showcase, Space Squid, Hellbound Books, D&T Publishing, & Hex Publishers. She is a co-editor…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with K. H. Vaughan

K. H. Vaughan is a refugee from academia with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. In that life he taught and worked in a variety of settings, and was particularly interested in the methodology and philosophy of science, decision theory, forensic issues, mass violence, and psychopathology. He is a writer of dark fiction and poetry and Director of Programming for NecronomiCon - Providence. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to delve into the darker side of poetry? I had little interest in poetry of any kind for a very long…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with Jacqueline West

Jacqueline West’s poetry has appeared in Mythic Delirium, Dreams & Nightmares, Liminality, Enchanted Living, and Star*Line. Her collection Candle and Pins: Poems on Superstitions was released in 2018. She is also the author of the New York Times-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere, the YA horror novel Last Things, and several other dark and twisty books for young readers. A three-time nominee for both the Rhysling Award and the Pushcart Prize, Jacqueline lives with her family in Minnesota. Find her on Instagram @jacqueline.west.writes or at jacquelinewest.com.  What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event…

Poets of the Dark: Interview with R. Leigh Hennig

R. Leigh Hennig is an author, editor, and poet living amongst the memories of witches and other dark things in coastal New England. His work has appeared in anthologies that have been finalists for the Bram Stoker Award, and that have won the Saturday Visitor Award for works inspired by Poe (so named after the prize won by Poe himself). Find him at https://semioticstandard.com, Twitter, or Mastodon. What sparked your interest in horror poetry? Was there a particular event or work that inspired you to delve into the darker side of poetry? I never really understood poetry. I struggled with…

It’s National Poetry Month—How Incredibly Frightening!

by Denise Dumars Now that I’ve got your attention, April is National Poetry Month. Naming the month thusly implies that something of great value is being overlooked. Every poet in America knows what I’m talking about. Poetry has never had the huge following in the U.S. that it boasts in some other cultures; in fact, if you are an HWA member who lives in another country, I’d love to hear how poetry is viewed by the general public where you live. I know some countries where it is very much a part of the national conversation, and is not reserved…
Coming to a Shelf Near You: Poetry Showcase Volume X

Coming to a Shelf Near You: Poetry Showcase Volume X

Submit your poem here from April 15-May 15. A decade ago, Peter Adam Salomon had an excellent idea. He wanted to recognize horror and dark poetry as a genre. He brought his idea to then president Rocky Woods and the first HWA Poetry Showcase was born. The response from our membership was excellent and the Showcase has been published every year since. Many of us can credit the Showcase with boosting our careers. I'm one of those—my first professional sale as a poet was to Peter for Volume II. Were it not for his encouragement, I wouldn't be here now.…

Celebrating National Haiku Writing Month: The Thrills of Horror Haiku

As February marks National Haiku Writing Month, it's time to explore the dark and eerie side of poetry. Horror haiku presents a unique opportunity to craft spine-tingling tales in just three lines often using a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables. These mini-stories can evoke fear and suspense, making them perfect for fans of horror and thriller genres. In this post, we'll go over tips and ideas for writing effective horror haiku that will send shivers down your reader's spines. First and foremost, horror haiku should have a strong visual element. Use vivid imagery to paint a picture in your reader's mind…

Carina Bissett reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Carina Bissett joins us today with a reading of their poem, "A Lacing of Lavender" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmw0QL5oNIk Carina Bissett is a writer and poet working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including What Remains, Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Weird…

Madison McSweeney reads from POETRY SHOWCASE IX

Madison McSweeney joins us today with a reading of their poem, "Cannibal Mutant Maneating Spider" from Poetry Showcase IX. If you haven't purchased your copy yet of the newest Poetry Showcase, it's just one click away. Better yet, collect the whole series! Reviews and shares are always welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IGkcyHYjXQ Madison McSweeney is the author of The Doom That Came to Mellonville (Filthy Loot), The Forest Dreams With Teeth (Demain Publishing), and the poetry collection Fringewood (Alien Buddha Press). Her short fiction has appeared in American Gothic Short Stories and Zombie Punks F*ck Off. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, blogs at…