New HWA Diversity Grants

The HWA is pleased to announce a new aspect to our scholarship program: the Diversity Grants. The Diversity Grants will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. Like the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee, the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse. The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published…

2020 Officer Election Results

The results of the 2020 Elections for officers are in! Linda Addison, James Chambers, and Ellen Datlow have been re-elected to the Board of Trustees. Becky Spratford has been re-elected as Secretary after running unopposed. John Palisano has been re-elected as President after running unopposed. Thank you to all of the candidates for running, and for your loyalty and service. Special thank you to Errin Kemper for running this year’s election committee, and to Angel Leigh McCoy for both setting up the voting and doing the compiling.

Webinar: Group Health Coverage Overview

Please join us for this informative and educational webinar in which we will review the basics of the Individual/Family and even Group coverage options offered to the Horror Writers Association members through the partnership with LIG Solutions. You will be surprised to learn what options you have today for not only major medical but a full suite of health coverage solutions. Wed, Aug 19, 2020 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM PDT Registration link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7603586209073069326

The Seers’ Table August 2020

Linda D. Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community You can see any of The Seers’ Table posts since inception (March 2016) from the menu item “Diverse Works’ on the top of HWA main page. Janet Holden introduces: Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder (published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S.), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group…

2020 Officer Candidate Statements

2020 is an election year for the HWA, with Trustee Positions, Secretary, and President up for a vote. Candidate statements are below. Active Voting members will receive a ballot on or before August 1, 2020. The deadline to vote is 11:59PM Pacific Time, on August 15th, 2020. Thank you all, The HWA Election Committee (Click on the image below, then page through the candidates.)

HWA Partners With LIG Solutions to Provide Members Health Insurance Options

The Book Industry Health Insurance Partnership (BIHIP), a coalition of ten organizations, including the Horror Writers Association, announced a partnership with Lighthouse Insurance Group (LIG) Solutions to provide its members with a choice of health insurance options. Joining HWA in this partnership are the American Booksellers Group, American Society for Indexing, Authors Guild, Book Industry Study Group, Graphic Artists Guild, Independent Book Publishers Association, Novelists Inc., Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Western Writers of America Inc. Since April 2018, BIHIP has been vetting various companies for association-sponsored health insurance programs. Initially, the goal of BIHIP was to…

The Seers’ Table July 2020

Linda D. Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community You can see any of The Seers’ Table posts since inception (March 2016) from the new menu item “Diverse Works” on the top of HWA main page. Kate Maruyama introduces: Brit Brinson is a twenty-something aspiring author of young adult literature from Ohio. She is a graduate of the Unsinkable Albany State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Brit started writing as soon as she could hold a pencil and hasn’t stopped since. She lives for all things horror, paranormal, and sci-fi and may even be a Trekkie…

Summer Scares Reading List

Click the image to view the reading list and get more information. Summer Scares, a reading program from The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot and Library Journal/School Library Journal, 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 promotes reading for years to come. Award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones and a committee of five librarians have selected three recommended fiction titles in…

HWA Anti-Harassment Policy

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of our members or others in any form, including but not limited to any and all of our events, both in person, and online, and also on our social media platforms. Repercussions Attendees and users violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the convention or the organization without a refund at the discretion of the chairs and/or Board of Trustees. Processes…

StokerCon UK Announces New Dates

First of all, we hope that you are all keeping well out there and are following your governments’ guidelines regarding hand-washing, travel restrictions, social distancing and self-isolation. These are all incredibly important tools in curtailing the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Secondly, we are grateful to the majority of you who, since our previous announcement, have allowed us to get on with trying to save the convention—or at least a version of it—by rescheduling it. To that end, we are pleased to let you know that, at the moment, we have agreed tentative dates for the event with the two…

HWA Youtube Channel – Readings, Interviews, Etc.

Did you miss the streamed Bram Stoker Award® readings? You can visit our Youtube channel and see many wonderful interviews, readings, award shows, etc. Be sure to Subscribe while you're there, and click the bell so you get notified when we post a new video.

Diverse Works Inclusion Committee Mission Statement

To ensure the Horror Writers Association (HWA) includes the widest possible representation of those working in the horror/dark fantasy genre, the HWA has formed the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee. This committee is tasked with actively seeking writers and editors with diverse backgrounds. The committee has adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Committee members will employ a variety of methods—including but not limited to contacting publishers, authors, and/or agents; accessing resources such as Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads; maintaining awareness of new releases; polling the membership—to expand our members’ awareness.…

Black Lives Matter

  We believe horror is best kept in fiction. But we know it's not. Remaining silent is not an option. Black Lives Matter. In writing. In art. Everywhere. We stand with the Black community against the too many injustices they've endured. We can make a difference, through our words, through our writing, through our actions. We must stand together for what is right. Racism has no place in this world. --The HWA Board of Trustees

FAQs About HWA’s Health Insurance Partnership With LIG Solutions

On June 10, the Horror Writers Association and a coalition of book and publishing industry organizations announced a health insurance partnership with Lighthouse Insurance Group (LIG) Solutions. To help members understand the partnership and what it means for them, HWA has created this frequently asked questions document based on a FAQ created by the American Booksellers Association. For questions not answered here, please contact HWA Administrator Brad Hodson at admin@horror.org. What is LIG Solutions? Why did HWA partner with LIG Solutions? Will this partnership lower my health insurance costs? Is this available to members outside of the United States? Is…

The Seers’ Table June 2020

Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Ready to head into Summer Reading? This month’s Seers’ Table has some suggestions! Linda Addison recommends: LaShawn M. Wanak lives in Wisconsin with her husband and son. Her works have been published in Fireside Magazine, FIYAH, and many others. She is the editor of GigaNotoSaurus and reviews books for Lightspeed Magazine. Writing stories keeps her sane. Also, pie. Author photo by Al Bogdan at Confusion 2020. Her story, “Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good,” was published in Apex Magazine, Issue 120, and also appeared in the 2018 Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy Anthology, which came…

The Seers’ Table May 2020

Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Kate Maruyama here doing what Linda has affectionately named “The Gathering” for The Seers’ Table this month. We have a bit more time on our hands for reading, and I’m excited to present this month’s recommendations from our group. We hope you are staying safe and reading and writing tons. Linda Addison Recommends: Cindy O’Quinn is an Appalachian writer who grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. Cindy is the author of the novel, Dark Cloud on Naked Creek, and the dark poetry collection, Return to Graveyard Dust. Additional work by her can…