HWA announces its next members-only anthology

HWA is proud to announce our next anthology: New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (final title still to be determined) will be an anthology of all-new stories in tribute to the classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz. The anthology will be edited by Jonathan Maberry, and published by HarperCollins in 2019. We are looking for original stories told in the vein of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (and if you are not familiar with these books, we urge you to read one before submitting). We are NOT looking for literal…

The 2017 Specialty Press Award Winners

Specialty Press Award (tie) – ERASERHEAD PRESS and INDEPENDENT LEGIONS PUBLISHING The annual Specialty Press Award recognizes a publisher outside the mainstream New York City publishing community that specializes in dark-themed fiction. Winners are typically “small presses” specializing in limited editions, small print runs, or the work of new and relatively unknown authors. The winner of the award is determined by a majority vote of the HWA Board. The Board of Trustees has chosen two winners for the 2017 Specialty Press Award: Eraserhead Press and Independent Legions Publishing. Founded in 1999, Eraserhead Press is an independent publisher of bizarro fiction and cutting-edge…

The 2017 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot

The Horror Writers Association announces the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot. HWA is the premier organization for writers of horror and dark fantasy. “This year’s slate of nominees truly demonstrates the breadth and quality of the horror genre,” said Lisa Morton, HWA President and multiple Bram Stoker Award winner. “Once again, our members and awards juries have chosen outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.” The presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards® will occur during the third annual StokerCon™, to be held March 1st-4th at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. The gala presentation will happen…

The Seers’ Table February 2018

Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community February contains National Pizza Day, so why not snack and read! Janet Holden recommends C.J. Tudor lives in Nottingham, England, with her partner and three-year-old daughter. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over, and dog walker. She is now thrilled to be able to write full-time, and doesn’t miss chasing wet dogs through muddy fields all that much. The Chalk Man is her first novel. Recommended Reading: The Chalk Man – A riveting and relentlessly compelling psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood…

The Word’s the Thing: An Interview with Michael Arnzen

In 2013 a little miffed at a recent rejection I googled the words “bad” and “science fiction poetry” in an effort to see what literature was out there on the art of genre poetry and critical reception of that genre of poetry. I came across an article in Amazing Stories Online by Paul Cook literally entitled “Why Science Fiction Poetry is Embarrassingly Bad.” The title sums up the article. Cook presented a scathing critique of speculative poetry focusing on science fiction. I must have read the article ten times to let it sink in. Cook complains that Science fiction poetry…
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…

2017 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballots for the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (see www.horror.org ) is the premier 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. 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. Notes…

Members New Releases – 2021

Welcome to the showcase of new releases! Select a book cover to purchase or learn more about it or the author. You can view the wall of amazing cover art from past years by using the dropdown in the menu above. And members, please sign into the members-only area to submit upcoming releases. Thank you!
2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Linda Addison

2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Linda Addison

Lifetime Achievement Award – LINDA ADDISON The Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce that the winner of its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017 is Linda Addison. This award, which is considered to be the highest honor awarded within the horror genre, is decided by a specially-appointed committee. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Committee, chaired by John R. Little and including Grady Hendrix, Erinn Kemper, Brian Matthews, and Becky Spratford, considered over 60 candidates but was unanimous in selecting Linda Addison. Linda Addison is an accomplished poet and the author of horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories.  She was the…

The Seers’ Table January 2018

Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community January is Self-Improvement Month—why not add new creative work to your life by exploring the following authors! Kate Maruyama recommends Owl Goingback served in the Air Force and is a former owner of a restaurant and lounge. He became a full-time writer in 1987 and since then has written numerous novels, children’s books, short stories, screenplays, and magazine articles. His novel, Crota, won the Bram Stoker Award® for Best First Novel, and was one of four finalists in the Best Novel category. His novel, Darker Than Night, was also a Stoker…

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…

The Seers’ Table December 2017

Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community December is “Write a Friend” month—why not tell a friend about one or more of the following creators! Ace Antonio-Hall recommends: Helen Oyeyemi is a British novelist of Nigerian origin. She was born in Nigeria in 1984 and raised in London. She wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while still at school studying for her A levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, and is the author of five novels. Oyeyemi won the 2010 Somerset Maugham Award and was nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award in 2009 for her work of…

The Lifetime Achievement Award

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD is presented periodically 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. About the Award WHO MAY RECEIVE THE AWARD? To be eligible for this award, a candidate must either be at least sixty years of age by May 1 of the year of the award's presentation or must have first produced professional work in the field of…

Haunted Nights Audiobook

Here are 16 chilling, never-before-published tales that explore every aspect of our darkest holiday, Halloween, coedited by Ellen Datlow, one of the most successful and respected genre editors, and Lisa Morton, a leading authority on Halloween. In addition to stories about scheming jack-o'-lanterns, vengeful ghosts, otherworldly changelings, disturbingly realistic haunted attractions, masks that cover terrifying faces, murderous urban legends, parties gone bad, cult Halloween movies, and trick-or-treating in the future, Haunted Nights also offers terrifying and mind-bending explorations of related holidays like All Souls' Day, Día de los Muertos, and Devil's Night. "With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds" by Seanan…

Buy HWA’s Books Here!

HWA is pleased to provide this handy shopping page with clickable links to use to purchase our most recent anthologies in ebook or audiobook, our nonfiction guide On Writing Horror, and our annual Poetry Showcases. By using these links, you're providing HWA with a small amount of extra income, so we thank you in advance and wish you HAPPY SHOPPING! To purchase print copies of Haunted Nights and Scary Out There, we encourage you to patronize independent bookstores. Haunted Nights ebook: Haunted Nights audiobook: Scary Out There ebook: On Writing Horror print: On Writing Horror ebook: F. Paul Wilson's Freak…

Writing Tips

Learning to write well is a long and difficult road. The HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION, in an effort to help improve the general quality of fiction across the board, offers the following book, articles, and writing-related links for writers.

“So, Who Wants to be a Horror Writer?” by Edo van Belkom

© 2000 by Edo van Belkom (From the book WRITING HORROR) Whenever I give a talk on the craft of writing (whether the talk is on horror writing, fantasy writing, short story writing, or just plain creative writing) I always begin with a question. And even though this is a book on the subject of writing, it has the feel -- to me anyway -- of a long talk. So, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't begin the book any differently than I would a talk, although I will make one concession and modify the question slightly to…

“The Horror of It All” by Tim Waggoner

© 2000 by Tim Waggoner Want to write horror? A lot of folks do. The mainstream publishing industry may have momentarily turned its collective back on the genre, but the small press scene is thriving, not to mention the burgeoning number of horror 'zines on the Net. Unfortunately, a great many stories published in these markets are uninspired (to put it kindly) and just plain bad (to put it honestly). Want your work to stand out from the rest of the lycanthropic pack? Want to start selling to larger and more prestigious markets? Want your horror stories to be so…

The Seers’ Table – October 2017

The Seers Table! October 30, 2017 by HWA Web Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Happy November! I love reading horror the most as Autumn turns to winter, and our Seers have some good reads lined up! Lauren Salerno recommends: Lauren kicks us off with a fantastic list of Latinx authors. Lauren also recommends: Aliya Whiteley was born in Devon, UK, in 1974. She writes novels, short stories, and nonfiction, and has been published in places such as The Guardian, Interzone, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Black Static, Strange Horizons, and anthologies such as Fox Spirit’s European Monsters and…

Final Frame Film Competition Judges Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Short Horror Film Competition Judged by Z NATION’s Craig Engler   Providence, RI, November 3, 2017 The Horror Writers Association announces its third annual short film competition. On March 2, 2018, Final Frame will be held in conjunction with StokerCon 2018® at the fabled Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. The Final Frame film competition will celebrate the best in short horror films from around the globe. Everyone is encouraged to enter the competition. Selected films will be screened in the Garden Room of the Biltmore Hotel. A grand prize winner will be announced at the…