Recipients of the HWA Scholarships

Recipients of the HWA Scholarships

Visit the official scholarship site for up-to-date information. The winners of the three annual HWA Scholarships have been selected, and they are Thersa Matsuura, Eric Smith, and Michael Tugendhat. Major congratulations to the HWA Writing Scholarship awardees. We received a number of fine applications in all categories. We wish those chosen the very best in their future careers. Thersa Matsuura, recipient of the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship, said, "I am beyond elated to learn that the HWA has chosen me to be this year's recipient of the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship. My son has just moved out of the house…

In July, “Interview with F.J. Bergmann”

☢ F.J. Bergmann writes poetry and speculative fiction with work appearing in Black Treacle, Dreams and Nightmares, On Spec, The Pedestal, Pulp Literature, and, as F.J. says, ‘a bunch of regular literary magazines that should have known better.’ In addition to being the Poetry editor at Dark Renaissance Books (darkrenaissance.com), F.J. is the Editor of Star*Line, the journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association (sfpoetry.com), and poetry editor of Mobius: The Journal of Social Change (mobiusmagazine.com). Awards include the 2012 Rannu Prize for speculative poetry and the 2013 SFPA Elgin Chapbook Award for Out of the Black Forest (Centennial Press,…

In June, “Superior Achievement in Poetry Collection” — Tom Piccirilli

Tom Piccirilli won the first Bram Stoker Award for poetry in 2000 for his collection A Student Of Hell. In 2015, he won the most recent Stoker for his collection Forgiving Judas. To celebrate his most recent win, here are Tom’s favorite poems from Forgiving Judas: Forgiving Judas By Tom Piccirilli I am Lazarus sliding the stone aside, groping in darkness, mute, choking on the black Without even the squeaking of rats or bats to guide me back to the world, God’s light fails, God’s voice is an immutable breath, I await the angry angel Azreal to commit me to…
STOKERCON Website Live! Register now.

STOKERCON Website Live! Register now.

HWA is proud to announce that the website for the first annual StokerCon is now live and offering memberships at a special discounted early-bird rate of just $99. http://www.stokercon2016.org StokerCon2016 will take place at the legendary Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 12th through the 15th, 2016, with Guests of Honor Jack Ketchum, Leslie Klinger, Daniel Knauf, R. L. Stine, and more, along with Toastmaster Stephen Jones. Coming soon: Workshops for writers conducted by Bram Stoker Award-winning authors Nancy Holder, Jonathan Maberry, Lucy Snyder, and many more! But don't delay: The special early-bird price is only good until June…
Horror.org Listed Among 101 Best Websites for Authors

Horror.org Listed Among 101 Best Websites for Authors

Our website has been selected as a "101 Best Websites for Writers" by Writer’s Digest magazine for the second year in a row. The list is in their May/June 2015 issue, which you can purchase here. We are deeply honored to have received this for the second year in a row! Our web team consists of the following: Alex Scully - who is the dedicated and efficient force behind updating the new releases on the homepage. Leland Pitts-Gonzales - who takes care of updating our Poetry section. Sunni Brock - who schedules and moderates our "Roundtable" discussions. Lisa Morton -…

In May, “Second HWA Horror Poetry Showcase: Featured Poems”

With almost 150 submissions from around the world, the Second HWA Horror Poetry Showcase has come to an end. There was an astounding breadth of subject matter and themes and styles and all of them had one thing in common: the desire to scare the reader, to shine a light into the darkness. It has been a tremendous honor for all those poets to trust their poems to us. I wanted to thank Linda D. Addison and Heather Graham for their incredible dedication to the Showcase. Many hours were spent discussing these poems and I’m thrilled to finally be able…
Bram Stoker Award® Winners

Bram Stoker Award® Winners

The Horror Writers Association, the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, today announced the 2014 winners of the iconic Bram Stoker Award®. Named in honor of the author of the seminal horror novel Dracula, the Bram Stoker Awards® are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, poetry, screenplays and non-fiction. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman. The HWA also presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to living individuals who have made a substantial and enduring contribution to the…
Know a Nominee, Part 26: Sydney Leigh

Know a Nominee, Part 26: Sydney Leigh

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Our final update for this year features Sydney Leigh, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Short Fiction, for "Baby's Breath." Thanks for reading, everyone--and many thanks to all of the nominees who shared their priceless insights. It's been a pleasure serving as editor for this series.  --Doug Murano, HWA Communications Coordinator DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you’ve been nominated. In the case of a work…
Know a Nominee, Part 25: Robert Payne Cabeen

Know a Nominee, Part 25: Robert Payne Cabeen

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s latest update features Robert Payne Cabeen, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection, for Fearworms: Selected Poems. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly. RC: The genesis of Fearworms was quite unexpected. Last year, I ran across Larry Santoro’s Tales to Terrify podcast and noticed that…
Know a Nominee, Part 24: Jake Bible

Know a Nominee, Part 24: Jake Bible

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s latest update features Jake Bible, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, for Intentional Haunting.  DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JB: I wanted to dive into my own teen years and the anxiety of growing up in an abusive household. At first…
Know a Nominee, Part 23: Jonathan Maberry

Know a Nominee, Part 23: Jonathan Maberry

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today's first update features Jonathan Maberry, nominated in the categories of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel, for Bad Blood and Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for "Three Guys Walk into a Bar." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: I’m fortunate to have two works on the ballot for…
Know a Nominee, Part 22: Christopher Rice

Know a Nominee, Part 22: Christopher Rice

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. This update features Christopher Rice, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel, for The Vines. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. CR: I just don’t have a problem believing plants could become animate and suck your blood. Call me crazy. But the “buy-in” for me on…
Know a Nominee, Part 21: Marge Simon

Know a Nominee, Part 21: Marge Simon

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features Marge Simon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection, with Mary Turzillo, for Sweet Poison. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. MS: The genisis for SWEET POISON (poetry collection): Mary Turzillo and I decided, during one of our annual get-togethers, to collaborate…
Know a Nominee, Part 20: Joe McKinney

Know a Nominee, Part 20: Joe McKinney

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s first update features Joe McKinney, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for "Lost and Found." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: I’ve been nominated in the Long Fiction category for my story, “Lost and Found,” which appears in the anthology Limbus II. Limbus,…
Know a Nominee, Part 19: John Dixon

Know a Nominee, Part 19: John Dixon

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features John Dixon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for Phoenix Island. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JD: I started PHOENIX ISLAND without knowing I'd started it. I sat down one day, banged out an eighteen-page character sketch out-of-the-blue,…
Know a Nominee, Part 18: Jason V. Brock

Know a Nominee, Part 18: Jason V. Brock

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Jason V. Brock, nominated in the categories of Superior Achievement in an Anthology for A Darke Fantastique and Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction for Disorders of Magnitude. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JVB: With respect to A Darke Phantastique, my anthology on the ballot, I had been…
Know a Nominee, Part 17: Joe Mynhardt

Know a Nominee, Part 17: Joe Mynhardt

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Joe Mynhardt, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-fiction, along with co-editor Emma Audsley, for Horror 101: The Way Forward.  DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: Horror 101: The Way Forward was supposed to be a very small document with a bit of…
Know a Nominee, Part 16: Peter Adam Salomon

Know a Nominee, Part 16: Peter Adam Salomon

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features Peter Adam Salomon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for All Those Broken Angels. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categoies, please touch briefly on each. PS: I was interviewing fellow HWA author C.W. LaSart and we were talking about our favorite words. I mentioned that…
Know a Nominee, Part 15: Ellen Datlow

Know a Nominee, Part 15: Ellen Datlow

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today's update features Ellen Datlow, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology for Fearful Symmetries. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. ED: I love editing non-theme anthologies so whenever I get the chance, I do. Fearful Symmetries was crowd-funded, and I partnered with ChiZine Publications…