Women in Horror: Interview with Carina Bissett
Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Weird Dream Society, Hath No Fury, and the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V, VI, and VIII. She has also written stories set in shared worlds for RPGs at Green Ronin Publishing and Onyx Path Publishing. In addition to writing, she has edited several projects; the most recent is in the role as co-editor for Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas. Bissett also teaches generative writing workshops at The Storied Imaginarium and works as a volunteer for the Horror Writers Association (HWA). In 2021, she was acknowledged for her volunteer efforts at HWA with the prestigious Silver Hammer Award. Her work has been nominated for several awards including the Pushcart Prize and the Sundress Publications Best of the Net. She can be found online at http://carinabissett.com.
What inspired you to start writing?
In all honesty, I was a reader first. I still have those books that drew me into a world filled with fairy tales and myth. As a girl, I dabbled with poetry here and there, and I dreamed up stories all the time, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to pin those dreams to the page. It wasn’t until I was in college and stumbled across Angela Carter’s the slim volume The Bloody Chamber that I realized I didn’t need permission to retell old stories in a new voice. I haven’t stopped since.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
This is a hard question because I grew up thinking that horror was something men wrote. Horror was Stephen King and Clive Barker and Peter Straub. So, I was reading women’s work for decades without labelling it as horror. The same is true of my writing. I figured it was dark fantasy because that was what I was told I wrote, often by men who had never read a single word of m stories. It took a while to realize the scope and span of horror in literature. It hasn’t changed my approach, but it has opened up new ways of viewing the wide range of work that exists in horror as a genre.
Do you make a conscious effort to include female characters and themes in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
My work almost always centers on violence against women. As a survivor of domestic violence, I find myself returning to this theme. Other elements that tend to be present in my work are also related to personal trauma and explorations of sexual identity. I have endured a lot, and horror offers a lens where I can explore such issues as body dysmorphia, physical trauma, power imbalance, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bisexual erasure. My writing is a form of protest. It reflects the struggle to survive as a woman living in a misogynist world.
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
Above all else, writing horror provides a lens through which I can examine my personal history and the way it influences my actions and attitudes. We are a composite of our experiences, and I have been broken more times than I can count. Sometimes, I’m surprised at the deepness of my discontent and the rage that continually simmers deep inside. However, about five or six years ago, I came across the Japanese art of kintsugi—a practice where broken ceramics are visibly mended with metallic lacquer. The philosophy behind this artistic technique highlights the repair as part of the object’s history instead attempting to disguise the break with a perfect seam. When I decided to borrow this concept and apply it to myself, there was a dramatic shift in my creative style and the themes explored in my writing. It has made a tremendous difference in the way I approach my work and the way I interact with the world at large.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
I wasn’t specifically watching the horror genre until I won the HWA Scholarship in 2016. However, since then, I’ve been particularly interested in the representation of women and marginalized writers working in the genre. Diversity is important to me, and I’m pleased to see the progress that is being made on that front. There is still a long way to go, but I think things are moving in the right direction. In turn, this influx of diverse voices is redefining the very definition of horror and how the genre is experienced by the general population. The impact is undeniable. I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
How do you feel women have been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward?
I think there is growing appreciation for women working in horror, but there are still some obstacles that need to be overcome. When I was first introduced to HWA, there were a few encounters that illustrated “old guard” resistance against women coming into the field. The dick jokes. The comment that women should stick to fantasy and cozy mysteries. The remark about the “whore” in horror. The dude who claimed horror belongs exclusively to men. Luckily, women can command a room and hold its attention, especially when they work together. And they are writing more horror than ever before. In general, I’ve found women horror writers to be incredibly supportive of each other. I suppose we’ve had enough of the mean girl narrative and the determination of society to pit us against each other. Women horror writers have flipped those tired scripts. They hold each other up. And that is a foundation that will continue to carry the weight of all women, regardless of genre. Those who try to fight against our united efforts will fail, and they will fail hard.
Who are some of your favorite female characters in horror?
I tend to gravitate to characters who remind me of my own struggles as a woman. When it comes to ideals of beauty and scarring and resurrection, no female character can win my heart like the Bride of Frankenstein. She was my subject of study for an entire semester of my MFA, and I wrote an essay about her representation as a new Eve, which was included in the grimoire Birthing Monsters: Frankenstein’s Cabinet of Curiosities and Cruelties (Firbolg Publishing, 2018). Other female characters who interest me populate myth and fairy tale. I often rewrite these stories to change the plot or character. In the end, I tend to rework the stories I hate the most. The Little Mermaid. The Red Shoes. The Six Swans. The Twa Sisters. Medusa. Scylla and Charybdis. Arachne. Many of these stories are about women who are punished without reason. They are raped and violated. They are silenced and drowned and mutilated. They are made monstrous and shunned through no fault of their own. My goal is to give these women a voice, to take back what is theirs. In return, it offers an opportunity to reclaim my own stories as well.
Who are some women who write horror you recommend our audience check out?
There are so many wonderful writers working in the field, it’s difficult to narrow it down. Angela Slatter is my go-to. I love the way she threads her stories together. I’m also an avid fan of Priya Sharma and the way she layers theme and symbolism throughout her stories. Last year, I was blown away with the single author collections published by A.C. Wise and Maria Haskins. They are both brilliant writers who are fearless when it comes to subjects that are often shuttered away as taboo or incendiary. And then when it comes to fabulism and the weird, you can’t go wrong reading the short fiction of Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado. We are living in a golden age when it comes to women writing horror. I think it will only get better from here, and I’m excited to see what comes next.
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Your stories are important—this is especially true when it comes stories only you can tell. Don’t fall into the trap of writing the tired tropes you think other people expect to read. Be true to yourself. Dig deep and explore what you find through your writing. That’s what we need. That’s what we want, whether we realize it or not.
And to the women who write horror out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
Read widely. Diversify the scope and palette. And then share the writings that you love with others. This is how you start to build community, and that community will be there to support you as you venture out into the world of publishing too. We are in this together. Be brave and kind and humble. Everything else will happen in its own time.
