The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and

Dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

writers.

Overview

HWA was formed in 1985 with the help of many of the field's greats, including

Joe R. Lansdale Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer and martial arts instructor. A prose writer in a variety of genres - Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense - he's also written comic books and screenplays. Se ...

Robert McCammon Robert Rick McCammon (born July 17, 1952) is an American novelist from Birmingham, Alabama. One of the influential names in the late 1970s–early 1990s American horror literature boom, by 1991 McCammon had three ''New York Times'' bestsellers (''T ...

, and

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on ''The New Y ...

, although it was not formally incorporated until 1987, the year it first gave

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since 1 ...

s. The group was originally called ''HOWL'' (Horror and Occult Writers League), but quickly changed to the ''Horror Writers of America'' when they formally organized. HWA now has members and regional chapters throughout North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and Asia, which led to the current name of the organization. One of HWA's missions is to encourage public interest in and foster an appreciation of quality horror and

dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

literature. To that end, HWA offers information on their Web site, they sponsor or take part in occasional public readings and lectures. They also maintain an official presence at many fan-based horror and fantasy conventions, such as the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend,

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual science fiction convention, convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art sh ...

and the

World Horror Convention The World Horror Convention was an annual professional gathering of the World Horror Society and other interested parties that ran annually for 26 years, from 1991 through 2016, before being discontinued. Site selection The annual World Horror ...

. HWA sponsors the annual

Bram Stoker Awards The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

for superior achievement in Horror and

. HWA also presents an annual Lifetime Achievement Award to up to three living people who have made significant contributions to the writing of horror and

over the course of a lifetime. There are also a number of service Awards, including the Specialty Press Award and the Silver Hammer Award. Since 1990, HWA has produced a series of

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

edited by a few of the more prestigious members and published in hardcover,

mass-market The term "mass market" refers to a market for goods produced on a large scale for a significant number of end consumers. The mass market differs from the niche market in that the former focuses on consumers with a wide variety of backgrounds with ...

, or

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

by various publishers. Most have also had signed, limited hardcover editions. These anthologies present new stories by the members of the Horror Writers Association. In addition, in 1997 HWA produced a volume of essays on the craft of horror writing, ''On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association'', edited by

Mort Castle Mort Castle (born 1946) is an American horror author and writing teacher, with more than 500 short stories and 17 books to his credit, including ''Cursed Be the Child'' (Leisure Books, 1994) and ''The Strangers''. Castle's first novel was publi ...

, with contributions from dozens of well-known HWA members. Their latest series of anthologies, ''Blood Lite'', collects darkly humorous tales.

Summer Scares Reading Program

In October 2020, the HWA announced its partnership with United For Libraries, Book Riot, and

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

as it launched its Summer Scares Reading Program. The program's goal is to introduce readers to new authors and to aid librarians in starting conversations with readers. Each year, a committee consisting of a guest author and four librarians will select three recommended fiction titles for each of three reading levels (Adult, Teen, and Middle Grades) for a total of nine Summer Scares selections. Selected Summer Scares authors will be available for appearances and speaking engagements, for free, at public and school libraries throughout the country. The committee’s final selections will be announced each year on February 14— National Library Lover’s Day.

Presidents

References

External links

HWA's official web site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horror Writers Association 1985 establishments in the United States American writers' organizations Arts organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1985 Dark fantasy Horror fiction organizations International cultural organizations International organizations based in the United States

Overview

Summer Scares Reading Program

Presidents

See also

References

External links