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

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

and

dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...

writers.

Overview

HWA was formed in 1985 with the help of several prominent horror writers, including Joe R. Lansdale,

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 (' ...

, and

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as thriller (genre), suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction, Mystery fiction, mystery, and sati ...

, 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 ...

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 North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, 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

and

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 Horro ...

. HWA sponsors the annual Bram Stoker Awards for superior achievement in

Horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

and

Dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...

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

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 1991, HWA has produced a series of

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

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 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 fiction, horror author 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 published i ...

, 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 ...

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