Horror Writers Association
Encyclopedia
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
writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert McCammon, and Dean Koontz
. 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
and Japan
, which led to the current name of the organization.
One of HWA's mission's is to encourage public interest in and foster an appreciation of qualityHorror
and Dark Fantasy
literature. To that end, HWA offers information on their Web site, they sponsor or take part in occasional public readings and lectures, and they maintain an official presence at many fan-based horror and fantasy conventions, such as the World Fantasy Convention
and the World Horror Convention
.
HWA sponsors the annual Bram Stoker Award
s for superior achievement in Horror
and Dark Fantasy
. HWA also presents an annual Lifetime Achievement Stoker to as many as three living people who have made significant contributions to the writing of Horror
and Dark Fantasy
over the course of a lifetime.
Since 1990, HWA has produced a series of anthologies edited by a few of the more prestigious members and published in hardcover
, mass-market 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
, with contributions from dozens of well-known HWA members. In 2006, an updated and revised version was issued. Their latest series of anthologies, 'Blood Lite' collects darkly humorous tales.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and Dark Fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert McCammon, and Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
. 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
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, which led to the current name of the organization.
One of HWA's mission's is to encourage public interest in and foster an appreciation of qualityHorror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and Dark Fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
literature. To that end, HWA offers information on their Web site, they sponsor or take part in occasional public readings and lectures, and they maintain an official presence at many fan-based horror and fantasy conventions, such as the World Fantasy Convention
World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. It places emphasis on literature and art, while de-emphasizing dramatic presentation, gaming, masquerade, and the like. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the...
and the World Horror Convention
World Horror Convention
The World Horror Convention is an annual professional gathering of the World Horror Society and other interested parties.-Site selection:Historically, all World Horror Conventions have been held in the United States or Canada, usually alternating between east and west sides of the country...
.
HWA sponsors the annual Bram Stoker Award
Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
s for superior achievement in Horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and Dark Fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
. HWA also presents an annual Lifetime Achievement Stoker to as many as three living people who have made significant contributions to the writing of Horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and Dark Fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
over the course of a lifetime.
Since 1990, HWA has produced a series of anthologies edited by a few of the more prestigious members and published in hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
, mass-market or trade paperback by various publishers. Most have also had signed, limited hardcover editions
Limited edition books
A limited edition book is a description of a book which is released in a limited print run quantity, usually much smaller than publishing industry standards, and connotes a level of scarcity or exclusivity...
. 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
Mort Castle is a horror author and writing teacher, with more than 350 short stories and a dozen books to his credit, including Cursed Be the Child and The Strangers. Castle's first novel was published in 1967. Since then he has had pieces published in all sorts of places ranging from traditional...
, with contributions from dozens of well-known HWA members. In 2006, an updated and revised version was issued. Their latest series of anthologies, 'Blood Lite' collects darkly humorous tales.
Presidents
- Rocky WoodRocky WoodRocky Wood is an award-nominated writer and researcher best-known for his books about horror author Stephen King. He is the first non-American to hold the position of President of the Horror Writers Association. Wood was born in Wellington New Zealand and lives in Melbourne, Australia with his...
(2010–present) - Deborah LeBlancDeborah LeBlancDeborah LeBlanc is an American horror author. LeBlanc was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the oldest of three children. She grew up in Scott, a small town west of Lafayette, where she learned to love reading and writing at an early age. LeBlanc is an active member of several writers groups and has...
(2006–2010) - Gary A. BraunbeckGary A. BraunbeckGary A. Braunbeck is an American science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror author.-Biography:Braunbeck was born in Newark, Ohio . He writes in a number of different genres, but principally horror...
(2005–2006) - Joseph NassiseJoseph NassiseJoseph Nassise is an American horror author. His debut novel, Riverwatch, was nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award...
(2002–2005) - David Niall WilsonDavid Niall WilsonDavid Niall Wilson is an American writer primarily known for his works of horror, science fiction, and fantasy fiction.-Background:...
(2001–2002) - Richard LaymonRichard LaymonRichard Carl Laymon was an American author of suspense and horror fiction, particularly within the splatterpunk subgenre. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived as a child in California...
(2000–2001) - S.P. Somtow (1998–2000)
- Janet BerlinerJanet BerlinerJanet Berliner, formerly Janet Gluckman is a Bram Stoker Award-winning author and served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1997 to 1998. She is also a member of Authors Guild, the International Thriller Writers, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She was...
(1997–1998) - Brian LumleyBrian LumleyBrian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
(1996–1997) - Lawrence Watt-EvansLawrence Watt-EvansLawrence Watt-Evans is one of the pseudonyms of American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Watt Evans...
(1994–1996) - Dennis EtchisonDennis EtchisonDennis William Etchison , is an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction. Etchison refers to his own work as “rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world.”Stephen King has called Dennis Etchison “one hell of a fiction...
(1992–1994) - Craig Shaw GardnerCraig Shaw GardnerCraig Shaw Gardner is an American author, best known for producing fantasy parodies similar to those of Terry Pratchett.He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America , a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized...
(1990–1992) - Chelsea Quinn YarbroChelsea Quinn Yarbro-Biography:She was born in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley schools through high school followed by three years at San Francisco State College .In November 1969 she married Donald Simpson and divorced in February 1982...
(1988–1990) - Charles L. GrantCharles L. GrantCharles Lewis Grant was a novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror." He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, and Deborah Lewis.Grant won a World Fantasy Award for his novella collection...
(1987–1988) - Dean R. Koontz (1986–1987)