The scholarships are offered to those pursuing careers as writers of horror fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The diversity grants also extend to library workers. And there are funds offered for YA writing programs at libraries.
The scholarship, open to all horror writers (HWA membership is not required), is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
This scholarship, worth $2,500, is open to horror writers who identify as women. It may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The late Rocky Wood, then HWA President, explained why the scholarship was created in 2014.
“It is very clear to the HWA that there are unseen, but real, barriers limiting the amount of horror fiction being published by women. There are many fine women writers being published in our genre but we also see potential for the percentage of horror fiction being published by women to increase. This Scholarship, named after the great female horror writer, aims to encourage more female writers to enter our genre and to aid in the development of those already working within it. At the same time the HWA exists to extend the horror genre in all its aspects, so we are also establishing Horror Writers Association Scholarship, which is open to all our members, regardless of gender.”
The Diversity Grants will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. …the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.
The number of grants awarded is subject to the amount of funds raised. Each Grant is worth $500 and may be spent on approved expenses for a period of two (2) years following the awarding of the Grant.
The Dark Poetry Scholarship, first awarded in 2015, is designed to assist in the professional development of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy Poets. It is worth $1,250, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-fiction Writing provides grants for research and writing a specific nonfiction project relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. The amount is flexible. Membership in HWA is not a requirement.
The Dennis Etchison Young Writers scholarship is open to students in grades 10-12 (or the equivalent, if home schooled), with an interest in writing horror/dark fiction. The winner may apply the $500 toward college tuition, course fees (on line or traditional), and/or materials pertaining to the enhancement of writing skills. The money can also be used for online Horror University courses from the HWA.
The Young Adults Write Now fund will provide up to five endowments of $250 each per year for selected libraries to establish new, or support ongoing, writing programs. The program is currently open to United States libraries, but will be expanded in the future to include other countries, as part of the HWA’s global presence. Membership in the HWA is not a requirement. Recipients receiving funding will be able to use the monies for anything relating to the proposed/active writing program, including but not limited to supplies, special events, publishing costs, guest speakers/instructors, and operating expense. Monies may not be used to fund other programs or expenses for the library.
The scholarships are offered to those pursuing careers as writers of horror fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The diversity grants also extend to library workers. And there are funds offered for YA writing programs at libraries.
The scholarship, open to all horror writers (HWA membership is not required), is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
This scholarship, worth $2,500, is open to horror writers who identify as women. It may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The late Rocky Wood, then HWA President, explained why the scholarship was created in 2014.
“It is very clear to the HWA that there are unseen, but real, barriers limiting the amount of horror fiction being published by women. There are many fine women writers being published in our genre but we also see potential for the percentage of horror fiction being published by women to increase. This Scholarship, named after the great female horror writer, aims to encourage more female writers to enter our genre and to aid in the development of those already working within it. At the same time the HWA exists to extend the horror genre in all its aspects, so we are also establishing Horror Writers Association Scholarship, which is open to all our members, regardless of gender.”
The Diversity Grants will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. …the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.
Four grants will be awarded. Each Grant is worth $500 and may be spent on approved expenses for a period of two (2) years following the awarding of the Grant.
The Dark Poetry Scholarship, first awarded in 2015, is designed to assist in the professional development of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy Poets. It is worth $1,250, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-fiction Writing provides grants for research and writing a specific nonfiction project relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. The amount is flexible. Membership in HWA is not a requirement.
The Dennis Etchison Young Writers scholarship is open to students in grades 10-12 (or the equivalent, if home schooled), with an interest in writing horror/dark fiction. The winner may apply the $500 toward college tuition, course fees (on line or traditional), and/or materials pertaining to the enhancement of writing skills. The money can also be used for online Horror University courses from the HWA.
The Young Adults Write Now fund will provide up to five endowments of $250 each per year for selected libraries to establish new, or support ongoing, writing programs. The program is currently open to United States libraries, but will be expanded in the future to include other countries, as part of the HWA’s global presence. Membership in the HWA is not a requirement. Recipients receiving funding will be able to use the monies for anything relating to the proposed/active writing program, including but not limited to supplies, special events, publishing costs, guest speakers/instructors, and operating expense. Monies may not be used to fund other programs or expenses for the library.
In 2021 the Horror Writers Association (HWA) awarded 14 scholarships/grants/endowments with a total value of $10,500 to assist writers looking to pursue a career as a writer of horror fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. They also have named the libraries that will receive funds from HWA’s endowment program for use in expanding their young adult reading programs.
THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP
The Horror Writers Association Scholarship, open to all horror writers (HWA membership is not required), is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The winner is Shannon DeAnne Lawrence
Shannon DeAnne Lawrence
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in over forty anthologies and magazines, and her three solo horror short story collections, Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations, Bruised Souls & Other Torments, and Happy Ghoulidays are available now. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast “Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem.” When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. Find her at www.thewarriormuse.com.
THE MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship, worth $2,500, is open to female horror writers. It may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The winner is Amanda Leigh Madrid
Amanda Leigh Madrid
L.L. Madrid lives in the desert, writes in a closet, and occasionally gives herself nightmares. She’s a Pitch Wars alum and a member of the Quokka Crew writing collective. L.L.’s story, Ephemeral Girls, was a Best of the Net finalist and recipient of the Luminaire Award for best prose. Her short stories have appeared in the This Side of the Divide, The Furious Gazelle Presents: Halloween, and She’s Lost Control anthologies. When she’s not writing or trying to sneak in writing at work, L.L. eats sour candy and listens to true crime podcasts at 1.5 speed. L.L. Madrid lurks at www.llmadridmakesthingsup.com.
THE DARK POETRY SCHOLARSHIP
The Dark Poetry Scholarship, first awarded in 2015, is designed to assist in the professional development of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy Poets. It is worth $1,250, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.
The winner is Timothy Flynn
Timothy Flynn
Timothy P. Flynn is a dark poet from Massachusetts. His previous poetry resides in Space and Time magazine, Anthocon’s book collections: Anthology Years 1-3, Wicked Tales, Scifaikuest, haikuniverse, Haiku Journal and the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol 5 & Vol 6. He is a member of the New England Horror Writers. Follow him on Twitter: @TimothyPFlynn or on Instagram: instagram.com/timothypflynnwriter
THE DENNIS ETCHISON YOUNG WRITERS SCHOLARSHIP
The Dennis Etchison Young Writers Scholarship is open to students in grades 10-12 (or the equivalent, if home schooled), with an interest in writing horror/dark fiction. The winner may apply the $500 toward college tuition, course fees (on line or traditional), and/or materials pertaining to the enhancement of writing skills.
The winner is a minor, therefore HWA has not released their name and likeness due to privacy laws.
From our winner: “I’ll be able to purchase textbooks for my college writing courses, strengthening my active participation in class and discussions with other students. The books will help me enhance my writing skills, interact with different ideas, and corroborate a variety of perspectives so I can further develop my voice and style in creative writing. This will no doubt benefit my career.”
THE DIVERSITY GRANTS
HWA’s Diversity Grants are open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. The Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse. The winners are:
Eugen M. Bacon
Eugen M. Bacon (she/her) is African Australian, a computer scientist mentally re-engineered into creative writing. Her work has won, been shortlisted, longlisted or commended in national and international awards, including the Foreword Book of the Year, Bridport Prize, Copyright Agency Prize, Australian Shadows Awards, Ditmar Awards and Nommo Awards for Speculative Fiction by Africans. Her novella Ivory’s Story was shortlisted in the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Awards. New releases: Danged Black Thing, story collection by Transit Lounge Publishing (2021), Mage of Fools, an Afrofuturistic dystopian novel by Meerkat Press (2022), Chasing Whispers, story collection by Raw Dog Screaming Press (2022). Website: eugenbacon.com Twitter: @EugenBacon
Somto Ihezue Onyedikachi
Somto Ihezue Onyedikachi (he/him) is an Igbo writer, filmmaker, and wildlife enthusiast. A Nommo Award-nominated writer and Winner of the African Youth Network Movement Fiction Contest, his works have appeared or are forthcoming in Omenana Magazine: A Magazine of African Speculative Fiction, Tor’s Africa Risen Anthology, The 2021 Year’s Best Anthology of African Speculative Fiction: Vol 1, The Bridging World’s Anthology, Africa In Dialogue and 20.35 Africa. His works was both shortlisted for the 2021 Ibua Journal Continental Call [Bold: Imagining A New Africa] and the Akuko Magazine – [A Repository for African + African Diaspora Creativity] – Inaugural Issue.
Jonathan Kincade
Jonathan Kincade (he/him) is a scholar, artist, musician, and writer. His short fiction has appeared in Anathema: Spec from the Margins and FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. His research has won him numerous awards and he was shortlisted for the ACLS Emerging Voices Fellowship. When he isn’t writing, Jonathan is probably cooking or riding his bike. He resides in Washington, DC with his partner and their cats. You can find him on Twitter @minustimes.
Tonya Liburd
Tonya Liburd (she/her) shares a birthday with Simeon Daniel and Ray Bradbury, which may tell you a little something about her. She has the honour of having her fiction used in Nisi Shawl’s workshops, and in Tananarive Due’s black horror course at UCLA (the latter of which featured Jordan Peele as a guest lecturer!), both to demonstrate ‘code switching’. She is also an Editor over at The Expanse Magazine. You can find her blogging at https://www.Tonya.ca or on Twitter at @somesillywowzer, or you can join her Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TonyaLiburd
Juan Manuel Pérez
Juan Manuel Pérez (he/him), a Mexican-American poet of Indigenous descent and a Poet Laureate for Corpus Christi, Texas (2019-2020), is the author of several books of poetry including the Elgin Nominated, Space In Pieces (2020) and the new book, Planet of the Zombie Zonnets by Hungry Buzzard Press. The award-winning poet, history teacher, and Pushcart Nominee, is also a member of the Poetry Society of Texas, the Horror Writers Association, the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and the Horror Authors Guild. The former Migrant worker worships his Creator and chases Chupacabras in the South Texas Coastal Bend Area.
YOUNG ADULTS WRITE NOW ENDOWMENT PROGRAM
The Young Adults Write Now endowment program will provide up to five endowments of $250 each per year for selected libraries to establish new, or support ongoing, writing programs. Each of the following five libraries will receive $250 to help fund teen writing programs as part of the HWA’s ongoing dedication to furthering young adult literacy:
The Scott Community College Library — Bettendorf, IA Scott Creative Writing Club, administered, by Debra Lowman, Ashley Elliott, and Anthony Abboreno
The Cuesta College Library — San Luis Obispo, CA Teen Writers Workshop: Writing Horror, Weird, & Dark Fantasy Short Fiction, administered by Lauri Bucholz, Sally Demarest, and Wes Martin
The Racine Public Library — Racine, WI Young Writers Guild, administered by Carrie Richmond, Teen Librarian
The New York Public Library, Inwood Branch — New York, NY Frightening, Fantastic, and Far-Out: Teen Genre Writing Group, administered by Michelle Vacchio, Young Adult Librarian
The Solano County Library— Fairfield, CA Teen Writing Program, administered by Elizabeth Bell, Teen Librarian
The Young Adults Write Now program is currently open to United States libraries, but will be expanded in the future to include other countries, as part of the HWA’s global presence. Membership in the HWA is not a requirement.
(1) ILLUMINATION. The Geek Calligraphy team has produced an art print from a Penric story —
We're thrilled to announce a new art print: "Penric's Demon" Illuminated First Page The opening of Lois McMaster Bujold's novella is calligraphed, illustrated, and illuminated in a medieval style in this art print. Made with permission.https://t.co/ASBfNmUOzrpic.twitter.com/s24biN36Bu
— Ariela of Geek Calligraphy (@GeekCalligraphy) May 2, 2018
With Solo: A Star Wars Story nearing its release date and news of a fifth season of Arrested Development premiering soon, fans of these properties can enjoy the best of both worlds with a comedic mashup featuring Ron Howard as the connective thread. The director of Solo and producer/narrator of Arrested Development, Howard narrates a 3-minute-long breakdown of George Lucas’ very first entry in the Star Wars franchise, recapping A New Hope with the music, trademarks, and running gags from the Arrested Development series.
(3) FUTURE TENSE. Mark Oshiro’s short story “No Me Dejas” is this month’s entry in the Future Tense series that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The series is offered through a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
… A brief flash of eagerness crosses his face, a light I wish I could unsee. He wants to do it in my place. He has been nothing but supportive ever since Abuela Carmen chose me for the Transfer, but this moment skirts an uncomfortable truth. Why did she choose me over him? Why will I be the bridge in our familia, the one to receive abuela’s memories before she leaves us? The love between us isn’t enough to explain why Carmen chose me over her own son, but she has offered no other clue….
(4) HWA SCHOLARSHIPS. The Horror Writers Association has begun taking applications for these four scholarships. Applications will be accepted until August 1. See linked pages for eligibility and guidelines.
There was plenty of organized entertainment on three stages, everything from taiko drumming to a Parasol Society fashion show to Japanese go-go pop to video game themes blared out by the J-Music Ensemble. Workshops, kids’ activities, origami and bonsai demonstrations, and a bustling marketplace rounded out the celebration. The festivities culminated with the Ninth Annual Cosplay Fashion Show, a raucous affair featuring nearly 30 elaborately costumed participants showing off their passion for their craft.
For those unfamiliar, the annual Convention Artist Survey collects data anonymously from artists and artisans in North America about numbers related to conventions as a business — how much artists make, how much they spend, how far they travel, how staff communication and organisation was, whether buying interest and attendee engagement was high, etc.
This report takes all of those numbers and data points and presents various charts and graphs for easier consumption.
You can grab the 2017 report below for $5 or more!
(7) IS ATTEMPT TO TRADEMARK FANZINE A PROBLEM? James Bacon passed along Douglas Spencer’s concern that Brewdog’s application to the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to trademark the word fanzine will end badly for fans:
A while ago, they sought and subsequently obtained a trademark on the word “punk”, which spurious right they then defended vigorously to the vast detriment of the pre-existing punk community.
They’re now seeking to obtain a trademark on the word “fanzine”. If they obtain it, I anticipate they’ll defend it vigorously to the vast detriment of a few pre-existing fanzine communities.
Don’t let them do this. Don’t let their shitty business practices be seemingly endorsed by your silence. Tell them that they’ll be despised by a whole extra set of communities if they steal our word and sue us for using it in the same way we and others have been using it for generations.
Beer and brewery products; craft beer; lager, stout, ale, pale ale, porter, pilsner, bock, saison, wheat beer, malt beer, sour beer, non-alcoholic beer, low-alcohol beer, flavoured beers; processed hops for use in making beer; beer wort; malt wort; non-alcoholic malt beverages; non-alcoholic beverages; syrups and other preparations for making beverages; malt syrup for beverages; extracts of hops for beer making, processed hops for beer making.
Class 35
Retail services connected with the sale of beer, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, printed matter, clothing, glassware, drinking bottles, keyrings, posters, bags, bottle openers and lanyards; retail services connected with the sale of subscription boxes containing beer; retail services connected with the sale of subscription boxes containing alcoholic beverages; retail services connected with the sale of subscription boxes containing food; information, advisory and consultancy services in connection with all of the aforesaid services.
Except for Spencer’s comment about their history with the word “punk” I’d have taken the application as for the rights to a beer named Brewdog Fanzine (or just Fanzine) and associated marketing paraphernalia. So I’d like to know more about what they did with “punk” in order to evaluate how big a problem this might be.
(8) LOCUS STACK. Greg Hullender says Rocket Stack Rank’s “Annotated Locus List” has been updated to incorporate the finalists for the Locus Awards — “Locus Finalists Observations”:
We looked at each category by score (that is, a weighted sum of recommendations from many other sources) to see how the Locus finalists looked overall. There aren’t a lot of surprises there, which (I think) simply reflects the fact that even though tastes differ from one reviewer to another, there really is such a thing as a set of “outstanding stories” which are broadly (but not universally) popular.
A few things that pop out:
“A Series of Steaks” and “The Secret Life of Bots” did not make the Locus finalists, even though they were the most praised novelettes in other quarters.
Out of the 18 Hugo Finalists, 15 were on the Locus Reading List.
Zero write-in candidates made the Locus finalists.
There has been a pattern of late that stories don’t get nominated for awards unless they’re either free online or else available for purchase as singles. That is, stories in print magazines and anthologies don’t get nominated unless they’re also available for free online, but novellas that have to be purchased do fine. It’s as though readers don’t mind paying for a good story, but they object to paying for a dozen stories just to get one in particular. Anyway, Locus bucks that trend with five such “bundled” stories in their finalists list.
According to the BBC, the study was submitted to the open-access journal shortly before Hawking’s death.
Thomas Hertog, a co-author of the study, told the BBC that he and Hawking were wrestling with the idea that the Big Bang actually resulted in the creation of multiple “pocket universes” that exist throughout space. It was unclear to them whether the laws of physics that apply in our universe would also apply in these alternate universes.
“In the old theory there were all sorts of universes: some were empty, others were full of matter, some expanded too fast, others were too short-lived. There was huge variation,” said Hertog, a physics professor at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium. “The mystery was why do we live in this special universe where everything is nicely balanced in order for complexity and life to emerge?”
Hertog and Hawking’s paper uses new mathematical techniques to restore order to previously chaotic views of the multiverse, suggesting that these different universes are subject to the same laws of physics as our own.
(10) BATTLE OF HOGWARTS ANNIVERSARY. J. K Rowling continues her annual tradition of apologizing for killing off a character – although this one did not fall in the battle.
It's that anniversary again. This year, I apologise for killing someone who didn't die during the #BattleofHogwarts, but who laid down his life to save the people who'd win it. I refer, of course, to Dobby the house elf.
May 2,1933 — The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. …Revelations in 1994 that the famous 1934 photo was a complete hoax has only slightly dampened the enthusiasm of tourists and investigators for the legendary beast of Loch Ness.
He’s been a seven-time nominee for the World Fantasy Award, starting in 1975 with his first published story, “The Events at Poroth Farm,” and his novella “Nadelman’s God” won the World Fantasy Award in 1986. Stephen King once called his 1984 novel The Ceremonies, “the most exciting novel in the field to come along since Straub’s Ghost Story.” All this and more resulted in Klein being given the World Horror Convention’s Grand Master Award in 2012.
Our dinner last Thursday night was at a spot he suggested—Fine & Schapiro, an old-school NYC Kosher deli which has been serving pastrami sandwiches on West 72nd Street since 1927. Ninety-one years later, we took our seats in a booth in the back—and saved a seat for you.
We discussed what he hated most about editing The Twilight Zone magazine, how he ended up scripting the screenplay for “the worst movie Dario Argento ever made,” what eldritch action he took after buying a letter written by H. P. Lovecraft, which movie monster gave him the most nightmares, what he’ll likely title his future autobiography, why he feels cheated by most horror movies, the secret origin of the T. E. D. Klein byline, his parents’ friendship with (and the nickname they gave to) Stan Lee and his wife, what he learned (and what he didn’t) when taught by Anthony Burgess, the bittersweet autograph he once obtained from John Updike, whether we’re likely to see his long-awaited novel Nighttown any time soon, and much more.
SF fans have been holding regular meetings in central London since the 1930s. In all that time there was only one year – 1959 – in which, thanks to the efforts of a couple of SF pros, they became a formally organised group with dues, membership cards, an elected committee, and a written constitution. Having recently unearthed a copy of that
constitution, I’ve just added a page to my website about that brief, failed experiment and the continuing legacy it left behind.
The international team of astronomers, led by Jessica Spake, a PhD student at the University of Exeter in the UK, used Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 to discover helium in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-107b This is the first detection of its kind.
Spake explains the importance of the discovery: “Helium is the second-most common element in the Universe after hydrogen. It is also one of the main constituents of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in our Solar System. However, up until now helium had not been detected on exoplanets – despite searches for it.”
The team made the detection by analysing the infrared spectrum of the atmosphere of WASP-107b [1]. Previous detections of extended exoplanet atmospheres have been made by studying the spectrum at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths; this detection therefore demonstrates that exoplanet atmospheres can also be studied at longer wavelengths.
A prototype, called Feel the View, uses high-contrast photos to reproduce scenery using LED lights.
Passengers can touch the display to feel different shades of grey vibrate at different intensities.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People said the charity “wholeheartedly supports” the company’s effort.
“[It] could contribute to breaking down barriers and making travel more enjoyable and inclusive for people living with sight loss,” Robin Spinks, innovation manager at RNIB, told the BBC.
(17) DJ SPINRAD. Norman Spinrad has created a playlist (or “mixtape”) for the French radio show Voice of Cassandre. The playlist includes Kris Kristofferson, Accept, Lotte Lenya, Kraftwerk, the Sex Pistols, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen. The entire playlist can be heard on Mixcloud.
(18) DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING. Jon Del Arroz’ CLFA Book of the Year Award winner has a lovely cover, which he posts frequently on social media. Today somebody asked him the name of the artist. JDA’s answer was —
The guy blacklisted me over politics I wouldn’t recommend him.
(19) INFESTATION. The Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp – Official Trailer is here.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, JJ, Cat Eldridge, ULTRAGOTHA, Joey Eschrich, Danny Sichel, Andrew Porter, Chip Hitchcock, Martin Morse Wooster, Scott Edelman, Rob Thornton, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Chris S.]
