The Horror Writers Association’s fourth annual Summer Scares Reading Program will provide libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. The 2022 list will be released on February 14. HWA’s Summer Scares is organized in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist to introduce readers and librarians to new authors and help start conversations extending beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come.

The Summer Scares 2022 spokesperson is author Alma Katsu:

I’m thrilled to be the author representative to the Summer Scares programming committee and to have the honor of representing my fellow horror writers and be an advocate for the great writing that’s being produced by the horror community. Horror is a widely-loved genre, for many readers constituting their earliest reads, whether it’s R.L. Stine or Edgar Allan Poe, and so I’m happy for the opportunity to work with librarians to introduce more horror stories and new authors to their patrons.

Katsu is joined by a committee of five library workers who, together, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available at public and school libraries.

Katsu, along with some of the selected authors, will appear on a panel to kickoff Summer Scares at the 6th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day, Friday May 13 during StokerCon 2022 at the Curtis Hotel in Denver, CO.

Official Summer Scares podcasting partner, Ladies of the Fright Podcast, will also record episodes in conjunction with Summer Scares.

Of special note is the forthcoming annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, courtesy of Konrad Stump and the Springfield-Greene County Library, which provides creative ideas to engage horror readers. Centered around the official Summer Scares titles, the guide offers tips and examples for readers’ advisory, book discussions, and special programs, and enables librarians, even those who don’t read or especially enjoy the horror genre themselves, to participate in Summer Scares. They will be releasing the guide earlier than ever, on March 1.

See past years’ Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, at the program archive here.

[Based on a press release.]