The Sixth Annual Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference at StokerCon 2023 Conference Date: Friday, June 16, 2023 Conference Location: Station Square Hotel 300 W Station Square Dr Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Conference Website: https://www.stokercon.com Email: AnnRadcliffeCon@gmail.com The 2023 StokerCon® convention in Pittsburgh promises to be a banner event. In addition to celebrating the birthplace of many aspects of modern horror, this year also represents the bicentenary of Ann Radcliffe’s death, and the publication of the 2nd edition of Frankenstein, the first to bear Mary Shelley’s name. The co-orga ..read more

London native C.C. Adams is the horror/dark fiction author behind books such as But Worse Will Come, Forfeit Tissue and Downwind, Alice. A member of the Horror Writers Association, he still lives in the capital. This is where he lifts weights, cooks – and looks for the perfect quote to set off the next dark delicacy. What inspired you to start writing? Firstly, as a member of (Canadian author) Kelley Armstrong’s previous online discussion forum. I’d dabbled in some fanfic based on her work, which was well received. And it was on the same forum that I heard about National … The post Black Heri ..read more

With StokerCon® 2023 about four months away, we’re excited to let you know of some important updates. Please read through the information carefully to find out more about panel programming, Librarians’ Day, virtual StokerCon options, the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference, Horror University, and Final Frame! The Registrant Survey for panel programming and other activities and events will be deployed on or about February 10th. It will go to the same email you used to register for StokerCon 2023. StokerCon 2023 will be a hybrid convention and include in-person and online programming. Please keep ..read more

Background There is an established link between mental health stigma and poor recovery from mental illness. Stigma is hurtful and demeaning, and drives those who experience it to isolate themselves and deters them from talking about their issues. This, in turn, fosters a climate of deterioration and impedes recovery. Therefore, it is important that, as writers of horror, we recognise this when depicting mental illness in our work. The primary purpose of the Notable Books initiative is to provide the HWA membership with examples of genre literature that balance high quality storytelling with s ..read more

RIPTIDE by DAN RABARTS Short story review by Lee Murray A multiple winner of the Australian Shadows and Sir Julius Vogel Awards, Kiwi Dan Rabarts (Ngāti Porou) is well known in Antipodean horror circles, his body of work comprising novels, novellas, short fiction, screenplays, and poetry. Of these, his short story, “Riptide”, which appears in Simon Dewar’s anthology Suspended in Dusk II (2018, Grey Matter Press), is arguably his most powerful work and my personal favourite. Perhaps the story appeals to me because it is set on a nameless beach in Aotearoa, somewhere that I might have walked mys ..read more

SERPENT’S WAKE by L.E. DANIELS Novel review by Dave Jeffery After twelve years trapped in the throat of a serpent, a girl escapes. She returns to her village naked with a monstrous snakeskin trailing behind her. One decision at a time, she reclaims her life. Each character she encounters by land and sea—brute, healer, orphan, mystic, lover—reflects an unhealed aspect of herself and plots her recovery through symbolic milestones. Serpent’s Wake is intended for adults and young adults exploring how, once fractured, we may mend. As a reader there comes a time when you become so mesmerised in a st ..read more

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is an African speculative fiction writer, editor & publisher from Nigeria. He won the Nebula, Otherwise, Nommo, British & World Fantasy awards and been a finalist in the Hugo, Locus, Sturgeon and British Science Fiction award. His works have appeared in Asimov’s, Uncanny Magazine, Tordotcom, Apex, Galaxy’s Edge, Strange Horizons and others. He edited the Bridging Worlds, Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction anthology and co-edited the Dominion and Africa Risen anthology. He was a CanCon goh and will be the ICFA 44 guest of honour. You can see his latest w ..read more

Jewelle Gomez, (Cabo Verdean/Wampanoag/Ioway; she/her). Her eight books include the first Black Lesbian vampire novel, THE GILDA STORIES, in print for 30 years, and recently optioned by Cheryl Dunye (“Lovecraft Country”) for a mini-series. Her work appears in numerous anthologies including Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African American Diaspora, and Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia Butler. Her plays have been produced in San Francisco and in New York City. Her new collection of poetry is Still Water. TWITTER & Instagram: @VampyreVamp What inspired you t ..read more

Beatrice Winifred Iker is an author and poet whose work can/will be found in FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, Anathema Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, the Death in the Mouth horror anthology, and others. Iker is a Voodoonauts Fellowship alum, co-host on the Afronauts Podcast, and a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA). Originally from East Tennessee, Iker lives in New England with a wonderful husband, many cats, and a robust tarot deck collection. You can find Iker on Twitter (@BeatriceIker), Instagram (@beatricewinifrediker), or through the website beatriceiker.com. What ..read more

Linda D. Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community You can see any of “The Seers’ Table” posts since inception (March 2016) by going to the HWA main page and selecting menu item “Our Blogs/Diverse Works.” Linda D. Addison introduces: Johnny Compton (he/him) is a San Antonio-based author whose short stories have appeared in several publications since 2006, including Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, and The No Sleep Podcast. His fascination with frightening fiction started when his kindergarten teacher played a record of the classic ghost story “The Golden Arm” for her class. The Spi ..read more