From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up via The LineUp

 I write a column 4x a year for The LineUp. One of these columns is always a Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up. My latest one is live here and you can read the unedited version below.  The version on the site is much prettier though, and it has links to buy the books.

June 2026:From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for Superior Achievement in thirteen categories. There are a few interesting things about these, the most prestigious awards in the horror genre.

One, the award itself is very cool, an eight-inch replica of a haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

Two, the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ are not for the “best” works of the year; rather, they are “for superior achievement” which leaves room for more titles to be considered in a broader context.

And three, the awards are chosen by a hybrid system of juries (one for each category) and member input. When you put all of this together, the results are always a cause for celebration.

And that is exactly what happened on June 6, 2026, when the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for books published in 2025 were presented live in Pittsburgh as part of StokerCon. Visit the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ official website for a full list of winners here. [Including me for Long Nonfiction!] Or you can watch the entire ceremony for yourself in the YouTube video here. 

In Haunted Stacks style though, I am not here to simply list the winners for you. Rather, I will focus on the titles that won in five of the categories and offer you two read-alikes to continue your superior reading adventure.

Superior Achievement in a Novel 

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Told through a Lutheran minister’s journal entries dated from 1912, readers meet Good Stab, “...the Indian who can't die. …the worst dream America ever had.” What follows is a riveting story of heartbreak, death, and revenge, a thought-provoking tale filled with existential terror, unease, and a high body count, this remarkable work of American fiction transforms, in Jones’ deft hands, from the unapologetic horror novel it most certainly is to a critique on the entire idea of America. A critique that despite the horrors, both real and supernatural, is infused with heart and projects hope.

If you liked The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, try…. 

 In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

Desperately trying to escape his past, Travis is left bloodied and weak after an encounter with a pale-skinned girl. No longer able to tolerate the light of day, and tormented by an overpowering hunger he stumbles to a local motel where the widowed owner, Annabelle, and her son offer him a job in exchange for board. The three lonely souls strike up an awkward friendship, but monsters, both real and imagined, can’t be hidden forever. The plot and characters play with the mind, and the pacing reflects the story’s harsh landscape—a slow, riveting burn. In the Valley of the Sun was previously nominated for the Bram Stoker AwardⓇ for Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich

Father Damien Modeste has served the Ojibwe on their remote reservation for over 50 years, but as he is nearing the end of his life, he is afraid that the people he has served will feel betrayed when his secrets and those of the possibly false Saint Leopolda are revealed. Should he risk everything to reveal the truth, or manufacture a false history to protect both of their legacies. Authentic character, an intricate but engrossing plot, with lyrical, moving, and understated prose, this thought provoking look at deception, imposters, and America’s complicated history with its Native populations will appeal to fans’ of Jones’ novel even without the vampires.

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt 

 Ten years ago Jorie and her two best friends friends went viral with their content about their favorite horror movies, but when the spent a night in the graveyard from the most chilling cult film ever made– Proof of Demons by the enigmatic Hélène Enriquez, their entire lives were upended forever and a young girl was left for dead. In the time since, Jorie has been hiding from her former life with her son in Vermont, until one day a video tape shows up in the mail, and then costumed devotees of Enriquez appear in the woods, near her home, threatening and filming her. Could this be the beginning of an entirely new and all too real horror movie? Layered and atmospheric with multiple plot lines merge together, this debut novel is as terrifying as the scariest movie you have ever seen. 

If you liked The October Film Haunt, try… 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

“The Think Kid” is the only surviving member of the team who made the 1993 film Horror Movie. Although never released in full, the film has risen to cult status and is being rebooted 30 years later. Moving effortlessly between “Then” and “Now,” “The Thin Kid” speaks directly to readers, placing them under his spell, despite repeated warning signs not to trust him, explaining the details of the original film, its current reboot, and including sections of the original screenplay. The result, a suspenseful story that is indelibly marked by its relentless unease and disturbing revelations, about the characters, yes, but also, the readers themselves.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel 

Also on the ballot with Wehunt this year, Viel’s debut follows Calla, 25, big sister and guardian to brothers Dre, 23, and Jamie, 16, overwhelmed by her parental duties and plagued by a vivid and horrific nightmare, she is barely holding the family together. But when the siblings get separated and then trapped in Calla’s nightmare, they fight for their lives to bring the family back together. Told through all three siblings' point of view in alternating chapters, readers will fall easily into this compelling story of sympathetic but flawed characters. Viel turns real and relatable trauma into a terrifying and immersive supernatural Horror story, but one clearly underpinned with love.

Superior Achievement in a Long Fiction: This year, there was a tie in this category.

The first winner (alphabetically by author) was Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud

Charlie exists in two halves. The first, is his brain in a jar stranded on a moon of Jupiter. The other is filled with murderous rage, hanging on the wall of a home on Earth’s moon, a host for the eggs of the Moon Spider. Both Charlies come together in the flooded wreck of a crashed cathedral ship, home to a giant centipede. They stalk each other in the haunted ruins all while a new Moon Spider is preparing to hatch. This novella is a sequel to Ballingrud’s Crypt of the Moon Spider.

If you liked Cathedral of the Drowned try…

Uncertain Sons by Thomas Ha

Another nominee in this category, Ha’s novella is also science fiction tinged horror but this is earth based science fiction set in a cosmic waste land, told with a direct and unsettling narration that begs the reader to participate in the story. Overall readers can expect Ha’s writing to be very of this moment, he is able to capture the world we live in now, but by adding original storylines with weird, cosmic touches. “Uncertain Sons,” is the titular story in a larger collection, meaning readers who enjoy this piece can immediately find more.

And the second winner was Wolf Moon, Antler Moon by A.C. Wise

Merrow is witness to the murder of five girls on Prom Night. She knows who killed them–- men from her high school, so she runs into the woods to hide. Her grandmother had taught her that in the world there are wolves and there are deer. One is the predator and the other, the prey. Merrow knows she does not want to be the prey, so she becomes the monster who hunts the wolves. Written like a dark fairy tale, with characters that can slip in and out of animal forms, this dark town will captivate the readers who pay it a visit.

If you liked Wolf Moon, Antler Moon try… 

Squid Teeth by Sarah Langan

Langan had two novellas nominated in this category in 2025, but this one pairs very nicely with Wise’s tale as it also blends fairy tale with a speculative horror story that follows a female potter who is able to grow and then use filmaments from her mouth. She then uses them, through much practice and pain, to create breathtaking designs on her pottery. Bizarre yet relatable and full of anger, Langan’s story serves as a biting critique of artistic institutions. 

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Silk & Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora edited by Kristy Park Kulski

Soil, Estuary, Bedrock, Roots, and Air are the five named sections that ground this ambitious anthology of stories, poems, and drawings that dig into the anger, complications of assimilation, and racist stereotypes from which their Asian American Folk Horror is unearthed. As readers make their way through, tales of ghosts, shape shifters, and family dynamics morph into sinister nightmares of violence, body horror, cannibalism, and more. Hammering its consistent message home, this resolute volume delivers a reading experience that will terrify readers of all identities to their core.

If you liked Silk & Sinew try… 

Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn

Before Silk and Sinew, Murray and Flynn won in this category for their stereotype busting anthology of 14 stories as varied in tone and type as the women writing them. Tales of dangerous science fiction, bleak near future dystopias, reimagined folk tales, battle ready princesses, and just straight up furious horror. While the stories are individually entertaining, it is in the breadth of cultural experiences, storytelling styles, and originality of ideas as they pile on top of one and other where the preconceived notions of both the authors identities and of the limitations of the horror genre itself will be smashed to the delight of readers.

HOWL: An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-in-Horror edited by Lindy Ryan and Stephanie Wytovich

Too often throughout history, werewolf stories have featured men, but women are well versed in monthly cycles of blood and it is past time for them to be allowed to show their rage without fear or shame.Featuring stories by Delilah S. Dawson, Christina Henry, Gwendolyn Kiste, Ai Jiang, and an introduction by Rachel Harrison, this is an anthology that will have readers braying at the moon for more stories by these shapeshifting women.

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection 

Lost in The Dark and Other Excursions by John Langan

Langan is considered a modern master of the horror short story and this collection of 13 new tales of cosmic horror cement that legacy. Some stories are straightforward and others told entirely through endnotes. More than a few are set on or near the water. And my favorite, a horror story hidden within an essay about why he loves horror. Widely different yes, but all are united by his unique lush prose and ability to make the mundane strange and unsettling.

If you liked List in the Dark and Other Excursions, try… 

Acquired Taste by Clay McCleod Chapman With this collection of 25 stories, Chapman gives readers a glimpse into his crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed style of crafting visceral stories, every single one of which will leave readers psychologically unmoored. The stories are of varying lengths and scare levels, hitting on a range of tropes, all anchored by intense narrators burrowing through the pages and into readers’ bodies. wreaking havoc on their nervous systems. And readers love every minute of it.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Piper presents 13 stories exploring the rage, terror, and horrors of the most difficult and transformative years of a young woman’s life. These stories use monsters, magic, and utterly original plots to draw readers in and bite their heads off. But these coming of age tales are not fueled by rage alone as the characters (and readers) will leave this collection fully empowered.

Click here to read more From the Haunted Stacks aethciels by me over the years.

It's StokerCon Time and I Have Librarians' Day Resources and Links to Watch the Bram Stoker Awards

 

By the time this posts, I will have been in Pittsburgh for 18 hours already. But today is the day StokerCon 2026 begins.

I am in charge of a few things for StokerCon. 

First, I a the co-coordinator of Librarians' Day with my HWA Libraries Co-Chair, Konrad Stump. Click here for the full schedule. We have a lot of great panels. 

This is a live in-person event on Friday June 5, 2026 from 8am-4 pm within the full StokerCon. Anyone with a StokerCon ticket is welcome to come and enjoy our programming but Library Workers are invited to come to just the LD programming and check out our Dealer's Room, the Mass Author Signing, and the Final Frame Film Competition for only $70. 

Konrad and I have made a conscious effort to make this day useful to ALL attendees of StokerCon, but we also use it as a way to introduce library workers to what we offer. Many of our Librarians' Day only attendees have come to enjoy it so much that they attend the full conference each year. 

We expect over 125-50 people in the room at its highest point -- during the popular Buzzing panel which concludes with an ARC giveaway. Konrad has secured over 1,000 ARCs for this. Thank you to all the publishers.

Again, please click through to see the full list of panels, because even if you are an author, we have some of the best panels of the day. 

This year I also have a link to the folder with all of our slides and resources. And, the QR code will be on every slide throughout the day as well. There is a lot of great information here, even for those of you who are NOT joining us. 

Click here to access that folder. Also, save the link because there is a folder there where we will be uploading photos as well.

I do want to draw the attention to everyone reading this to our Get Involved with HWA Libraries Google Form. We are gathering names and emails because this fall we will be starting an official newsletter. We also are reworking the entire HWA website and the Library Committee portion of that will be part of that as well. 

After I collapse Friday night (after the Final Frame Film Competition), I have a couple of panels on Saturday, and then the next time people evil see me in person and on the YouTube Live stream is at the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony. 

This is free for anyone, anywhere to watch. Not only is WHY I LOVE HORROR a nominee for Long Nonfiction, three of the essays from the book-- by Cynthia Pelayo, Tananarive Due, and Stephen Graham Jones-- are up for Short Nonfiction. If Tananarive or SGJ win, I will be accepting for them. And, many of the authors in my book are nominated across the ballot, some alongside each other int he same categories. 

I am also honored and excited to give the speech introducing our Karen Lansdale Silver Hammer Volunteer of the Year, author and librarian, Sarah Read. 

As directed by the BSA awards show manager (Brian Matthews), I also have an acceptance speech ready if I win, but honestly, to be nominated by my fellow writers is truly a huge honor, something I could not have imagined. It will be a great time. And I bought a new dress!

The entire event is worth watching. It is Horror prom. It is a feel good event celebrating the entire genre. And, at the end of the ceremony, we will be announcing some of the 2027 Guests of Honor. And the names are GOOD! The live stream link is available now for you to set a reminder. Hope some of you see me there.

RA for All will be back on Monday, June 8th.

Back from ALA But First Unfinished StokerCon Business

 I got back late last night from ALA Annual in Philly but while I was there, my annual Stoker Awards wrap up article went live on The LineUp. I take the top 5 fiction categories, give you an annotation for the winner and offer two read likes (w/ annotations as well).

Please click here to read the full article. I have also posted the introduction below.

Also, don't forget I have 15 backlist columns available on the site for free as well. All of them contain excellent Horror suggestions for a wide range of readers. Click here to access them all.

From the Haunted Stacks: 2024 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up

Some of the darkest, scariest, and all around superior works of horror from last year.

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for Superior Achievement in thirteen categories. There are a few interesting things about these, the most prestigious awards in the horror genre. 

One, the award itself is very cool, an eight-inch replica of a haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author. 

Two, the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ are not for the “best” works of the year; rather, they are “for superior achievement” which leaves room for more titles to be considered in a broader context.

And three, the awards are chosen by a hybrid system of juries (one for each category) and member input. 

When you put all of this together, the results are always a cause for celebration.

And that is exactly what happened on June 14, 2025, when the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for books published in 2024 were presented live in Stamford, Connecticut, as part of StokerCon. 

Visit the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ  official website for a full list of winners here. Or you can watch the entire ceremony for yourself in the YouTube video here. 

In Haunted Stacks style though, I am not here to simply list the winners for you. Rather, I will focus on the titles that won in five of the categories and offer you two read-alikes to continue your superior reading adventure.  

 Click here to read the article.

Back to morrow to begin the post ALA discussions.

Why We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read

Below is the text ion my Keynote address at the 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ. Given on June 14th in Stamford, Connecticut. You can watch the entire awards and see me give this keynote address at this link.

Please note: this speech was directed at Horror authors, but I hope all of my readers use it as a template to speak to their community members about the importance of speaking out for the freedom to read and use the "how-to" component in the speech to give them the tools they need to take action.

Why We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read

Hello. As many of you know, my name is Becky Spratford and I am the Secretary of the Horror Writers Association and the Co-Chair (with Konrad Stump) of our Libraries Committee. I have been a librarian for 25 years– the entirety of this century– and I don’t think this will shock any of you, but the last 5 years have been some of the most Horrific times to be in this profession in the 150 year history of the American Public LIbrary. 

So yes, you can see where this is going now. Right? Where better to talk about the Horror that we library workers have been facing then at a celebration of Horror Writers?

I am not trying to bring the mood down here. This is THE Keynote for our Bram Stoker Awards ceremony– our Horror prom if you will. What I am trying to do is quite the opposite, however. I am taking advantage of my time here, in front of a ballroom full of Horror professionals, along with everyone watching on YouTube, to enlist every single one of you in the fight to protect the freedom to read for all. Because who is better to talk about the horror of book bans and the terror of suppressing intellectual freedom than those of us who ply our trade in horror and terror every single day?

It’s true. We know Horror, and when it comes to intellectual freedom, we are all living in a Horror novel right now.

The freedom to read what we want, when we want, is under serious attack. The freedom for parents to make their own choices for their own kids is gone. Both have been replaced by nefarious groups who are trying to remove everything from our schools and libraries that does not uphold the white, cis, heteronormative agenda they are pushing.

What began 5 years ago as a concerted effort by a few organized groups to infiltrate school and library boards and suppress access to information and leisure reading items by marginalized voices in a few states, has evolved into state sponsored censorship. 

Books by all writers, no matter their identity, need to be available for all readers– from the youngest children to teens to adults. When we remove them from public school curriculums and libraries (even if all the library does is move that book from a youth section to “adult”), access to that information is sacrificed. The books that will be the most easily accessed will only be about the lives of white, cis, heteronormative humans. 

Reading fiction, and Horror fiction in particular, has been shown time and time again as one of the best ways for people to build empathy for others. Reading is a foundational skill, critical to future learning, and to exercising our democratic freedoms. 

I could go on and on here, and I know I am preaching to the choir, but here’s the thing– being angry is not enough. I am here standing up before all of you to ask you to fight against this Horror and to help us defeat this monster. But I am also a Horror writer myself, and a good librarian, so I am also here to help you draft this horror story where we will all triumph over evil. 

I am asking you tonight to commit to attending a meeting (or 2 or 3) of your local library board in the next few months. Even if, and especially if, they are not experiencing any book challenges. Why? Well, first, they probably are and you just don’t know it. The Federal Government is actively striping money from every public library in the nation right now. They have put the American Library Association on their “enemies” list. We library workers are in the thick of this horror novel level chaos every single day. What we need is to see the public come out and support us.

And again, who better than those who truly understand Horror than all of you to help us. Go to your local library’s website and check when their meetings are. My board, for example, meets the third Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Most government and board websites post calendars and agendas for upcoming meetings, and some also livestream them. Even if book bans or collection policies aren't on the agenda, many boards and councils allow comments on issues of concern from any community member.

I will be including a link to the information from United for Book Bans with the recording of this event on YouTube because they have everything you need to know from how to contact your library to talking points to a few of these pointers I am going to mention now. 

Before you head to a board meeting, you'll need to know the following:

1. When and where will the meeting take place?
2. The policy around public comments:

• Where do public comments fall in the agenda?
• How long do you have to speak during public comments?
• Do you have to register ahead of time to make a public comment?
• Are there any rules for the contents of comments?

3. Is there a dress code or a code of conduct attendees are expected to follow? I suggest bookish tshirts if you can.

You don’t need to remember these pointers and questions, though, because I will have the resources available for all of you to consult. But, and I cannot say this enough– WE NEED YOU. Please don’t leave this for someone else to do. IT IS YOU– ALL OF YOU. We need you to be at meetings, speaking as an author, community member, and supporter of the freedom to read. Prepare your comments, but speak from the bottom of your hearts.

Go before there are problems, if you can. Go multiple times (you can make the same statement over and over again), so your voice against book banning and for intellectual freedom is in the public record. Bring your friends. Get them involved. Figure out a way to have someone there to speak favorably about the library every month, if you can.

Think that is overkill? Well, I am going to be honest with you here. That is the playbook for the groups working together to get books banned. They are organizing and having people speaking against intellectual freedom at every board meeting, every time, in many towns across America.

Now, if your community is already trying to actively ban materials, this is even more dire. And I also want to be honest here, speaking out in a meeting, in your community, where there is a consensus against you is hard. But it can be done. I want to take a moment and ask HWA member Doug Murano to stand up and be recognized because he did just this. He stood up in a contentious meeting, risking great harm to himself and his reputation, to fight for the freedom to read at a school board meeting. Doug, thank you. 

Hopefully, none of you will ever have to deal with what Doug faced, but know, the best way to not live that dystopian reality, is to speak up BEFORE there are problems.

I know we are an international organization and this talk may seem American-centric, but let me say to all of you in the rest of the world, two things. 1. I know many of you have dealt with an assault on intellectual freedom before. I also know when you dealt with those, American writers probably didn’t help because, well, we thought we were impervious to censorship and didn’t listen. So, let me apologize to you for that behavior now, and 2. I want to ask for your help as well. Share what you know with us. Let us know how you have fought already so that we might be able to learn from you.

We are here to celebrate another great year of Horror. We will give out awards, honor volunteers, and present Lifetime Achievement Awards. And while we will all come away with our dark hearts bursting with joy, I also hope you leave raring for a fight. I hope you are ready to, as one of my favorite bookish t-shirts says,ban the fascists and save the books. Because who better than to stop the Horrors of censorship than those who spend their days immersing themselves in stories of terror, fear, and unease. Who better to understand the monster we are dealing with? And most importantly, who is better prepared to fight it. 

We are. 

And your Halloween librarians are here to help you. We are but a quick email away– dozens of us, ready to help you stop the Horror of book bans in a free society. Simply email libraries @ horror dot org. Check out United Against Book Bans (link to be provided) for all of the talking points and tips you need to get yourself in front of your library board to speak out against the Horror of Book Bans.

Thank you in advance. We can do our best work to protect the intellectual freedom of all, no matter where they live, if we work together– one library board meeting at a time.

Becky Siegel Spratford

Secretary, HWA

June 14, 2025

RA for All is at StokerCon and I Have All the Details and Even Some Goodies for Everyone, No Matter Where You Are This Weekend

Click here to enter the StokerCon 2025 website

StokerCon 205 begins today in Stamford, CT. Here is what is going on over the next few days and ways you can get in on the fun from home.

I got there yesterday and will be presenting on a panel today-- Thursday-- about how to be a better juror for the Stoker Awards. My part is that I have created a training video for those who want to serve on a jury.

Friday the 13th is Librarians' Day which is a full day of CE training for library workers and Konrad Stump and I are overseeing a great team.

Librarians' Day is Sponsored by The University of Pittsburgh Libraries, LibraryReads, and NoveList and there are representatives from all three organizations there as part of the day. You can click here to see the full StokerCon Librarians' Day schedule.

Most of the day are panels but there is a Book Buzz and I have the link with the panelists and their picks. Thanks to Emily Vinci for organizing the panel and making the great slides. There are 24 horror books coming soon, all picked by Horror experts. These slides are collection development and horror suggestion GOLD! And we are sharing them with all of you.

Please note, we will also be encouraging everyone to vote for these titles for LibraryReads as well. Their release dates are on the slides. You should consider voting for thees titles as well. Click here for those slides. Click here for directions from LibraryReads on how to vote.

Saturday, the library team is giving a panel for HWA members about how to work with your library better. I will be in the audience for that one, but I did a version of this panel as part of a pre-taped virtual presentation. We are hoping to use that pre-recorded video to help connect libraries and authors going forward. Look for more information about that coming soon.

Saturday night the Bram Stoker Awards will be broadcast live on YouTube here. You can watch past awards shows there as well. Please note, these are the 2024 Bram Stoker Award presented in 2025. 

And here is the BIG NEWS-- I am giving the keynote address for the ceremony. It is entitled, "Why We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read." It is a plea to the authors to get their butts to their local library and school board meetings to speak up for the freedom to read BEFORE there are problems in their communities.

The blogs will be off until Monday, but I will be back with the full text of my keynote address so that everyone can use it to help inspire others in their communities to speak out as well. More about that Monday.

Please go to the StokerCon 2025 website to learn more about the full slate of actives and panels.

31 Days of Horror: Day 31-- Announcing the 2025 Summer Scares Spokesperson and Program Timeline

Happy Halloween everyone. Today is the end of our 31 Days together, but as usual we end with a look forward. Today is the announcement marking the beginning of Summer Scares 2025!

This will be the last you hear from me on the Horror blog until 11/14 when I will return with a new #HorrorForLibraies Giveaway.

HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2025 SPOKESPERSON AND TIMELINE

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the sixth annual Summer Scares, a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list, promoting reading for years to come.

Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2025 spokesperson, #1 New York Times Bestselling author Kendare Blake:

"As a proud member of the club of people who read Stephen King too young, I am both honored and absolutely psyched to be this years' Summer Scares Spokesperson. Long ago, in elementary school, I had a beloved librarian with hair as black as night and teeth like Nosferatu. On dreary, wintry afternoons she would gather the children near and read to us from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, her eyes brightening with our every small whimper. She was, in short, THE BEST. I hope to meet many more librarians this year with her same, spooky spirit. So come along, folks of all ages, and let's read the scary stuff all summer long! It's not just for October anymore." 

Blake, along with a committee of six library workers, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. The program aims to encourage a conversation at libraries worldwide about the horror genre across all age levels and ultimately attract more adults, teens, and children interested in reading. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available to public and school libraries.

The committee’s final selections will be announced on February 14, 2025, Library Lover’s Day. Blake, along with some of the selected authors, will kick off Summer Scares at the 9th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day, Friday, June 13th, during StokerCon® 2025 at the Hilton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, CT. Tickets for this in-person event are available now: https://www.stokercon2025.com/librarian-s-day.

Additional content, including podcast appearances, free webinars with Booklist, and lists of suggested titles for further reading, will be made available by the committee and its partners beginning in March of 2025 and continuing through the Spring and Summer.

Of special note is the annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, courtesy of HWA Library Committee Co-Chair 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 discussion guides, and sample programs, enabling librarians, even those who don’t read or especially enjoy the horror genre themselves, to connect their communities with Summer Scares.

To see past year’s Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, please visit the program archive: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares-archive.html.

This year, Summer Scares is excited to announce a brand new sponsor– iREAD, an all ages Summer Reading Program developed by librarians for libraries. iREAD is used by libraries across the United States and around the world through their partnership with the US Department of Defense, bringing Summer Scares to our military families stationed across the globe.

iREAD Content and Development Manager Becca Boland shared her excitement:

“As a new sponsor of Summer Scares, iREAD is thrilled (and chilled) to support the Summer Scares program guide that will help libraries ‘unearth’ a love for reading. As part of this partnership, every summer you'll find one spine-tingling book for each age range and category that aligns with the iREAD theme. iREAD will also help to provide programming assistance for the guide ensuring everyone has a ‘fang-tastic’ time! Let’s conjure up some excitement and make this summer a real ‘scream’ with Summer Scares and iREAD."

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming soon from Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD and NoveList®, as well as at the HWA’s website: www.horror.org and RA for All Horror: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html.

Questions? Reach out to HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump via email: libraries@horror.org. 

Summer Scares 2025 Committee Members: 

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, and Richard Linklater. She lives and writes in Gig Harbor, Washington, with her husband, their cat son Tyrion Cattister, red Doberman dog son Obi-Dog Kenobi, rottie mix dog daughter Agent Scully, and naked Sphynx cat son Armpit McGee.

Becky Spratford is a library consultant and the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition which was released in September of 2021. She reviews horror for Booklist Magazine, is the horror columnist for Library Journal and runs the Readers’ Advisory blog, RA for All: Horror.

Konrad Stump is a Local History Associate for the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library, where he co-coordinates Springfield-Greene's popular “Oh, the Horror!” series, which attracts hundreds of patrons during October. He created the Donuts & Death horror book discussion group, featured in “Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists” (ALA), and co-created the Summer Scares Programming Guide. Library workers who are interested in cultivating horror programming can contact him at konrads@thelibrary.org for free assistance.

Carolyn Ciesla is an academic library director in the Chicago suburbs. She has worked as a teen librarian and reference librarian, and has reviewed horror titles for Booklist Magazine. She’s currently teaching horror to first-year college students. You can find her all over the internet as @papersquared.

Kelly Jensen is an editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults on the topics of feminism, mental health, and the body. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. She has also earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her censorship coverage. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. She is currently enrolled in a clinical mental health counseling master's program to bolster her work with mental health.

Julia Smith joined the Books for Youth team at Booklist in 2015, where she is now a senior editor. Her love of middle-grade literature and all things unsettling and strange draws her to creepy children's stories. You can follow her at @JuliaKate32 on Twitter.

Yaika Sabat (MLS) comes from a background in public libraries of various sizes. She now works at NoveList as the Manager of Reader Services, where she trains library staff nationwide on readers’ advisory, creates genre-focused content, and works on reader-focused products and services. As a Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council member, she works to help librarians understand and embrace the horror genre. Her other passions include writing, graphic novels, film (the scarier, the better), and folklore.

31 Days of Horror: Day 28-- Librarians' Day is Coming in June on Friday the 13th and You Can Sign Up NOW!

As we approach the end of our 31 days together I wanted to remind you that Horror Season is all year long. And just because it is no longer October, that does not mean we stop talking about your Horror readers. 

On Thursday, I will be hosting the official start of Summer Scares 2025 with our press release of the spokesperson and details on the timeline for the program.

But today, I am going to get you excited for something else. This year's Librarians' Day, on Friday, June 13, 2025 in Stamford, CT. It is a full day of continuing education and learning for all library workers for only $60.

Below and at this link you can see the schedule and sign up right now. We are expecting a big crowd as the location is close enough for hundreds of libraries to attend.

If you know you will have 5 or more people to register, email me at libraries@horror.org so we can get you a group discount as well.

Real talk time-- in a few days you are going to miss this daily dose of Horror talk. You can help you, help yourself and limit your own withdrawal by registering today for Librarians' Day. Then you will have something to look forward to.

Click here for the full schedule on the StokerCon website or see below.

Librarians’ Day Schedule for StokerCon 2025, Stamford, CT
 
Librarians’ Day
Friday June 13, 2025
8am-4pm
Librarians’ Day only ticket - $60

BUY TICKETS HERE

Please note: Librarians’ Day is open to all StokerCon ticket holders. If you already have a regular ticket, we invite you to attend any of our programming at no extra cost.  

ABOUT: On the Friday of StokerCon, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) offers "Librarians' Day" -- a full day of horror-focused continuing education programming for all library workers. Topics include readers' advisory, programming featuring the conference's guest authors on timely topics, information on how you can work with the HWA, and more. Below you'll find this year's special program for the on-site conference. Librarians' Day ticket holders will have access to the dealer's room and other areas of the full conference throughout the day. ​

SCHEDULE

8 -8:25 a.m.: Welcome to Librarians’ Day!: Meet the Librarians’ Day team and fellow librarians from across the country while enjoying coffee and bites courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

8:30-9:20 am: Brains! Brains! Brainstorming Ways to Engage Your Community, Moderated by Jocelyn Codner and Meghan Bouffard: Join HWA Library Advisory Council members in small group discussions to meet some of your fellow librarians, share experiences, and gather ideas for how to engage your community with the horror community.

9:30-10:20 am: How to Feature Horror at Your Library, Moderated by Corey Farrenkopf: Hear librarians from across the country share their experiences featuring horror at their libraries, from book discussions to writing groups to author events and more.

10:30-11:20 am: Buzzing About Horror Books, Moderated by Emily Vinci: Join librarians and book reviewers as they share the buzz about a slew of exciting new and upcoming horror titles. Come for the booktalks; stay for the free books and swag!

11:30 am-1 pm: Lunch Break: Explore Stamford and enjoy a nearby restaurant.

1-1:50 pm: What Horror Means to Me, Moderated by Lila Denning: Join StokerCon 2025’s Guests of Honor for a lively discussion about why readers of all ages enjoy a good scare, from fictional frights to all-too-true terrors. Featuring Scott Edelman, Paula Guran, Adam Nevill, Joyce Carol Oates, Gaby Triana, and Tim Waggoner.

2-2:50 pm: This Book is Haunted: cursed objects and texts in film and literature, Moderated by Ben Rubin. An old tome with archaic writing, an unmarked VHS, a doll with an unsettling gaze, a camera through which the viewfinder shows a reality that seems just a bit off…Cursed objects provide not only an intriguing plot device but their uncanny realism can also make the reader or viewer feel complicit in the haunting. Join us as we explore the popularity of cursed objects and media and why these stories are essential for library shelves. Featuring Clay McLeod Chapman, Adam Nevill, and Emily Vinci with more panelists to be announced soon!

3-3:50 pm: Summer Scares: A Thrilling Summer Reading Program, Moderated by Yaika Sabat: Join Summer Scares current and past selected authors, spokespeople, and partners to learn more about the HWA’s popular summer reading program, how to get involved, and how to use Summer Scares resources to better serve your patrons. Stay tuned for our full list of panelists! ​ ​

I hope to see you there on Friday the 13th, this coming June.

BUY TICKETS HERE

31 Days of Horror: Day 30-- The HWA's Library Committee Wants to Help You All Year Long

We are 1 day away from Halloween, the day we have been leading up to. However, I need to remind you that Horror is popular all year long. 

At the start of the month, I demonstrated all the ways this blog can help you to help your scariest readers every day of the year. Today, I want to close out my blog-a-thon with how the entire team at the Horror Writes Association's Library Committee can help you as well.

Wait, Becky, "close-out?" We sill have one more day. 

Yes we do, but tomorrow is the announcement one of the flashier things our Library Committee does as we will be letting the world know about our 2024 Summer Scares Spokesperson with an official press release, but that is not all we do.

At the Illinois Library Association's Annual Conference last week, I was part of an entire panel where we discussed how the HWA can help any library. And today, I am giving you access to all of the presentations here in one folder. Also below, I have given you a linked list of the individual presentations as well:

• I went first to give an overview of everything the HWA Library Committee can and does do for all of you, our libraries, including everyone on the panel. The moral of my presentation, you want any horror programming for your library, email libraries at horror dot org. But don't it early if you want help for fall 2024. Click here for my slides.
• Next was Becca Boland from iRead presenting about the partnership between their summer reading program and Summer Scares. Click here for her slides.
• Yaika Sabat from NoveList had a presentation about everything they do to support Summer Scares and Horror in general. Thanks to NoveList for sending her to our conference for this persentation. Click here for her slides.
• And then back-to-back, 2 library workers from the Chicago area who both have been a part of awesome Horror programming because they emailed libraries at horror dot org and/or used the Chicago Chapter of the HWA as their starting point.
• J9 from Glen Ellyn Public Library had an idea in early 2022: what if they turned the library into a haunted house by using scenes from actual horror stories, acted out by kids from the high school theater troop. They contacted me early in 2022 to start planning. I connected J9 with authors from the Chicagoland Chapter of HWA and the event went off with 650 people attending and the Chicago Tribune sending a reporter and a photographer. Then they did it again this year with over 1000 people showing up. Click here for their slides with pictures and more, including lessons learned. 
• And rounding it all out, award winning author and library worker, Michael Allen Rose from Oak Park Public Library. His slides show off the nuermous activities and programs he has hosted and been a part of at his library and others, including an all day Book Festival at an IN library a few weeks ago. Michael is a great presenter on this topic and a wonderful resource himself as he is a bridge between the library and author worlds. Click here for his slides.

While these programs give an overview of some of the things the HWA Library Committee has done recently, it is not even close to everything. Anyone, anywhere, can email us-- libraries at horror dot org-- and we will connect you with the HWA chapter in your area or if you are doing virtual, help connect you with authors who can present for you. And of course, there is all that Summer Scares programming we offer. 

As we approach the sunset of another year of 31 Days of Horror, I leave you with my annual plea to NOT forget about Horror the other 11 months of the year. And know that you have me and an entire team of Horror loving library people, ready to help you.

Back tomorrow with our big Summer Scares 2024 spokesperson announcement as well as a special video message on all social media platforms.