2023-09-14 00:08:59
HWA Scholarship Announcement
The Horror Writer’s Association would like to thank everyone who applied for scholarships in 2023. The initiative of applicants makes it possible to provide these invaluable opportunities to connect, learn, grow, and imagine what might be next for the genre.
Whether it’s a haunting novel or a groundbreaking thesis, a riveting collection of poetry or a jaw-dropping new script, the horror writers of the world have been busy. These scholarships provide more than just money; they provide the chance for the winners to learn from the best, mature as creators, and infuse our world with art like only they can make. We are beyond stoked to announce this year’s scholarship recipients! We hope you will join us in commending their achievements.
HWA Scholarship
Nikki Blakely
Nikki Lynn Blakely lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and enjoys crafting stories that evoke smiles, tears, laughter, the occasional eye roll, and sometimes even a scream. Her work has appeared in Sundial Magazine, Bright Flash Literary Review, Luna Station Quarterly, the Centifictionist, Writers Resist, Little Old Lady Comedy, in the following anthologies: Between the Covers, 72 Hours of Insanity V9 (Writer Games), Dim and Flaring Lamps, and the podcasts Tall-Tell TV, and The Gallery of Curiosities (2/24) You can find her on Twitter – @nblakely99
Mary Shelley Scholarship
Hyten Davidson
Hyten Davidson is a writer and actor based in NYC. Her screenplays have won multiple awards, including the L.A International Horror Film Festival, and her short film The West Virginian Starfish took home the Best Short Film award at last year’s Long Island Film Expo. Her short fiction has been published in The Maine Review, Landlocked Magazine, Rock Salt Journal, and New Reader Magazine. Most recently, Hyten’s horror audio drama Come to Mama premiered on the latest season of the NoSleep Podcast. For more, visit www.hytendavidson.com.
Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Lepro
Elizabeth Lepro is a New York-based writer and MFA candidate at Hunter College. Her reporting has been published in various outlets in the U.S. and Egypt. Her Substack newsletter, Food for the Worm, is a series of essays about horror films and humanity. Through it, she explores the weird, wicked, and whatever it is that goes bump in the night. You can read more here – https://foodfortheworm.substack.com/
Diversity Grants
Justin Carlos Alcala
Justin Carlos Alcala is an award-winning American novelist & short story writer. His works are
most notable for their appearance in Publisher’s Weekly, the SLF Foundation Awards, and the
University of British Columbia project archives. Justin is a folklore fanatic, history nerd, tabletop
gamer, and time traveler. Alcala’s thirty plus short stories, novellas, and novels can be found in
anthologies, magazines, journals, and commercial publications. He currently resides with his
dark queen, Mallory, their hex-witch daughter, Lily, changeling son, Ronan, goblin-baby, Asher,
and hound of Ragnarök, Fenrir in Bigfoot’s domain. Where his mind might be is anyone’s
guess.
Pronouns: he/him
Website: https://www.justincalcala.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/JustinAlcala
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justin.alcala/
Blog: https://justinalcalablog.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7862799.Justin_Alcala?from_search=true
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justinalcala312
Agatha Andrews
Agatha Andrews is a writer that haunts old Texas cemeteries, and lurks in libraries and
bookstores. Her words have appeared in Austin Monthly Magazine, and anthologies with Brigids
Gate Press and Ghost Orchid Press. She is also the host of the She Wore Black Podcast.
Pronouns: she/her
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AgathaAWrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agathaandrewsauthor
Blue Sky – https://bsky.app/profile/agathaandrews.bsky.social
Threads – https://www.threads.net/@agathaandrewsauthor
Nadira Jamerson
Nadira Jamerson (she/her) is a journalist and horror/fantasy writer from Pasadena, California.
Her work primarily focuses on the Black queer woman’s perspective, mental health, and healing
generational trauma. You can read her latest novel and other works on her website.
Pronouns: she/her
Website: nadiraxrene.com
Instagram handle: @nadiraxrene
Bridgette Johnson
Bridgette Johnson is a writer of horror for middle grade, young adult, and adult audiences. Her
short story “Copperhead Holler” was published in Appalachia Bare. They love attending fan
conventions and hiking their own section of spooky woods.
Pronouns: she/they
Twitter/X: @cecilewrites
Mara Adanto-Keledei
Mara Adanto-Keledei is a Mexican-Korean-American bookseller focusing on racial horror and
the Gothic. They recently returned to academia and this summer attended Manchester
Metropolitan University’s International Gothic Summer School. Previously a designer for theater
and haunted houses, their experience informs their current writing. Mara can often be found
running around at book festivals or trying new soups. They dream of someday building their own
Castle of Otranto-themed haunt.
Pronouns: they/them
Website: https://soupgoth.com/
Leanbh Pearson
Leanbh Pearson lives on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, Australia. An award-winning
LGBTQI and disability author of horror and dark fantasy, her writing is inspired by folklore,
fairytales, myth, history and climate. She’s judged the Australian Shadows Awards, Aurealis
Awards, an invited panelist and member of the AHWA, CSFG, Australian Fairytale Society,
British Fantasy Society, HWA and SFWA. Leanbh has been awarded AHWA and HWA
mentorships, nominated for the Ditmar Awards and winner of AHWA Robert N Stephenson
Flash Fiction Story Competition. Leanbh’s alter-ego is an academic in archaeology, evolution
and prehistory.
Pronouns: she/her
Website: www.leanbhpearson.com
Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram & Threads: @leanbhpearson
Marcie Rendon
Marcie Rendon is White Earth Ojibwe. She was listed in Oprah’s 2020 list of 31 Native
American Author’s to read and received Minnesota’s 2020 McKnight Distinguished Artist
Award. Rendon’s Cash Blackbear crime novels have received prestigious recognition. “Sinister
Graves” was a Minnesota Book Award Finalist 2022. Her short story, “Wingless”, is in the
highly touted Never Whistle At Night anthology, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van
Alst. Forthcoming work includes Anishinaabe Songs for the New Milliniuem (poetry); Where
They Last Saw Her (crime); Stitches of Tradition (picture book); book 4 Cash, and of course,
more horror.
Pronouns: she/her
Website: https://www.marcierendon.com/
Twitter/X: @marcierendon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcieRendonMN
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcierendon/
Fadairo Tesleem
Fadairo Tesleem (TPC vi) is a Nigerian poet and a member of The Poetic Collective. He was
on the shortlist for 2022’s Spectrum Poetry Contest, Abubakar Gimba’s Prize for Nonfiction
(2023) & Africa Teen Writers’ Award (poetry category). His poems are published in The B’K
Magazine, Geez Magazine, Dillydoun Review, Protean Poetry, Kreative Diadem, Consequence
Forum, & host of other publications. Tesleem is an alumnus of the Olongo Africa Poetry
workshop & SpriNG Writers’ Fellowship.
Pronouns: he/him
Twitter/X: @_olakunle
Phoebe A. Xavier
Phoebe A. Xavier is a writer, 46 years of age, plus the co-founder & editor-in-chief of the Indie
comic book brand 123GO! Publications. She is a trans woman somewhere in the US of A who
also dabbles in stand up comedy, hip-hop and amateur smut. Her first book “Superliminal
Latency“ was launched in 2023. She has attained comfort in feeling the ballast of an iron oxen
balancing on a hundred foot pole.
Pronouns: Jobu/Tupaki
Website:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/KaraKillgrave77
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/123gopublications
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoebe123go/
https://www.instagram.com/vikings_saga_of_the_north
Young Adults Write Now Endowment
Somerset Public Library—Somerset, MA
Horror is Lit!, administered by Marybeth Rua-Larsen, Head of Reference
The Westport Library—Westport, CT
StoryFest, administered by Alex Giannini, Associate Director Programs & Eventshttps://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Photo-on-8-15-23-at-9.45-AM-1.jpeg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Davidson_Hyten.jpg|https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ElizabethWebsiteLessSat.jpg|https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ElizabethWebsiteLessSat-1.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ElizabethWebsiteLessSat-2.jpg|https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Justin-Alcala-Photo-scaled.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Justin-Alcala-Photo-1.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Agatha-Andrews-photo.png|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Nadira-Jamerson-photo.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bridgette-Cecile-Johnson-photo.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mara-Adanto-Keledei-photo-1-1.jpg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/mail-1.png|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Marcie-Rendon-photo.jpg|https://horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Fadairo-Tesleem-photo-scaled.jpeg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Fadairo-Tesleem-photo-1.jpeg|https://staging.horror.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PhoebeAXavier-photo.jpgPhoto-on-8-15-23-at-9.45-AM-1.jpeg|Davidson_Hyten.jpg|ElizabethWebsiteLessSat.jpg|ElizabethWebsiteLessSat-1.jpg|ElizabethWebsiteLessSat-2.jpg|Justin-Alcala-Photo-scaled.jpg|Justin-Alcala-Photo-1.jpg|Agatha-Andrews-photo.png|Nadira-Jamerson-photo.jpg|Bridgette-Cecile-Johnson-photo.jpg|Mara-Adanto-Keledei-photo-1-1.jpg|mail-1.png|Marcie-Rendon-photo.jpg|Fadairo-Tesleem-photo-scaled.jpeg|Fadairo-Tesleem-photo-1.jpeg|PhoebeAXavier-photo.jpg
