4th Annual HWA Librarians' Day Registration is LIVE with a HUGE Announcement!

Free registration is now live for this full day of continuing education for all library workers. While the focus is on horror, there is a lot to learn for helping patrons of any genre. 

But even more exciting that the event is the announcement of the Horror Writers' Association's Diversity Grant which is being funded by leadership from the library community. From the grant page: 

"Thanks to the generosity of NoveList, LibraryReads, ARRT, and RA for All, each 2020 Grant is worth $500 and may be spent on approved expenses for a period of two (2) years following the awarding of the Grant. For details about the Diversity Grant and to apply please go here: http://horrorscholarships.com/diversity-grants/"

And library workers are eligible to apply. Again details are here.

We are also asking people who sign up to consider making a fully tax deductible donation to the diversity grant in lieu of a registration fee. That link is here, below, and on the EventBrite page. You do NOT need  to donate to participate. Everyone is welcome.

As you can see in the announcement, I have put my money behind this grant through my company. Readers know how important supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion is to me. But being "concerned" is never enough. I have been working all summer to help make this a reality and I am proud of ARRT, NoveList, Library Reads, and of course the Horror Writers Association for doing the work to make this happen.

I do want to also acknowledge Night Worms and Cemetery Dance [both part of the program below] for donating since the announcement. Their generosity has already guaranteed that this grant will live  beyond year 1.

Please checkout the announcement of our event and signup to get access to exclusive deals  from our presenters and the email to participate in the asynchronous Q & A

HWA 4th Annual Librarians’ Day is Going Virtual and Is Now FREE!

We are excited to announce that HWA Librarians’ Day will be moving to a virtual format, and it will be COMPLETELY FREE!

All panels will be taped ahead of time and released on November 1st to the public through the HWA’s YouTube Page.  Throughout the month of November, the Adult Reading Round Table will be moderating an asynchronous Q&A.  We would also like to thank our sponsors who have stuck with us NoveList, LibraryReads, and Flame Tree Press.

Registered attendees will be provided with an email address to pose their questions to the panelists.  Questions and the answers will be posted for attendees to access. All will be able to see the Q&A but only registered attendees will be able to ask questions.

While the event is geared toward library workers, we encourage all HWA members to view the panels. There have been some panel changes which are as follows:

• The Scary Truth About Horror Reviews (Sponsored by Cemetery Dance) – Featuring New York Times Book Review Horror Columnist Danielle Trussoni, Booklist and Library Journal Horror Reviewer Becky Spratford, and Cemetery Dance reviewer and owner of Night Worms Sadie Hartmann.  Moderated by Ashley Rayner from the Chicago Public Library
• Horror and Libraries: A Not So Scary Partnership – Featuring Gillian Cargile-King from Northern Illinois University, Konrad Stump from Springfield-Greene [MO] County Library, Cathleen Keyser from Novelist, and Gregg Winsor from Library Reads.  Moderated by Lila Denning from the St. Petersburg [FL] Public Library
• Summer Scares 2020: How to Feature Horror for All Ages at Your Library – Featuring members of the Summer Scares Committee and the announcement of the 2021 Summer Scares Spokesperson!
• The State of Horror Today: A Conversation – Featuring authors Daniel Kraus, Stephen Graham Jones, and Cina Pelayo.  Moderated by Becky Spratford
• Meet Flame Tree Press – Editor Don D’Auria and Flame Tree Press authors John Everson, J.G. Faherty, J.H. Moncrieff, Melissa Prusi and Steven Hopstaken.  Moderated by Emily Vinci of the Schaumburg Public Library

Register for this new FREE event here

Please contact Becky Spratford at bspratford [at]  hotmail [dot] com with any questions.

While signup for Librarians’ Day is free we are also using this opportunity to launch a HWA Diversity Grant that was established with funds from the library community.

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. Like the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee, 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. Thanks to the generosity of NoveList, LibraryReads, ARRT, and RA for All, each 2020 Grant is worth $500 and may be spent on approved expenses for a period of two (2) years following the awarding of the Grant. For details about the Diversity Grant and to apply please go here:http://horrorscholarships.com/diversity-grants/

Find details about making a donation to the Diversity Grant here.