ARRT RA UNconference: Play With R.A. on April 23rd in Wheaton, IL Plus Resources for ALL

Click the image to register

I am starting the week off with an announcement for people who live within deriving distance of the Chicagoland area. But don't worry, then I will get to resources for everyone.

The Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT) is having an in person, interactive UNconference centered around games. Not gamifying RA but games. Attendees will be playing games that will help them be better at connecting books with readers.

I love this idea and have spoken with on of the organizers. It is going to be a great time. I will be there. If you cab, I suggest you join us.

Click on this link or on the image above to register.

But as promised, I have something for the vast majority of you who cannot make it to Wheaton, IL. Please don't sleep on ARRT's free resources for any and all library workers. Click on this link to explore their website, but specifically, please checkout the following backlist bonanza of resources available all with a few clicks:

• Book Club Study Archive: Featuring notes on book discussions held since 2015. Click on the title to  reveal not only;y notes on the discussion, but also on the leadership discussion topic for that meeting. I am extremely proud of revamping the ARRT Book Discussion program before I left the Steering Committee to make this more like their famous genre studies. The fact that it is still going strong fills me with joy. This is THE place to go to see an example of how a discussion of a particular book went AND to find help for all of the common book club leadership issues and concerns which we all face, often alone.
• Genre Study Archive: The ARRT Genre Study program has been going on for decades but you can access notes going back to 2011. Noe genres change over time and what was "studied" in 2011-12 for Historical Fiction is NOT the same as how that genre functions with today's readers, but it is a great way to see how readers' tastes and preferences have changed over the years and you can find a few backlist gem suggestions.

Poke around on the website for more but these two landing pages are worth spending some of your time on as March comes to a close. 

And if you can make it to Wheaton, IL on Thursday, April 23rd, sign up to come play with RA. They already have my $20. I can't wait. 

Adult Reading Round Table Needs Your Input to Build the Next Edition of the Popular Fiction List Training Tool

I haven't written about the Adult Reading Round Table in a while, and normally when I do it is about their events. 

ARRT is led by a steering committee* of Chicago-area librarians with the mission to help library workers develop their readers' advisory skills and promote reading for pleasure through public libraries.

Best known for those aforementioned events such as their programs, genre studies, and book discussion training, the steering also crafts the ARRT Popular Fiction List, a self-evaluative training tool for testing and strengthening your RA knowledge. The latest edition of the list is available to subscribers of NoveList Plus in their Readers' Advisory Toolbox. And ARRT Members always receive their own copy.

Well it is time for ARRT to work on a new edition of the ARRT Popular Fiction List and they want your help-- whether you are an ARRT Member or not, whether you have ever heard of or used this resource or not, and especially, if you are new to RA Service.

To that end, the ARRT Steering Committee has create this Google Form to gather as much information as possible.

From the intro to that form:

The Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT) Popular Fiction List is being reviewed! This list was created by ARRT and is an introductory training tool to assist library staff in surveying their adult fiction reading experience. 

ARRT is looking for feedback on what kind of readers advisory tool would be most helpful to library workers. We would appreciate any feedback you have about how you have used the Popular Fiction list in your work. 

We are looking for feedback from all library workers, not just ARRT members. All survey responders will be entered into a drawing for a $25 bookshop gift card 

Please share this survey with any of your colleagues who do readers advisory work to help us get as much feedback as possible.

As part of their request for this survey to be shared far and wide, I am posting it here. Please click through and answer the questions.  I am not kidding about sharing it. ANYONE who works with adult readers has something to add here. Please send the link to the survey out to your networks. 

On a personal note, I have been involved with 2 edition of this work and was a "captain" of a few sections last time. It is a lot of work for the committee but they understand that people have found this resource useful for years. To ensure it stays useful, they need to hear from all of you.

Thank you in advance for your help. Pass it on!

And, if you want to learn more about ARRT, click here.

*I was on said steering committee for many years.

Announcing A Brand New Version of Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers And Robin Offers a (Virtual) Preview Today at ARRTCon

All day today I am at ARRTCon in Naperville IL, an all day CE event for library workers who serve leisure readers. I am hosting a horror panel featuring Nick Medina, Ananda Lima (who book made the LJ Best Horror of 2024), John Everson, S.A. Barnes, and Gus Moreno-- all authors whose books Naperville Public Library already owns.

But I am also excited to share that Robin Bradford is doing the opening Keynote and it is a refresh of her portion of our popular Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers program. We are also using today's presentation to officially announce our new partnership with ALA eLearning as we will be offering this class on their platform in February 2025.

Here are the details from their page with registration links:

Actively Anti-Racist Readers’ Advisory Services

A two-part webinar series taking place on Tuesday, February 18 and Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 2:30pm Eastern/1:30pm Central/12:30pm Mountain/11:30am Pacific.

Increasing the collection and circulation of titles written by underrepresented authors is not just a trend. Providing robust readers’ advisory service that values equity, diversity, and inclusion principles is essential to all library services.

Moving from being a neutral, well-meaning library where systemic racism is acknowledged to an actively anti-racist organization involves in-depth work, some of which can be challenging. In this program you will begin that work and learn tangible skills to help build enthusiasm for reading and strategies for diversifying your materials. You’ll learn how you can strengthen your RA service through thoughtful discussion of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging principles in all interactions with leisure readers and how to be a steward of the anti-racist mindset for your organization.

In this two-part series, collection development and readers’ advisory experts Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford will move your team from talk to action. You’ll learn how to help your entire organization craft an actionable plan to seamlessly incorporate the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging into your regular RA practices. 

Through your participation in this program, you will learn:

• The distinction between not racist and anti-racist. 
• How to identify more diverse titles to add to your collections.
• How to use anti-racist principles in your displays, book talks, and organization of titles.
• Promotion strategies for diverse titles and authors.
• Basic strategies to address politically motivated requests to remove books from your collection.

Robin Bradford has earned a BA and MA in English, an MS in Library Science, and a JD, but has found a home in building reader-focused, popular collections in public libraries. She was recognized as RWA’s 2016 Librarian of the Year and Emerald City Library Conference's Librarian of the Year in 2022. She is addicted to books and dedicated to helping others discover a love of reading. She has worked with authors to help get their titles into these collections and wrote the Readers’ Advisory Guide to Romance Fiction to further help libraries with their romance collection. She also worked with libraries to push for equal treatment of genre fiction and worked with readers so that they can find their favorite authors on their library's shelves.

Becky Spratford (MLIS) is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 24-year locally elected Library Trustee (still serving), a former Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System, and currently on the Executive Board of the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with horror readers, Becky is the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition (ALA Editions, 2021) and the forthcoming Why I Love Horror and You Should Too (Saga Press, Sept 2025). She is on the Shirley Jackson Award Advisory Board and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, where she currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and Co-Chair of their Library Committee. You can follow Becky on Bluesky @raforall.bsky.social

This event will be hosted in Zoom. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and registrants will receive access to the recording within a day after the event ends.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.

Robin and I are very excited to offer this class through ALA eLearning. Not only do we have our books with ALA Editions (which comes into play with some new information below) but we also have their support to do whatever we want, however we want. They trust us to decide how people best learn and are giving us the space to do our thing. Also, the price is WAY more affordable than hiring us on your own-- $116 members, $129 non-members. It is 3 hours of class with 2 chances to ask both of us questions for that price. And as you will see below, this new version comes with BONUS material.

Speaking of here are a few details to share and clarify.

1. You can do this live or as a recording. For each talk, both of us will be there to answer questions live, but if you can't make the live, register anyway because you will have access to the recordings and....

2. This class will be the first time Robin and I are offering worksheets for participants to use after the class to not only keep their learning going, but to give you tangible exercises to bring back to your places of work. Anyone who signs up gets access to this 6 page workbook. The goal here is to beta test this content with all of you and then work toward a longer workbook to offer through ALA Editions in the future. 

3. We will probably offer this class again in the Fall, so if you would rather do live and this timing isn't perfect, you could wait. But honestly, I would get in now. We are both refreshing our material and you get a first look at the worksheets. We will have contact info available if you have questions after the events which we will answer for free.

4. In the face of recent real world events, Robin and I are committed to making this training even stronger. We are not backing off on our strong language; in fact, is anything we are getting more vocal and will challenge you all to work harder. We met recently and let me tell you, we are ready to take everyone on. You don't want to miss this.

Now back to ARRTCon. Robin is first and then I am the last presentation before lunch. Full schedule is here.

[Breaking news: I will also be doing the LibraryReads presentation in the afternoon.]

ARRT Summer Virtual Program: Summer in the Streets- The Urban Lit Movement and It is FREE to ALL

Click here to register. It's on ZOOM and FREE

The Adult Reading Round Table is hosting their Summer program this week-- Aug 9th. The topic is helping readers of Urban Lit featuring authors talking about the genre with library workers. This program is free and online in conjunction with RAILS. 

Anyone, from anywhere in the country is welcome to come and learn. Click here or see below to register.

But even if you cannot make it, ARRT posts all of their recordings here. For example, you can watch the Spring program [which featured me] or last year's programs, all with one click. ARRT's programs are fantastic for all of you because they are always focused on serving readers. I am signed up for this one. Maybe I will "see" you there.

So check out the backlist of programs or see below for the latest offering.

Summer in the Streets: The Urban Lit Movement
Tuesday, August 9, 2022 – 2-4pm

Join us on Zoom to hear from K’wan, Joy Deja King, Anna Black and Kareem Williams in panel format, talk about their experiences reading, writing and promoting the hot Urban Lit genre. Presented in conjunction with RAILS.

Please register by clicking here!

Announcing the Next FREE ARRT Virtual Program: Selling Happily Ever Afters

Please see below for a FREE Virtual Program opportunity from the Adult Reading Round Table, a group I am a member of. I will be there. What about you?

Selling Happily Ever Afters: Secrets from the Romance Book Slingers
Wednesday, November 10, 2021  at 2-4pm  (CST)
 
Join us for this free Zoom program to hear renowned booksellers share their tips and tricks for suggesting romance to readers. Learn the techniques booksellers use that library staff can implement in their libraries, and similarities and differences between the ways these two professions provide reader’s advisory services.
 
Panelists include:
 
Leah Koch – The Ripped Bodice bookstore in CA
Roseann Backlin -  Love’s Sweet Arrow bookstore in IL
Edna Castillo – Barnes & Noble Arboretum in Austin, TX  & Edna’s Emporium
 
Register here

Murder, They Wrote Slides and Recording

Click here for the video
or here for the slides.

Earlier this month, the Adult Reading Round Table, in partnership with RAILS had an excellent and FREE event entitled, "Murder, They Wrote."

This program was in two distinct parts. Part 1 featured librarian Cari Dubiel interviewing members of the author collective-- Crime Writers of Color. The authors were:

• Wanda Morris
• Alex Segura
• Kellye Garrett
• Mia P. Manansala

[You can look up all of the members, with their identities, here]

I featured a guest post by Cari about Crime Writers of Color back in March of this year here. 

During this part of the program, the authors all had a chance to introduce themselves and their work. They recommended other titles and talked about the organization. That in and of itself was fascinating and fun.

But then, Part 2 added even more value! A panel of librarians including Cari and my good friend Karen Toonen [among others] talked about suggesting diverse Crime Fiction. They book talked sure bet authors and Karen gave a great talk about how and why you need to be actively incorporate marginalized voices into your work. Karen and I have worked together [with Robin too] in the past so some of what she said echoes what I say, but Karen is also actively engaged in this work as she manages the collections and tech services staff for  the second largest library [by circulation] in the state of IL. In other words, she knows what she is talking about in theory and practice.

This entire FREE program is worth your time.

Click here to watch the recording of the entire program.

And here for slide access.

NoveList State of RA Webinar is FREE and Today!

Reposting today because the webinar is TODAY!!!! I will be there. Will you?

FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021

RA Survey Results Available and a Webinar to Dive Deeper

A few months ago, I posted about a new national survey on RA Practice here. It was sponsored by Library Journal, NoveList, RUSA CODES, LibraryReads and ARRT. Click here for that post.

Click here to read the article

Well today the results document went live on the LJ site. Click here to access it immediately. There is A LOT of data, charts, narratives, and quotes. It is very comprehensive and absolutely fascinating. 

Please look at it. There is much to digest but it is an excellent overview of boots on the ground, average RA Service as it is happening all over the country. 

But again, there is a lot to digest, even for me, even as someone who has seen portions of the report before it went live. So read it today, go back to it in a week or so, but also, sign up for the NoveList webinar which I have linked here and below. It is on August 18th and it is FREE. The assembled parties will break down some of the data and discuss things in more detail.

I am signed up and will be there. Hope you can join us too. But in the meantime, click here for the report.

Click here to register

 

Libraries are always evolving to meet the changing world and needs around them; however, helping readers is a constant, essential service. Does your library offer a readers’ advisory (RA) service? Have your RA efforts changed over the last year during COVID? Do you ever wonder how your RA service compares to that of libraries across the US?  

In this session, we’ll explore the findings of the State of Readers' Advisory 2021 survey, conducted by Library Journal and sponsored by RUSA CODES, ARRT, LibraryReads, and NoveList. Join Danielle Borasky (NoveList), Amy Dittmeier (Blue Island Public Library), Michelle Morris (Fort Worth Public Library), Carolina Saldivar (Denver Public Library), Barry Trott (Williamsburg Regional Library), and Jessica Trotter (Capital Area District Libraries), as they share insights, trends, and inspiration from the survey.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021
2-3 pm ET

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

RA Survey Results Available and a Webinar to Dive Deeper

A few months ago, I posted about a new national survey on RA Practice here. It was sponsored by Library Journal, NoveList, RUSA CODES, LibraryReads and ARRT. Click here for that post.

Click here to read the article

Well today the results document went live on the LJ site. Click here to access it immediately. There is A LOT of data, charts, narratives, and quotes. It is very comprehensive and absolutely fascinating. 

Please look at it. There is much to digest but it is an excellent overview of boots on the ground, average RA Service as it is happening all over the country. 

But again, there is a lot to digest, even for me, even as someone who has seen portions of the report before it went live. So read it today, go back to it in a week or so, but also, sign up for the NoveList webinar which I have linked here and below. It is on August 18th and it is FREE. The assembled parties will break down some of the data and discuss things in more detail.

I am signed up and will be there. Hope you can join us too. But in the meantime, click here for the report.

Click here to register

 

Libraries are always evolving to meet the changing world and needs around them; however, helping readers is a constant, essential service. Does your library offer a readers’ advisory (RA) service? Have your RA efforts changed over the last year during COVID? Do you ever wonder how your RA service compares to that of libraries across the US?  

In this session, we’ll explore the findings of the State of Readers' Advisory 2021 survey, conducted by Library Journal and sponsored by RUSA CODES, ARRT, LibraryReads, and NoveList. Join Danielle Borasky (NoveList), Amy Dittmeier (Blue Island Public Library), Michelle Morris (Fort Worth Public Library), Carolina Saldivar (Denver Public Library), Barry Trott (Williamsburg Regional Library), and Jessica Trotter (Capital Area District Libraries), as they share insights, trends, and inspiration from the survey.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021
2-3 pm ET

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Murder, They Wrote: A Free Virtual Program Sponsored by ARRT and RAILS

 The next Adult Reading Round Table free, virtual program is coming August 17th. From their website:

Murder, They Wrote

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

2-4 pm 

Via Zoom 

Join us on Zoom to meet four mystery writers who are members of Crime Writers of Color. Their works run the gamut from cozy comfort reads to pulse-pounding thrillers. Participants will leave the session with insight on the genre along with great new titles to recommend to patrons.

Panelists include:

Wanda Morris
Alex Segura
Kellye Garrett
Mia P. Manansala
Cari Dubiel

After the author presentations, librarians will booktalk diverse titles, provide resources for diverse books, and give examples of how to showcase diverse authors in your library.

Register here

This program features authors from the organization, Crime Writers of Color. I had a guest post about this new organization and their desire to reach out to libraries back in March of this year, by Cari Dubiel who is also appearing on this panel. 

Please check out that post and sign up for the program. It is free and open to anyone who wants to attend. I have already signed up!

Also you can watch the recording of the first ARRT program of the year, Socially Distanced Reader’s Advisory and Programs, here.

Book Discussions Are Going Strong: Resources and Leadership Training

I took the day off from blogging on Friday in order to get some other work done; however, toward the end of the day I went on a small Twitter rant and it was centered around book discussions. Here is the link to that Twitter thread and here is the article I was responding to.

I think one of the reasons that article rubbed me the wrong way was because of when I read it. I had already set up a draft post earlier in the day-- this post, with this title and most of the body below-- and it was all about how great book discussions have been doing in a virtual environment. So I am going to go ahead with a slightly modified version of the draft I had started last week, to pair with that Twitter rant. I think they inform each other.

*********************

One of the best outcomes of the pandemic is the rise of the virtual book club. Book discussion groups work very well on Zoom because they tend to be small enough for every member to be on screen at the same time. Facial expressions can be read, and discussion flows almost in the same fashion, especially after a meeting or two. And for many people the option to do book club from home has made them more available to participate, especially seniors and the parents of small children.

Now that we are beginning to move back to some in person programing, I am seeing Book Discussions as some of the first options returning both because the groups are smaller and because many have kept meeting throughout and are eager to get back to their "normal."

However, things are not going back to the way they were. First, not every book club is going to get every member back in person and not just because of fear of sickness. Now that you have shown that you can offer them the book club virtually, many will want to keep attending that way. Second, some people came to virtual book clubs during the pandemic and they are now going back to work and don't want to give up book club and the relationships they made, but in person will not work for them.

The point I am making here is that you can never go back to 100% in person only book discussion groups ever again. 

I am repeating that for those of you who are already coming up with excuses as to why you are going to just flip a switch and go back to our past "normal"-- You. Can. Never. Go. Back. To. Only. In. Person. Book. Clubs. Again.

And honestly, you shouldn't want to. Book discussion groups are one of the best things we offer. They create a sense of community, turn our members into some of the best supporters of the library, and allow those who lead book discussions a satisfying book related, work experience. I speak this all from experience; 15 years running book clubs.

Everyone is going to have to come to terms with fact that you need to offer in person, virtual, and/or hybrid book clubs going forward and into the future.

But don't fret about this change because I am here to help. First, I offer an updated version on my "Recharge Your Book Club" training. I am highly suggesting that this program be offered to those leading the book discussions and your group members, so that everyone has a chance to discuss what they want out of book club and how they best want to participate. I can offer a 60 minute lecture and then 30 minutes of facilitated conversation.

I have just started doing this, and everyone has learned a lot from each other. The feedback has been eye opening for all parties-- the library, the discussion group members, and myself. The lecture encourages honesty and conversation about the group itself while also educating all about how to have more dynamic discussions. [Contact me to schedule this training if you are interested.]

But, for you the leaders of book clubs, I also suggest the ARRT Book Club Study. This is a book discussion group for book discussion leaders. This is a book discussion group for book discussion leaders. Attending the discussions gives you, the leader, a chance to experience being a participant. Also the discussions are purposely led by different ARRT Steering Committee members each time so participants can all see different leadership styles. These meetings also have a second discussion where a topic of interest to book club leaders is discussed at length. Notes are taken and shared for all, for free.

Click here to access the schedule, notes on past book discussions, and notes on the leadership topic discussions.

While you need to be a member of ARRT to participate live, that membership is only $15 a year, and because of the pandemic, the meetings are now virtual, meaning anyone, anywhere in the country can participate.

Book discussions are going strong and feel like one of the few things that have stayed constant during the pandemic. However, that does not mean you should ignore them. I have offered you a few options, including some that are completely free for you to use as you move forward into 2021 and beyond. Don't just go "back to normal." 

Click here to access the 
Book Club Study webpage

Socially Distanced RA and Programs: Free Program via ARRT and RAILS

One of the good things about Zoom programs is that they are accessible to a wider range of participants. Today I have a great example of a program that is free and extremely useful to a wide range of library workers who serve adults. I can personally vouch for all 4 presenters. They will each have something different to share. See details below the flyer, click the flyer, or just click here. And maybe I will "see" you there.

May 2021: Socially Distanced Reader’s Advisory and Programs

Thursday, May 20
2-4 pm

Zoom

Struggling to provide reader’s advisory virtually? Zoomed out or not getting the attendance numbers you’d like? Hear from a panel of librarians about the ways they have continued to offer bibliographies, book talks, author visits, personalized recommendations, and more, all while unable to interact with patrons in-person. Come away with ready-made program and service ideas for reaching readers where they are and ask questions about struggles with virtual engagement.

Speaker lineup:

• Jez Layman, Elmhurst PL
• Jennifer Asimakopoulos, Wheaton PL
• Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View PL
• Monique Flasch, Glenview PL

Please register via Zoom

Sponsored by Reaching Across Illinois Library System

RA Service National Survey: Please Take By 3/21

I am here today to strongly urge every single person who reads this blog to read  the below message and take the survey.

I have been given an opportunity to go  through a draft of the survey and make comments so I can assure you, this survey is worth your time, and not just because I have an affiliation [past or present] with every single sponsor. 

Although, don't underestimate that. These groups are the leaders in RA in America. They all care about service to leisure readers deeply. The questions are thorough and leave room for nuance. Please, please, please take this survey. The more voices we gather the better for all of us.

And, most importantly, I know I have many readers who aren't "Librarians" or even library workers  whose work considers them a part of the official RA infrastructure. I am especially targeting all of you to take this survey. In particular, I want circulation staff to  take the survey. All of you interact with readers  frequently, and often more frequently than those working a traditional adult services desk. Please take this survey no matter where you work in a library.

You have until 3/21. So get on it today!

*********************************

Library Journal, in partnership with NoveList and with support from RUSA/CODES, LibraryReads, and ARRT, is conducting a study to learn more about the role of readers’ advisory (RA) in public libraries. What types of RA services do you provide for the community and how important is RA to the mission of your library? Please click on the link below to take our survey.

Respondents will have the opportunity to receive a summary of the overall results and be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Visa electronic gift card. The survey is estimated to take approximately ten minutes to answer.The results will be the basis of a feature article in an upcoming issue of LJ.

RA survey link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6215162/LJ-Readers-Advisory-Survey

The deadline to respond is March 21. If you have questions about this survey, please direct them to LJ’s research manager, Laura Girmscheid: lgirmscheid@mediasourceinc.com.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

HWA Diversity Scholarship Recipients

As I have mentioned here in the past, I was part of a team that created the Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant. From the information page:

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published by diverse voices. The goal of these Grants is to help remove some of the barriers and let those voices be heard.

While the HWA Board worked on the guidelines [myself included], I recruited library leaders to seed the first of the $500 grants. With $500 donations from ARRT, LibraryReads, NoveList and my company, RA for ALL, we guaranteed there would be 4 recipients in year one. But then, we also encouraged others who agreed with the mission of the grant to donate what they could. Our coffers filled up, from companies like Night Worms and Cemetery Dance to just individual library workers and horror authors, and after we were inundated with applicants we were able to offer 6 grants this year.

Below is the official press release, but before I get to the recipients, I want to call out the committee and publicly thank them for their work. Fellow board member, Linda Addison led the team. Linda is one of the founders of the HWA's Diverse Works Inclusion Committee which produces our monthly Seers Table. She is also the definition of a living legend. She has the help of HWA members Grady Hendrix, Larissa Glasser, V. Castro, and Maxwell I. Gold.

For more information about the HWA Diversity Grants, please visit here.

To see the official announcement on the HWA website, click here. But I have also reproduced it below. Please look up these authors' work and consider adding them to your collections.

***************************

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 HWA Diversity Grants:

Jacqueline Dyre (they/them) is the editor and publisher of Novel Noctule. You can find them in the sunshine state, drinking poorly-made coffee and consuming psychological horror in lieu of meals.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (he/him) is a Nigerian speculative fiction writer, slush reader and editor. He has been awarded an honourable mention in the L Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest, twice and won the Nommo award for best short story by an African with his short story The Witching Hour. He has been published in the Selene Quarterly, Strange Horizons, Tor, Omenana Magazine and other venues, and has works forthcoming in several anthologies and magazines. He has co-edited several publications, including the Dominion Anthology (2020), the Best of African Speculative Fiction Anthology and the Bridging Worlds non-fiction anthology, forthcoming in 2021. He is a first reader in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and a member of the African Speculative Fiction Society, Horror Writers Association, Codex, BSFA, BFA, and the SFWA. 

Gabino Iglesias (he/him) is a writer, editor, professor, and book critic living in Austin, TX. He is the author of Zero Saints and Coyote Songs and the editor of Both Sides. His work has been nominated to the Bram Stoker and Locus awards and won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel. His nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. His fiction has been published in five languages and optioned for film. His reviews appear in places like NPR, Publishers Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, Criminal Element, Mystery Tribune, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and other venues. He's been a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards twice and has judged the PANK Big Book Contest, the Splatterpunk Awards, the horror category of the British Fantasy Awards, and the Newfound Prose Prize. He teaches creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University's online MFA program and runs a series of low-cost online writing workshops. You can find him on Twitter at @Gabino_Iglesias.

Nicole Givens Kurtz (she/her) is an author, editor, and educator. She's a member of Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and Science Fiction Writers of America. She's the editor of the groundbreaking Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire. She's written for White Wolf, Bram Stoker Finalist in Horror Anthology: Sycorax's Daughters, and Serial Box's The Vela: Salvation series. Nicole has over 40 short stories published as well as 11 novels and three active speculative mystery series. You can support her work via Patreon and find more about her at http://www.nicolegivenskurtz.net.

Tejaswi Priyadarshi (he/him) is a dreamer in the horror/thriller genre. He derives inspiration from Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, Takashi Miike, Alexandre Aja, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and the Ramsay Brothers.

His first book The Psychopath, The Cannibal, The Lover was India’s first splatterpunk novel. It was released in July 2020, and has since remained on multiple bestselling charts, scaling its way up to be Amazon India’s highest rated Horror Thriller with 175+ ratings.

He is currently working on his second novel, trying to amalgamate Horror, Crime, Thriller, and Social Satire. You can often find him writing fiction at a bar counter, appreciating Independent Pop music gigs, and holding screenings of all sub-genres of horror/thrillers. However, nobody knows why he adamantly screens Purani Haveli so often. Email him at tejaswi.priyadarshi@gmail.com if you want to discuss anything under the sun; “How to Prep for a Zombie Apocalypse” is his favorite topic, because, what if!

Sumiko Saulson (they/them) is an award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror. Ze is the editor of the anthologies and collections Black Magic Women, Scry of Lust, Black Celebration, and Wickedly Abled. Ze is the winner of the 2016 HWA StokerCon “Scholarship from Hell”, 2017 BCC Voice “Reframing the Other” contest, and 2018 AWW “Afrosurrealist Writer Award.”

Ze has an AA in English from Berkeley City College, and writes a column called “Writing While Black” for a national Black Newspaper, the San Francisco BayView. Ze is the host of the SOMA Leather and LGBT Cultural District's “Erotic Storytelling Hour.”

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About The Horror Writers Association

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it.