The following does not necessarily reflect the opinions, stance, or beliefs of the Scares That Care charity, the Project iRadio Network, or any other group or organization with which I am involved.
The HWA (Horror Writers Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1985, for the purpose of promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers, publishers, and other professionals in the field.
In its thirty-plus year history, here are some of the ways it has promoted the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers, publishers, and other professionals in the field:
*Allegations of a former President embezzling membership funds.
*Allegations of a former President and Vice-President delaying publication of the newsletter until a story regarding possible malfeasance within their administration was dropped.
*Multiple, multi-year allegations of inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the Bram Stoker Award nominating and voting process.
*The organization’s failure to act or protect their members when the editor of an HWA anthology spent the advance on home repairs rather than paying it to the writers in the anthology.
*Former officers, including multiple Presidents, who used their position in the organization and official organization communications to lobby their own works for the Bram Stoker Award.
*The organization’s negligence in allowing known stalker Nickolaus Pacione access to the membership directory, which he then used to obtain the home addresses and phone numbers of a number of members, whom he then threatened and harassed, and the organization’s slow response to this despite increasing reports from members that it was occurring.
*Forgetting to hold elections for officers in 2016.
*Elections inconsistent with the organization’s bylaws.
*The organization’s refusal to respond to the Dorchester Publishing debacle, or to act on behalf of its members who were impacted by said debacle, until public pressure from their members forced them to.
*Ditto their Samhain response.
*Asking members to vote twice (and reportedly three times in some cases) in the most recent Bram Stoker Awards voting process.
*The public relations disaster in which several prominent HWA members (including the then-President) cyber-bullied the innocent daughter of serial killer Dennis Rader, aka BTK, including body shaming and comments about her mental health, which was then picked up by national press.
*The public relations disaster of the current President’s exclusionary and dismissive essay on what constitutes a professional author, which earned the ire and recriminations of prominent members of the field including Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, and Chuck Wendig.
*The organization’s refusal to let valued and prominent members of the community such as bestselling writer Carlton Mellick III join because he was self-published.
*And most recently (as of today) allowing an avowed white supremacist and fascist who has previously demonstrated a bias against others based on their race, religion, etc. to participate as a Bram Stoker Award Jury member — an award which will include candidates of various races and religions.
Those are some of the ways the HWA has promoted the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers, publishers, and other professionals in the field. These are the tip of the iceberg.
Who is responsible for letting these things happen? The HWA membership, and the fact that new members don’t know their genre’s — or organization’s — history and are therefore doomed to repeat it.
But that excuse stops today. Today, the HWA released the following statement regarding their decision to allow an avowed white supremacist and fascist serve as a Bram Stoker Award Juror. Quote: “The HWA does not support discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on political views. Not only is this form of discrimination specifically illegal in a number of U.S. states, HWA’s Board of Trustees also does not believe it’s in keeping with our principle of supporting and practicing freedom of expression. In specific regard to HWA’s Bram Stoker Award juries, the HWA will certainly act if/when a juror’s personal views have a provable impact/bias against a writer or his/her works.” End quote.
So, I’m speaking now to all current members of the HWA. If, after today, after learning that the HWA will allow this to continue– if, after today, after learning that the HWA will allow a person who has previously demonstrated a bias against others based on their race, religion, etc. to participate as a Bram Stoker Award Jury member — an award which will include candidates of various races and religions — IF AFTER TODAY, you intend on renewing your membership and paying membership fees when they come due again on January 1, 2017, or if you are paying to attend any of the organization’s Stoker Cons or awards banquet events in future years, then you are part of the problem.
Effective immediately, I will no longer work with the HWA or any of its regional chapters in any capacity, official or unofficial.
Effective immediately I will not participate in any HWA-sponsored event, including Stoker Con, Stoker Award banquets, or any future World Horror Conventions in which HWA acts as an official partner or underwriter.
Effective immediately I will refuse any future award I may be given by the organization, including any potential Lifetime Achievement Award. (“What about the two Bram Stoker Awards you already own?” several of you are asking. In truth, I’ll keep them, because it is my hope that when I die my sons can flip them and all my other awards on eBay and make some money off of them.)
Effective 1/1/17 (when the new year’s memberships become active) I will no longer work with anyone who is a then-Current member of the HWA, including writers, publishers, editors, etc. I will not give cover blurbs, introductions, or anything else. If I am asked to be in an anthology, and the anthology is being edited by a then-current HWA member, I will decline. If I am asked to submit a novel, and the publisher is a then-current HWA member, I will decline.
So… if you’d like to work with me in 2017, or you’d like my help with something going forward, I’m very happy to — provided you are not a member of the HWA as of January 1, 2017. Consider this an eight-month notice, which I think is more than fair.
I realize that this decision will put me at odds with both dear friends and fellow mutually-respected peers. That’s okay. It won’t be the first time that has happened. But this is my decision. I am not a Conservative or a Progressive, and I hold the extremists in both camps with contempt. But I am a human being, and a father, and I know what is right and what is wrong. Discrimination of someone based on their race, religion, gender, etc. is wrong.
We endorse things by our participation in them. This current debacle — and previous debacles — are not things I endorse, and I will not, in good conscience, contribute my name, my money, my talent, my draw, or my platform to them. I’m not asking anyone else to follow suit. But I have championed this genre for over twenty years, and I’d like to think I’ve done my part in promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers, publishers, and other professionals in the field. It is my belief that the HWA has not, and that their actions impact not just their members — but all of us who make up this community. Therefore, I can no longer be involved in any aspect with anything connected to the HWA.
UPDATE #1: Nearly twenty years of posts like these have taught me one thing — wait a few hours, and invariably, the bits that people are misreading will become clear. This is especially true for Facebook skimmers. So, to clarify a few things.
*It was not implied above that all of these are recent grievances. Indeed, some of these stretch back to the late-Nineties/early 00s. The list is to demonstrate that somewhere along the line, the train came off the tracks and it has remained there, regardless of which administration is in power. I stand by my assertion that it is important to list these, as it demonstrates a pattern. And as Jeff VanderMeer said on my public Facebook page, ” I’ve had nothing to do with HWA for more than 15 years because of the pattern.” The pattern is the entire point.
*In some cases (self-publishing for example) the HWA eventually changed its stance. But it is a demonstrable record of being slow to act and respond to things that impact the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers, publishers, and other professionals in the field.
*HWA member Patrick Freivald writes “The extra voting this year was due to a technical glitch in the database–a regrettable thing but nothing even kind of seedy, painted as something rather seedy.” I agree it wasn’t seedy. But there were MANY HWA members who expressed frustration and confusion over how it was communicated and handled. Again, demonstrating a pattern.
*Things that are allegations are reported above as just that.
*Some of these things are old news to those of us who have been around a while. For younger writers and newcomers, this is their first time hearing about some of it. That’s why it’s important to have the conversation.
It has been alleged by some people that I would be prejudiced against anything written or published or edited by non-white writers/publishers/editors. Utter twaddle. Yes, I am so prejudiced that I have paid for covers on two of the books I have published by Vincent Chong – one of my favourite artists. I am also in an advanced stage of negotiating with a black British writer to publish a collection of his stories – the only thing holding it back is for him to send me a few more stories to include in the collection, which I intend to bring out within the next few months, certainly before Fantasycon.
Nah. The only thing that’s “utter twaddle” is you serving your own ego rather than the organization. Your beliefs are yours. You’ve owned them previously. It’s all documented and available to anyone with a computer. And while I don’t agree with your beliefs, and find them repugnant and loathsome, I will absolutely defend your right to them, as long as they break no laws. However, given that your views *are* well documented, it’s self-serving to place yourself in a position where you will have judging authority over individuals who may feel threatened by such views.
I don’t care for modern-day superhero comics (with the exception of Warren Ellis’s Moon Knight). I would never judge or vote on them in the Harveys or Eisner Awards, because my views on modern-day superhero comics are well known, and today’s comic creators would be justified in doubting my sincerity or fairness in regards to them. I’d put the integrity of the awards before my own ego.
I don’t see where the word “ego” comes into this. Serving as one of a number of jurors in any given category of the Stoker Awards is hardly prestigious. It does mean a lot of hard work, though, as I know from having previously served as a juror for the First Novel Award. I do believe I could fulfil the task without prejudice, but it’s obviously how others perceive this that matters. I have already told Lisa Morton that, in the interests of the HWA, I am willing to stand down as a juror. It will save me having to read a great many anthologies, some good, some not so good, a task that can very quickly grow burdonsome – only someone who has already done this will realise just what a chore this can be.
David — a few things:
1. Janet Holden has a question for you below (don’t know if you saw it or not). But it’s something I see being echoed elsewhere across the Internet. if you’d like to set the record straight here — do you actually categorically disavow those previous beliefs with which people have an issue? (And again, to clarify, I personally support your right to believe whatever you want to believe, even if I vehemently disagree with those beliefs. I just think it creates a conflict of interest and bad PR to serve as a juror where impartiality is key to the process).
2. You believe you could fulfill the task. Fair enough. But can you acknowledge why others –especially writers or editors of color — might have misgivings about you serving in such a role? And if so, can you acknowledge that such misgivings might taint the entire process, and therefore, not benefit the organization for which you are volunteering your time?
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
does this writer know that you’re a white supremacist that has been active for about forty years, including helping START yr local chapter of a white supremacist organisation that has since gone on to have a long history of racially motivated violence?
does this hapless writer know that you literally think he’s less than human?
does this poor writer know that you ran for office on a platform (three times) to see him thrown out of england in order to keep england pure and white?
face it, riley, you’re an absolute coward and you are literally the single most dishonest person involved in the british horror scene (and, let’s face it, that’s saying quite a bit.)
like, the only thing worse than a racist piece of shit is a racist piece of shit who’s too cowardly to own up to his bullshit when he’s caught spewing it over and over again.
like, this is a direct quote from you- ‘How he would have viewed the suicidal swing towards multi-racialism now being compelled upon the “cream of humanity” should not be difficult for anyone to imagine. Not only was Lovecraft an outstanding exponent of the particular literary genre which he made his own, he was also, importantly, a staunch racialist who despised and abhorred the liberalising degeneracy which now imperils the future survival of our race.’
so of course it’s not ‘utter twaddle’ to think that an avowed white supremacist would be prejudiced in such a case.
in fact, it’s impossible to argue, in good faith, that you would be anything BUT prejudiced.
Wow, I’ve heard that they needed it to get it together but this takes the cake! It’s an insult to think people would be okay with it in the first place. I would assume they just lost quite a bit of business
Well here is a complete stranger who greatly admires your stand but doing so clearly and thoroughly in the the public eye. Kudos sir! Would love to “work” with you some day. I let my own membership drop some months ago and I had only seen the tip of the iceberg you detailed.
Deer Mssr. Reyelee,
http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.186166300.5348/flat,800×800,075,f.jpg
Sincerly,
Everyone.
All volunteer-run organizations have good years and bad, but HWA hasn’t had a good year in a very, very long time. I think it’s well-past time for something disruptive to rise up and replace the shambling zombie that currently exists. Of course, given the small pool of people who could potentially run such an organization now or in the future, or who would want to invest so much of their lives into doing so, I just don’t see that happening.
And I don’t know what a new org could offer that isn’t already available online via social media. Health insurance, maybe, or free legal counsel or a dedicated literary agent. But everything else can be had via Facebook.
They tried health insurance, but that’s a tricky thing, and I don’t blame them in the least for it not working out. It requires a considerable head count to get premiums low enough for the average Joe to afford them. They did have (may still have) free legal counsel as well, though what that covered I have no idea. Despite the good they’ve attempted (and in some cases managed), it’s faltered in too many ways over the years for me to support the org.
All too true.
Legal counsel would be a big benefit, I’d think. Health insurance would be huge, of course, though with the Marketplace crap most authors can at least get *some* coverage. What could really be a benefit, though, would be some sort of dedicated advisory committees related to things like contract negotiations, self-publishing, and other matters. Groups of people who are not only experienced in the area but have committed to helping members of the organization with questions they have. Social media is great, don’t get me wrong, but often one will toss out a question to the hive mind and be met with crickets. It would be nice, I’d think, to have a group upon whom you know you can rely for accurate information in a reasonable amount of time.
With everything, people feel the need to start some group or organization for it, and that’s usually when things fall apart. There are always good intentions, but there is that lust for power, the lust to be noticed, the lust to own some piece of plastic each year, and it corrupts everything. It all needs to be nuked from orbit (only way to be sure) so authors can get back to what’s most important: writing.
does this writer know that you’re a white supremacist that has been active for about forty years, including helping START yr local chapter of a white supremacist organisation that has since gone on to have a long history of racially motivated violence?
does this hapless writer know that you literally think he’s less than human?
does this poor writer know that you ran for office on a platform (three times) to see him thrown out of england in order to keep england pure and white?
face it, riley, you’re an absolute coward and you are literally the single most dishonest person involved in the british horror scene (and, let’s face it, that’s saying quite a bit.)
like, the only thing worse than a racist piece of shit is a racist piece of shit who’s too cowardly to own up to his bullshit when he’s caught spewing it over and over again.
I am so proud of you Keene. Seriously. You got a pair, bro. And you are a light in the dark, shitty places. Cheers.
This os how you make changes, have a voice, get shit done.
Damn. I actually qualify for the HWA now because of my story in Daughters of Frankenstein and it’s ironic that being qualified comes 2-3 years after I was tempted to be join. But what really bothers me is the official statement from this guys. Nice waffling lawyer talk to bring up discrimination in the criticism over a white supremacist on the jury for the Stoker award, even going to the point of stating that it’s illegal to not let a white supremacist be on the jury. I suppose that’s the Dr. Laura argument where the First Amendment gives you the right to have a syndicated radio talk show.
I applaud your commitment to standing up for what you think is right.
I was a member of HWA last year but did not renew this year. Partially this was a financial decision, but mostly it was a practical decision. I’d been a member of the HWA for about four years, and as of the beginning of 2016, I realized that a) they’d literally done nothing for me that I couldn’t have done myself–for free, and b) I was pretty much throwing my money into a hole. So I decided not to renew. That was without knowing any of the above, which I think has pretty much assured me that my decision was likely the right one.
H.W–what?
I’m going too research these facts you’ve laid out but..I am the Publishers Liaison for the HWA, and I’m self published. I’ve never received any side glance from my peers. So on that note I have to disagree on that discrimination. Thank you for laying this out and I look forward to checking into this.
Lisa: The incident with Carlton Mellick (and other self-published) authors took place a number of years ago. I’m sure, given the changes in the marketplace, HWA has changed their stance regarding self-publishing. (They would have to in order to remain financially solvent). It is included here to demonstrate recurrent problems throughout multiple years and administrations.
It’s not just authors that this happened to. I was told my numerous members that I wasn’t important enough to apply for the professional membership despite having the largest independent horror review site in Europe with monthly viewing figures of over 200,000, and yet the owner of a shitty arse website that only ever published reposts from other websites was allowed to join in that category. But that was because their face fitted.
So happy. I said all this not too long ago and got threatened and blackballed. Thank you for speaking out. I guess you have to have status to be listened to. At least the truth is now exposed. Bravo!
I’m sorry that happened to you, Theresa.
Refresh my memory, Theresa. I only remember you being prejudiced on Facebook.
You’re not the only one, Theresa. I went through the exact same shit a few years ago; my publisher at the time was threatened as well. Worse, more than a few of the writers I was speaking for were “taken into the fold” via nominations the very next year. Including my publisher. All coincidentally, of course. On the plus side, I learned a lot about how genre works…and who my actual friends were.
My favorite, still, is how authors could rack up Stoker recommendations for a book that wasn’t even put together yet, let alone published, and going by the emails still in my possession, this was encouraged by the then-president.
1) I’m not boycotting the HWA. I’m a member of their diversity committee, and I figure I can do far more good within, than without.
2) To be honest, I’d like to know what David’s position is. From the horse’s mouth, as it were. All I can find online are a bunch of opinions based on references to old articles.
He’s made public statements as recently as 2011. He’s also commenting on this thread (see above). Perhaps he’ll respond to your query.
Man, alive. When I started writing horror, all I wanted to do was join the HWA. It was the yard-marl of a beginning author. I watched, witnessed a litany of things occur and still held up hope that the powers that be would do the right thing. Shame on me.
Sadly,my 48-year-old delusional self has to face the whiskey and realize that it was all just wishful thinking and a world of best intentions, gone wrong.
A sad moment indeed.
Oh look another whiny author trying to garner attention by bully tactics. Who cares if you won’t accept any awards from the HWA. You are already assuming you will write stuff worthy be being awarded?! Cocky much?! You won’t work with folks who refuse to submit to your demands of banning the HWA. That is bullying. Bullying is not cool You are a bully. By the way, if you really believe in this drivel that you wrote, if you really felt strongly against the HWA you would publicly destroy and be rid of those racist, horrible, evil awards. But you keep them. Why? Because this is a publicity stunt. A pitiful stunt. You won’t approve this, but you will read it. Grow up. There are better ways to fight injustice. This method of banning and bullying people is not the way. Because, who cares if you don’t like it? No one. Instead of crossing your arms and declaring that you are boycotting the HWA, go be a part of the HWA and BE THE CHANGE! Creating animosity and “wars” is not productive. If you really care about us people of color then go support us. Don’t be another white man riding our coat tails trying to promote your own means by “supporting” us. Support us by being someone we can stand with! The HWA will go on, I would feel way better with it going on with people who cared that injustices were going on and want to work on a better way. Prove to minorities, people of various races and all that jazz that this isn’t a pitiful attempt to go viral with empty words. Thanks.
That’s a lot of words just to tell people you’re an idiot, Richard.
Dick, you clearly don’t know who you’re speaking to in your reply to Brian Keene. This might be a superb moment for you to give yourself a couple of spritzes of Eau de Fermez La Bouche. You could learn something,
Richard, using your logic, when Chick-fil-A was found giving a lot of its profits to organizations that are anti-LGBT, those people who chose to boycott it were not only bullying, but they should have all gotten jobs at the fast food joints to attempt change from the inside. That’s bullshit. You don’t see Keene telling this to media and blasting it all over TV and radio, pounding his chest, do you? See the site you’re on? It’s Keene’s. He does things like posts his own thoughts, regardless of how small or important. If he has something to get off his chest, this is where to do it, and if he chooses not to work with anyone associated with a crooked org, that’s his choice. He’s not pushing anyone around, which is something a bully might do. In fact, his objection is someone who associated himself as a Nazi, the ultimate bully! If you want to talk about bullying, like showing up on blogs to attack people for no other reason than to show your ass and stir up shit, try looking in a mirror.
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David Riley sounds like a serious asshole of the first order. I am a forever aspiring writer. I have read more horror/splatter/bizarro in my 40+ years than most readers. Besides being one of my favorites, Brian Keene has been a champion of the genre and an example of what the industry and writers in general should strive to achieve. I believe in this boycott and will follow the events as they run their course. I do not take history of racism, fraud, or favoritism lightly. I remember the crap that writers went through with that crazy Pacione guy. Carlton Mellick is another of my favotites, If he didn’t self publish I might never had a chance to read his legendary stuff. (Seriously, I finished Quicksand House last week and still can’t get it out of my head) I would hope that the HWA would quickly sort and rectify the problems. Perhaps they have outlived their necessity? -Just a fan paying attention and about to crack open ‘The Complex’ 🙂
Brian please don’t blank me for still being a member next year, as I imagine I’ll still be a member despite four years of emails asking for them not to renew my membership. It’s on auto renew and they either refuise to or can’t be bothered to remove it. I’ve lost all of my login details so can’t even log in to the website. The did send me knew details but surprise surprise they don’t work.
I know you’re in the UK, so I’m not sure about banking laws, but here in the US you should be able to dispute the charge or even block it. If they don’t get their money, your membership probably would lapse.
Well said, Brian! I would love to say I would drop membership just for a chance to write with you, but I’ll never be a member. I don’t like racists, drama, or group mentality.
An incredible bit of doublethink considering you saw fit to mention and apparently approve of members of the SFWA as comprising some principled benchmark of moral authority. The SFWA is an organization whose most activist and influential members have not only publicly colluded to discriminate and no-platform SFF writers based on nothing more than their race and sex, but normalized, institutionalized, advocated and celebrated vicious racists, supremacists, racial-sexual slurs, segregated anthologies, revenge genres, racial review-censoring, and ideological theories meant to demonize and hound those writers right out of their own genre. Those bigoted members are far more active, current and obsessive in their remarks than the man you have mentioned. At worst, Riley’s rhetoric is nothing more than the opposite side of the coin from people who openly celebrate racial-sexual demographic shifts based on outright racist and sexist lies they propagate about the 100 yr. history of weird fiction in magazines in America. And given Nick Mamatas’ continued support of Requires Hate, his comments amount to nothing more than gibberish.
In short, you seem to be a man with no principles. Morton’s piece was an innocuous nothing compared to Scalzi’s rancid racist post about white male privilege. Your stand is the same as the SFWA’s: one member gets expelled for racial incitement, another 5 Nebula nominations.
I only wish the broader culture of SFF signed a petition against the SFWA exactly like yours, which would include writers with floating definitions of group defamation and equal protection just like you. Why in the world would you work with Scalzi or Wendig, or with an SFWA member who recently publicly cursed out an anthologist and called for a boycott because his Table of Contents was top-heavy in males? She did that the same day she was promoting PoC Destroy Horror, a racially segregated anthology. Forget her long history of racist remarks. Apparently they don’t count; not in your world of punching up/power/privilege theory.
This is not a question of taking a side but in establishing what a side is. Frankly, if a group of writers in the 21st century cannot come to a consensus on what the term “group defamation” means nor that it is always wrong, rather than having a racial-sexual points-shaving scheme and historic rewards points attached, then that culture of writers deserves the charge of the destruction of its own genre. People who can’t understand what rules and law are for have the minds of bratty children; Orwell’s children. To that you can attach the charge of being self-evidently bored with your own genre, turning it into a race-sex version of a gossipy National Inquirer. TRIGGER WARNING FOR SLUT SHAMING: BRAM STOKER DIED OF SYPH!!!
I can only hope others follow your lead and the HWA can be saved. The SFWA is long past the point of being saved; its default orthodoxy is racial and sexual supremacist dogma and it is reiterated every… single… day.
As always, thanks for wrecking my hobby. Apparently I must pay for the East India Company, the internal misogyny of Dorothy McIlwraith’s 15 yrs. at Weird Tales and mid-century American women preferring to read Ladies’ Home Journal rather than SFF/Horror forever by way of segregated anthologies, rooms, dinners, awards, symposiums, reviews and other charming sweet nothings.
James wrote: “you saw fit to mention and apparently approve of members of the SFWA as comprising some principled benchmark of moral authority.”
Please link or quote where I did this. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Fact is, I was critical of the SFWA probably before you discovered the Internet was a thing.
James wrote: “And given Nick Mamatas’ continued support of Requires Hate, his comments amount to nothing more than gibberish.”
This is not Nick’s Blog. It is my Blog. That being said, Nick has been a dear friend for nearly 20 years, but that doesn’t mean I agree with him on everything. The behavior of Requires Only That You Hate is one of the things we vehemently disagree on. Doesn’t change my love for Nick. Nick has done more for professionals in this genre, regardless of their politics, than most people will ever know. I would take a bullet for him.
James wrote: “In short, you seem to be a man with no principles. Morton’s piece was an innocuous nothing compared to Scalzi’s rancid racist post about white male privilege. Your stand is the same as the SFWA’s: one member gets expelled for racial incitement, another 5 Nebula nominations.”
Oh, I’ve got plenty of principles. I think what you mean to say is I’m a man whose principles you disagree with. And that’s okay. I like John Scalzi. I think he’s a man who cares very deeply about his field, and holds true to what he personally believes. I don’t always agree with him politically, but I support his right to express those political beliefs. On the flip side, I find Vox Day’s beliefs abhorrent and loathsome. But I equally support his right to express those beliefs. I don’t know. Maybe that’s hard for you to understand.
James wrote: “Frankly, if a group of writers in the 21st century cannot come to a consensus on what the term “group defamation” means nor that it is always wrong, rather than having a racial-sexual points-shaving scheme and historic rewards points attached, then that culture of writers deserves the charge of the destruction of its own genre.”
Well, I’m not a member of any group, but in my view, discriminating against blacks, whites, Liberals, Conservatives, heterosexuals, homosexuals, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and any other group is wrong. I realize this puts me at odds with both your camp and the SJW camp (as seen in Richard’s comment above). Which makes me think I must be right.
James wrote: “As always, thanks for wrecking my hobby.”
You’re welcome! Do you have any other hobbies I can destroy? I have thoughts on stamp collecting and beer bottles from around the world that I’d be happy to share!
One time, I made this really cool castle out of Legos and Brian ran into the room, kicked it over, stomped on it, then ran away laughing maniacally. Thanks for wrecking my hobby, Brian.
One time, Brian wrecked my hobby by eating all of my four sided dice. As he crunched the last one, he yelled, “Let’s see you attack the darkness now!”
Then he farted on my head and ran off giggling. I will have revenge, Keene!
Were all you wrote in reply to me true then Riley wouldn’t have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. You are the one who talks about racial discrimination and racial supremacy but has no neutral definition of that. Apparently some straws are made of lead and there are camels with hinged spines.
Your reply to me recognizes no principles that I can recognize as such, but it does allow some racial discrimination to pass without notice and some racially supremacist doctrines to become invisible. It is that double standard which I addressed, you did not, and which has destroyed this hobby.
You may not have thought this through but if the only racial supremacy is white, then that itself is a racially supremacist doctrine. And save the points shaving scheme and power/privilege theory; there has been no institutional trend of or support for racially (and sexually) segregated anthologies in the 100 yrs. since fantastic literature in America first began to become a genre with a fan base. However, today they are a cottage industry. The lies which drive that industry are predicated on irrational suspicions of that 100 years in which an innocent demography is transformed into a menacing supremacist ideology determined to maintain its racial and sexual centrality.
That is not righting a ship nor is it justice; it is racial and sexual discrimination and hatred flying a false flag. There is no light without dark, but there are transparent double standards that aren’t fooling anyone. It’s self-evident you in fact do not believe in what you stated about discrimination. If you did you wouldn’t have written this post.
But carry on wrecking the equal protection on which Brown vs Board of Education was predicated and which shot down the very ’60s Calif. Proposition 14 Rod Serling was so angry about in his Nov.11, 1966 UCLA speech. You may have seen Serling’s horror paperbacks from those ’60s but he couldn’t make it into PoC Destroy Horror because the morons who make that trash have unfortunately overthrown equal protection and declared Serling guilty of something or other – perhaps standing up for “PoC” in 1966 and Emmett Till in the ’50s. If Serling read this post today he’d be wondering what the hell he, and other men with actual principles like Ray Bradbury and Al Feldstein were standing up for in the ’50s. It sure as hell wasn’t to create a Frankenstein’s monster that would include them out, but you have. Congratulations on wrecking my hobby. There is nothing in Famous Monsters of Filmland about “male tears,” the gender binary and “white saviors,” and thank God for that.
Well, I disagree with all of that 100%, but thanks for expressing your opinion. I’ll bet you’re fun at parties.
And apologies again for ruining your hobby.
Thank you for continuing to shine light on things that might not otherwise be seen and for standing up for what you believe in.
“Effective 1/1/17 (when the new year’s memberships become active) I will no longer work with anyone who is a then-Current member of the HWA, including writers, publishers, editors, etc. I will not give cover blurbs, introductions, or anything else. If I am asked to be in an anthology, and the anthology is being edited by a then-current HWA member, I will decline. If I am asked to submit a novel, and the publisher is a then-current HWA member, I will decline.”
I agree that Riley shouldn’t be a juror and that this has not been handled as well as it should have been . But the organization is also doing some wonderful things for writers these days–it has established a scholarship fund for newer writers, it has been doing outreach to libraries, it has been helping to shine a spotlight on horror poetry and helping to fund programs like Writer Beware (a project that alerts aspiring writers to various predatory scams).
I choose the throw my lot in with the folks who are building something (however flawed) rather than those who want to destroy something. I will stay a member of HWA.
I can respect that, Nicole. A lot of friends have echoed the same thing. I do want to clarify, however — I’m not trying to “destroy” anything. I’m simply stating that I won’t lend my personal talents, name, or platform to anything connected to an organization which has shown a decades-long repeated pattern of doing things I disagree with, cannot support, and feel is harmful to the genre as a whole. Everyone else is welcome to do whatever they want. This is a decision for me personally, made by me personally.
I have been an HWA member. I have worked to better the organization. I am no longer a member. There are many fine people who are still members. Some of my best friends continue to be members. And the HWA has had good moments and good administrations — Laymon, Moore, Gardner, etc. But from where I sit, looking at the field as a whole, rather than at a particular organization, at this point the bad outweighs the good, and I think that’s detrimental to us all. I personally do not believe it can be fixed, but I applaud those willing to try, and wish them nothing but luck and progress. But I will not lend my name or talent to something which I personally feel is detrimental.
Hi Brian. The only part of your original statement that made me think “hang on” was that you wouldn’t work with any current members of HWA. How does that make sense? There are a lot of good folks in the org, which suffers more from ineptitude than from malice IMHO.
Heya Steve. See my response to Nicole. There are indeed a lot of fine folks in HWA — including some of my best friends. Jeff Strand, for example, who disagrees with me on this 100% (and whom I’m sure will be debating with me privately long into the night at the bar at WHC in a few weeks). Bev Vincent is another fine example. These are people very dear to me. But I’m not going to lend my name or talents to support an organization which I believe at this point is doing more harm than good.