HWA Oregon

The Oregon Chapter of the Horror Writers Association

News

Member News (August 2025)

We had a great meeting in June discussing the future of our chapter, upcoming events, and member announcements. H. A. Spector (Chair), Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito (HWA Board of Trustee, and Richard Leis (Secretary) recapped StokerCon 2025. They talked about how StokerCon attendance is growing, with another record number of attendees. H. A. highlighted a panel about combating loneliness in the writing profession. Frances mentioned that the HWA itself is growing quickly. She also pointed out the friendly and fun vibe of StokerCon, and how this leads to spontaneous gatherings and connections (especially at a hotel where many attendees reported strange and unexplained occurrences involving a room full of lamps and an impromptu seance, a pool of unidentifiable goo, flickering lights, and much more.) Richard mentioned that even with social anxiety, StokerCon’s friendly vibe led to many wonderful conversations and connections.

If you would like to join or learn more about HWA Oregon, please contact us at oregonhwa@gmail.com and visit our website at https://oregonhorror.com/.

Virtual Book Club

We met at the end of June to discuss Reprieve: A Novel by James Han Mattson, one of the books included in HWA’s 2025 Summer Scares Adult Selections. The consensus was this is a challenging and relevant book, with its horrors coming from bigotry and the way people treat each other, explored through a commercial “haunted house.”

Next up, we’ll be reading The Luminous Dead: A Novel by Caitlin Starling.

Three book covers on a purple background with white smoke. Reprieve: A Novel by James Han Mattson features an illustration of an isolated large house and bare trees in a snowy or grassy landscape from above, with a car parked on a thin plowed or mowed driveway, and a moat plowed or mowed around the house. The Luminous Dead: A Novel by Caitlin Starling features an illustration of a grasping hand in a cyber-looking glove with digital display on the back, holding onto the edge of a rock cliff in a cavern. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca features an illustration of a woman with closed eyes, sweeping black hair, and a red shirt against a white background.
Image courtesy of RA FOR ALL: HORROR

Member News

HWA Oregon members had lots of announcements and news to share in June and July.

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito announced an open call for Kozy Krampus (Underland Press), June 15-30, 2025.

Zachariah O’Keeffe has finished the outline for his second book. 

The US cover for Kelsea Yu’s horror novel Stormraven has been revealed! Instagram, Bluesky.

Book cover for STORMRAVEN by Kelsea Yu, featuring a white background with eyes at the top with hands trapped in the pupils, the title and author name, and a mansion on a rocky hill cast in red smoke.
Book cover courtesy of Kelsea Yu

Kelsea’s next horror novella, Demon Song, is now available to request on Netgalley. The launch event for Demon Song has also been announced–it will be held at Always Here Bookstore in Northeast Portland on Wednesday, October 1 at 6:30pm. Kelsea will be in conversation with Caitlin Starling. Event Page, Instagram. 

Graphic announcing launch event for Demon Song by Kelsea Yu in Conversation with Caitlin Starling, Oct 1st at 6:30pm. Graphic includes the book cover and author photos for Kelsea and Caitlin on a purple background.
Announcement graphic courtesy of Always Here Bookstore

Kelsea’s personal essay, “Haunting, Haunted,” was published by khōréō magazine as part of a series celebrating the magazine’s 5th anniversary. It’s about connecting haunted houses and ghost stories with diaspora and displacement. Available to read free online.

Kelsea’s microfiction story, “Unspoken,” was published by Crepuscular Magazine and is available to read free online.

J.B. Kish’s short story “Alligator Uniform” was published in issue 4 of The Skull & Laurel.

David Barker has a collection of horror stories coming from Jackanapes Press in the fall. He has had new stories in Art Born Words (Demagogue Press) and flash fiction in upcoming “The King In Yellow” inspired edition of Weird Fiction Quarterly. He is writing several sonnets inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s sonnets.

Larina Warnock’s flash horror piece “While the Cat’s Away” will be published by Short Editions in their story dispensers.

Juleigh Howard-Hobson had new poems published in May and June, including “What A Shame Spell” in Form in Formless Times on June 13, 2025 and “A Song To Feed The Land” in the Solstice Issue of Eternal Haunted Summer on June 19, 2025. Juleigh’s 101-word flash piece, “When the Werewolves Stop Being Bikers It’s Time to Look For Them Elsewhere,” was published on May 14, 2025.

Elle Mitchell (editor and contributor), J.B. Kish, Katherine Quevedo, and Sarah Walker participated in readings related to the June 13, 2025 release of the anthology Claw Machine (Little Key Press), including one hosted on YouTube by Vintage Books.

Tom Witherspoon, Dan Finnegan, and H. A. Spector have been submitting stories to potential markets. Fingers crossed!

Tom also discussed with Blogging Community of Practice on July 16, 2025 his experience with a productive June of writing prompts and posting on his website.

Katherine Quevedo’s debut fantasy novella Thrice Petrified was published by Of Metal and Magic Publishing on July 15, 2025.

Front cover of the fantasy novella Thrice Petrified by Katherine Quevedo, featuring a blue silhouette of a fairy against an orange high desert background.
Book cover courtesy of Katherine Quevedo.

Richard Leis discussed the publication of his horror poem “Phantom Taste of Apricot on My Tongue” in Nightmare Magazine for the first “Publishing Diary” feature in Janelle Drumwright’s Lit Mag Lounge newsletter.