HYSOP MULERO: Women continuously feed horror in ways unimaginable. It\u2019s great to have a month that not only showcases and celebrates that accomplishment, but reminds us of both how far we\u2019ve come and the road ahead. Personally, this is so necessary as I have a tendency to consume books and anthologies (I can\u2019t get enough of those bite size stories!) whilst unintentionally being oblivious to the authors who, what, when and otherwise. Which is fine, right? I\u2019ll answer that. It\u2019s okay to fall in love with a story, but it would be unwise for me to simply enjoy and buy and read without acknowledging at the very least the responsibility I have as an author, writer, and woman. To be conscious of the space I inhabit and share; To notice the beautiful progressions and the very real deficits in the horror culture and community.<\/p>\n EVE HARMS: There are so many badass women in horror, and it’s a lot of fun to celebrate them and be reminded of their contributions. I’m proud to be among all of these incredible ladies.<\/p>\n NICOLE GIVENS KURTZ: Women in Horror Month fits in perfectly with my on-going mission to amplify marginalized voices in speculative fiction, particularly horror! From Mary Shelley to Tananarive Due, women have been writing terrific horror and we continue to do so. This month puts the spotlight on us, and I love it.<\/p>\n LISA KR\u00d6GER: Women in Horror Month is a wonderful time to shine a light on women who are writing horror, but it also highlights the disparity in the genre space. Events and interviews, like this one, help readers to find their new favorite (female) writer. Unfortunately, I think the horror genre is still dominated by male creators. It\u2019s not that the women aren\u2019t out there\u2014we are. It\u2019s just that we don\u2019t always get the attention in the public sphere. This month is a time when most horror websites and social media accounts are actively looking for and highlighting women writers\u2014it\u2019s wonderful.<\/p>\n KATHRYN E. MCGEE: Women in Horror Month is a great opportunity to acknowledge the awesome work by women horror writers. I think this month matters to me personally because I\u2019m aware it hasn\u2019t always been accessible for women to publish in the category of horror fiction. Even now, horror fiction by women may be called something else, relegated to other genres like dark fantasy or women\u2019s fiction. Bringing the work of women horror writers to the forefront for a month helps raise awareness of all the fabulous creators and gives us more opportunities to grow individually and as a community. I find it inspiring every year to be able to celebrate the critical role women play in defining the genre.<\/p>\n LEE MURRAY: Let me start by quoting from my foreword in Daughters of Darkness<\/em>, a collection of horror fiction by Aly Faye, Stephanie Ellis, Ruschelle Dillon and Theresa Derwin, which was released for Women in Horror Month 2021, and was the first ever title from Dark Angel Press, a small house dedicated solely to publishing horror women writers\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cEach February, when the horror community\u2019s Women in Horror month rolls around, my social media feed erupts with a smorgasbord of excellent dark fiction from women authors writing gripping, suspenseful, entertaining, ground-breaking <\/em>horror fiction\u2014works like Daughters of Darkness<\/em>. Yet, every year, those same posts are populated with the inevitable laments from readers who don\u2019t see the relevance, the what-about-men folks, the why do we even need to celebrate women-in-horror people. The reason is quite simple: despite its quality, fiction written by women receives only a fraction of the attention of our male colleagues.<\/p>\n Danuta Kean, author of British study The Emilia Report<\/em> (2019), found that women \u201caren\u2019t provided with an equal platform to men upon which their work can be judged,\u201d claiming that this is because social structures are \u201ccreated in a way that militates against women being able to be recognised for their creativity.\u201d From its very outset, the horror genre is no exception to this phenomenon, with Mary Shelley\u2019s seminal work, Frankenstein<\/em>, arguably the novel which spawned the modern horror genre, first published anonymously, albeit with a foreword by her more-famous poet husband.<\/p>\n This side-lining of women\u2019s horror fiction is a trend that continues. For example, googling a ranker site for their latest results, I discovered that of the top 100 horror writers listed, only ten are women, and of those, only four are living writers [*checked again and nothing has changed]. If women horror writers aren\u2019t rated, if they aren\u2019t discoverable in the \u2018noise\u2019 of creative work clamouring for attention, then how are readers expected to find and enjoy their work? By extension, it seems clear that Terrence Rafferty\u2019s observation holds true: \u201cWhat can be said with certainty, though, is that women writers, even the best of them, have rarely made a career of horror, as the male luminaries of the genre mostly have.\u201d (New York Times, 2008).<\/p>\n Nevertheless, women horror writers have persisted because horror writing is, in and of itself, an act of subversion. In the introduction to their Bram Stoker Award\u00ae-winning title Monster, She Wrote: The Women who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction<\/em>, Lisa Kr\u00f6ger and Melanie R. Anderson make the claim: \u201cWomen are accustomed to entering unfamiliar spaces, including territory they have been told not to enter. When writing is an off-limits act, writing one\u2019s story becomes a form of rebellion and taking back power.\u201d Hayleigh Donaldson highlights the barriers in her 2019 SyFy Wire article, Women Love Horror: Why Does This Surprise So Many Dudes? <\/em>She writes: \u201cSo many things in life that [women] deal with daily are pretty horrifying when you think about it: the perpetual struggle against misogyny, the gaslighting by the patriarchy, menstruation and fights over reproductive control, questions over relationships, sex and marriage, the fears of child-rearing, and the smothering trappings of society-mandated femininity. Talking about any of these issues in public can be near impossible as the judgement and scorn can shut down the discourse before it\u2019s even started. Which brings us back to Women and Horror Month\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 a chance for me to blow kisses to all the fabulous horror sisters whose work I admire and adore, the subversive women who roll up their sleeves and create wonderful horror despite the odds being against them from the get-go. And to those wonderful souls who have kindly signal-boosted and supported my own small contribution to the genre. Women in Horror Month is a chance to applaud a dedicated sisterhood of talented creatives that has too long languished in the shadows.<\/p>\n What are some of your favorite horror books from the past year or two that were written by women?<\/strong><\/p>\n GABY TRIANA: To be honest, I\u2019ve had difficulty reading over the last year. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the pandemic, the fact that we\u2019ve lost a few people we love, or that I don\u2019t want to read anymore lately after a long day of writing, but my books-read count went way down in 2021. I did, however, love Queen of the Cicadas<\/em> by V. Castro, Tender is the Flesh<\/em> by Agustina Bazterrica, Children of Chicago<\/em> by Cynthia Pelayo, and In Darkness, Shadows Breathe<\/em>, by Catherine Cavendish. When a book can make my imposter syndrome flare up and make me question my own stylistic choices as an author, that\u2019s a well-written book. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n HYSOP MULERO: I\u2019ve read so much this past year, to include a few favorites such as It Will Just Be Us<\/em> by Jo Kaplan, Revelation<\/em> by J.W. Munro and K.P. Kulski\u2019s Fairest Flesh<\/em>. I was first introduced to Kaplan by way of her short story \u201cWick\u2019s End\u201d published in the Haunted Nights<\/em> anthology, and similarly J.W. Munro\u2019s work, \u201cI Speak For The Trees\u201d published in It Calls From The Forest Volume 2<\/em>. The beautiful audacity of Fairest Flesh<\/em> blew me away, and as a result K.P. Kulski now resides on my \u201cfavorites\u201d bookshelf.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gwendolynkiste.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Gaby-Triana.jpg\")
<\/a>GABY TRIANA: I have a love-hate relationship with month-long celebrations. On one hand, it\u2019s a fantastic way to highlight and introduce people to marginalized groups and authors that need more limelight, but on the other, we shouldn\u2019t ever have to do it. Women are people just like anyone else\u2014authors, artists, actors, directors, creatives who should be seen, read, examined, and celebrated at any time of year, just like our non-women counterparts. Same with Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month and Women in History Month. It\u2019s a step in the right direction, but for me, the goal is to always be included. THAT SAID, I\u2019m honored to be included and recognized alongside my talented peers.<\/p>\n<\/a>MELANIE R. ANDERSON: I think it\u2019s great to have a month to amplify the work of all of the women creating in the horror genre now and to look at the history of women\u2019s work in the genre, because they\u2019ve always been there. Having a fixed time for readings and events brings awareness and can help diversify readers\u2019 to-be-read piles. I always hope that the emphasis on women\u2019s work during that month doesn\u2019t go away as the next month begins. It continues for me, since much of my academic writing is on fiction by women, and I\u2019m constantly reading for The Monster, She Wrote Podcast.<\/p>\n