Horror will be descending on innocent Burbank in just a few short weeks.

From June 12th to the 14th, the Horror Writers Association – the only organization for writers of dark fiction – will be holding its annual Bram Stoker Awards presentation. The weekend-long event will include appearances by horror legends Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and John Farris (The Fury), media icon Mick Garris (Masters of Horror), this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners F. Paul Wilson (the Repairman Jack series) and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (the vampiric St. Germain series), and rising stars like Gary A. Braunbeck, Nate Kenyon and Greg Lamberson (all of whom are vying with Stephen King for this year’s Novel prize).

Writers and readers alike will gather at the Burbank Airport Marriott hotel for panels, author readings and signings, a dealer’s room, parties (including the Gory Ghoul Ball and the Unspeakable ‘80s), and the grand finale (on Saturday the 13th), the 21st annual presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards, the highest honor in the horror writing field.

The Bram Stoker Awards are offered for Superior Achievement in eight categories: Novel, First Novel, Long Fiction, Short Fiction, Fiction Collection, Anthology, Non-fiction, and Poetry. The actual trophies are one of the most highly-prized in the speculative fiction fields: Designed by renowned author Harlan Ellison and sculptor Steven Kirk, these 8-inch tall haunted houses include a door that opens to reveal the winner’s name.

The Stoker presentation is held in a different city each year (recent locations have included Salt Lake City, Toronto and New York), and this year’s celebration – being located in the bleeding heart of the horror film industry – will feature a special emphasis on movies, with screenwriter guests like Eric Red (Near Dark, The Hitcher), the chance to pitch your book or story to producers, and a few surprise giveaways provided by the studios.

Tickets are available to the general public and may be purchased online at http://www.stokers2009.com [1], but event co-organizers John R. Little and Lisa Morton expect a sell-out by early June. A signing held at Burbank’s famed “home of horror”, Dark Delicacies, on Thursday, June 11th (starting at 7 p.m.) will include many of the attending authors and is free (check http://www.darkdel.com [2] for more information).

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