The Horror Writers Association will award two Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year’s World Horror Convention and Bram Stoker Awards Banquet.
Writer/director/producer/composer John Carpenter exploded onto the horror scene with his 1978 classic Halloween, a film that held the title of most successful independent release for two decades. His other notable films include The Thing, The Fog, Escape from New York, In the Mouth of Madness and Vampires, as well as many others. Carpenter has come to be known as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time. He is currently in production on his newest project, called The Prince.
Eleven years before Carpenter’s Halloween was released, Robert Weinberg sold his first short story. He was a junior in college at the time, and hasn’t stopped writing since. A founding member of HWA, Weinberg is a two-time winner of World Fantasy Award and a renowned expert in many genres, having edited over 100 books in the fields of horror, fantasy, science fiction, young adult, western and mystery. Weinberg also has worked as a writing instructor and served as HWA vice president for two terms.
HWA President Deborah LeBlanc said, “We are proud to honor these two men with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bob Weinberg’s contribution to the genre goes much deeper than his obvious body of published work, as he has always been a reliable, invaluable resource to HWA, and ever-willing to offer advice to our young writers.
“John Carpenter revolutionized the horror film,” LeBlanc continued. “The influence of Halloween surpasses the boundaries of film, touching literature, comics, non-fiction, and nearly every other aspect of the horror genre. The creation of Michael Myers and his iconic theme music alone would be enough to earn him this award. The fact he has been a consistent and innovative force in the genre is just icing on the cake.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious of the Bram Stoker Awards, given by the HWA in acknowledgment of superior achievement not just in a single work but over an entire career. Past Lifetime Achievement Award winners include such noted authors as Stephen King, Anne Rice, Joyce Carole Oates, Ray Bradbury, and Peter Straub. Winners must have exhibited a profound, positive impact on the fields of horror and dark fantasy, and be at least sixty years of age or have been published for a minimum of thirty-five years. Last year’s winner was author Thomas Harris.
The HWA Annual Conference and 29th presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards will be held on March 29 in conjunction with the 2008 World Horror Convention. The convention runs from March 27-30 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide organization promoting dark literature and its creators. Started in 1985, it has over 500 members who are writing professionally in fiction, nonfiction, videogames, films, comics, and other media.
