jewish horror

Celebrating Small Press Horror

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I don’t know about you, but when I want a beer, I almost always go for a microbrew. Not only do they taste better to me, not only am I supporting a small business, but because craft brewers are free to experiment with a diversity of flavors, they’re far more likely to create my favorites.

Now, I’m not here to rail against the popular mass-produced breweries, and I’ll even drink one if it’s the best option around. While it may not always suit my particular palette, at least I know what I’m getting.

I feel the same way about horror fiction. While over the decades I’ve enjoyed authors whose books have been published by large mainstream publishing houses, my favorites these days tend to come from small and indie presses.

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Why You Don’t See More Jewish Horror

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THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective (DHC) in late 2021, won a bronze medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a Silver medal in the 666 Awards, and had previously made it onto the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. Meanwhile, at a horror writers conference, I lost count of the authors who told me they loved the book, which sold well at the DHC table, as it has been literally around the world.

While readers are hungry for Jewish horror as a unique exploration of the larger genre, I think I finally understand why THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR was one of the only Jewish horror anthologies ever released (all by small presses). And why nearly every working author who also writes Jewish horror tells me they have difficulty getting those stories published.

Because while pitching my Jewish folk horror novel (CHARWOOD will be published in 2023 by Aggadah Try It, the Jewish horror imprint of Madness Heart Press) to the editor of a large, established horror fiction publisher, one of my sneaking suspicions as to what’s been turning off so many gatekeepers was finally confirmed.

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JEWISH HORROR 101: Virtual Celebration of THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR | Sunday, Nov. 28

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On the first night of Hanukkah, November 28 at 5 pm PT / 6 MT / 7 CT / 8 ET Denver Horror Collective hosts “Jewish Horror 101,” an hour-long virtual Zoom event celebrating the publication of the award-winning small press’ third horror fiction anthology, THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, available online and at bookstores across the U.S.

RESERVE YOUR FREE SPOT through Eventbrite.

Whether it’s pirate rabbis or demon-slaying Bible queens, concentration camp vampires or beloved, fearless bubbies, THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR offers you twenty-two dark tales about the culture, history, and folklore of the Jewish people, selected by award-winning editor and horror author Josh Schlossberg, with a foreword by Rabbi John Carrier and introduction by Molly Adams of the Jewish Horror Review.

“Jewish Horror 101” will feature five anthology authors revealing secrets about famous and lesser-known creatures from Jewish folklore and mythology appearing in their stories, including the golem (Simon Rosenberg), Lilith (Molly Adams), the dybbuk (John Baltisberger), mazzikim (Emily Ruth Verona), the alukah (Michael Picco), and the Watchers.

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