Why You Don’t See More Jewish Horror

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

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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THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR Is Out Today!

THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the fiction anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective, is available today, Halloween, in print and e-book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Godless.com, and your local bookstore (check Indiebound.org to see if they have it, and if not, ask them to order it)!

While I was lead editor for TERROR AT 5280’ (Denver Horror Collective, 2019), and did copy edits for CONSUMED: TALES INSPIRED BY THE WENDIGO (Denver Horror Collective, 2020), this is the first and only anthology I’ve edited alone and I’m excited to unleash it upon the world!

As I’ve said before, the hardest part of putting together this anthology about the history, culture, and folklore of my people—the Jews—was rejecting the dozens of excellent stories that didn’t quite make it into the book. The ones that did, however, cover a vast territory of Jewish horror from the expected—golems, dybbuks, demons—to the unexpected. And, believe it or not, the process has given me a deeper appreciation of my own heritage.

Before even being released, the book has already been getting great reviews, including Publishers Weekly, “the bible of the book business,” calling it a “superior anthology.” Plus, I was just on Colorado Public Radio with one of the authors, Lindsay King-Miller, to talk about the inspiration behind it.

I really think horror readers are going to love THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, as well as those coming from a Jewish background or who are simply interested in learning more about the culture. And even those for whom horror isn’t their cup of tea I suspect will enjoy many of the lighter stories.

So I hope you pick the book up today and please be sure to leave a review when you’re finished!

Publishers Weekly Reviews THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR

Here’s what Publishers Weekly has to say about THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the horror fiction anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective, due out Halloween 2021:

“Schlossberg brings together a superior anthology with a fascinating origin story…[that] ably demonstrates the compatibility of Jewish tradition, history, and folklore with the horror genre…This is sure to please fans of folklore-infused horror.”

Read the full review at Publishers Weekly.

Cover Reveal: THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR

Horror is part of the human condition, but few peoples across the ages know it quite like the Jews.

From slavery to pogroms to the Holocaust, the “Chosen People” have not only endured hell on Earth, they’ve risen above it to share their stories with the world.

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.

OUT HALLOWEEN 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

An Orchard of Terror: Scary Stories and the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi John Carrier

Origins of The Jewish Book of Horror by Josh Schlossberg

Torah-Fying Tales: An Introduction to Jewish Horror by Molly Adams

On Seas of Blood and Salt by Richard Dansky

The Last Plague by KD Casey

The 38th Funeral by Marc Morgenstern

Same as Yesterday by Alter S. Reiss

How to Build a Sukkah at the End of the World by Lindsay King-Miller

Demon Hunter Vashti by Henry Herz

The Horse Leech Has Two Maws by Michael Picco

The Rabbi’s Wife by Simon Rosenberg

Ba’alat Ov by Brenda Tolian

Eighth Night by John Baltisberger

Bread and Salt by Elana Gomel

In the Red by Mike Marcus

A Purim Story by Emily Ruth Verona

Catch and Release by Vivian Kasley

Phinehas the Zealot by Ethan K. Lee

The Wisdom of Solomon by Ken Goldman

Welcome, Death by J.D. Blackrose

Forty Days Before Birth by Colleen Halupa

The Hanukkult of Taco Wisdom by Margret Treiber

The Divorce From God by Rami Ungar

The Hand of Fire by Daniel Braum

Bar Mitzvah Lessons by Stewart Gisser