Lucy Snyder, an adjunct instructor with Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction Program, received her first Bram Stoker Award in March at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, England. Snyder received the award for her poetry collection, “Chimeric Machines!”

Three other Seton Hill faculty members received accolades at the Horror Writers Association’s Bram Stoker Awards ceremonies.

The winner in the fiction anthology category, “He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson,” includes short stories by Michael Arnzen, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Division of Humanities and Gary Braunbeck, adjunct instructor with the Writing Popular Fiction Program.

“This hardcover book is a collectible,” said Arnzen. “It features the first collaboration between Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. A trade version will also be released in September from TOR Books.”

The winner in the non-fiction category was an instructional book titled, “Writer’s Workshop of Horror,” and includes essays by Arnzen, Snyder, Braunbeck, and Tim Waggoner, adjunct instructor with the Writing Popular Fiction Program. This book also won a Black Quill award in 2010.

“This is a great testimony to our Writing Popular Fiction instructors’ talents for teaching genre writing,” said Arnzen.

Each year, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work “Dracula.” Previous Stoker Award winners include J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Peter Straub. HWA is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the horror genre and the interests of those who write it. With over 1,000 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the “much-loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life.” For more information: www.horror.org.

Seton Hill’s unique Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Students attend two weeklong, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Readings, classes and online discussion about the history, trends and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student's experience. For more information about the Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill, visit http://fiction.setonhill.edu or contact Seton Hill’s Office of Graduate and Adult Studies at 724-838-4209.