Dr. Michael Arnzen, associate professor of English and full-time faculty member in Seton Hill University’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program, received his fourth Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association on March 29th.

In a tie with "Ghost Story" author Peter Straub (for his recent book "5 Stories"), Arnzen received the Superior Achievement in a Collection award for his short story book, “Proverbs for Monsters,” published by Dark Regions Press.

The Stokers were presented during an annual awards ceremony, this year held in conjunction with World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City. Arnzen’s first novel, “Grave Markings” earned him his first Stoker award in 1995; he also received Stokers for his e-mail newsletter “The Goreletter” in 2004, and for his poetry book, "Freakcidents" in 2006. Arnzen is a resident of Greensburg, Pa.

"Proverbs for Monsters assembles work from across my entire career as a horror writer," he said in his acceptance speech, "so this accomplishment feels like so much more than just a literary award for one book, and I can't express how humbled I am right now."

Also honored at the Stoker award banquet was Gary Braunbeck, Seton Hill faculty mentor for Writing Popular Fiction, who received two Stokers: one in the Long Fiction category for "Afterward, There Will be a Hallway," which appeared in a book he co-edited, "Five Strokes to Midnight." "Five Strokes" also won the Stoker for Superior Achievement in an Anthology for Braunbeck and co-editor Hank Schwaeble. Braunbeck is a resident of Columbus, Ohio. Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction program alumna Mary SanGiovanni, of Rockaway, N.J., was also a nominee for this year's Stoker in the First Novel category, for the mass market publication of her Seton Hill University master's thesis, "The Hollower.”

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, and Clive Barker. 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