Iconoclast Productions is proud to in conjunction with Kenya Moss-Dymes of Colors in Darkness, present the new and updated list of Black Women in Horror, and the BlackWomenInHorror.org website, where you can keep up with the latest updates to the list, stories from and news about the authors on the 150 Black Women in Horror List!

February was Black Women in Horror Month!

February may be the shortest month of the year, but the LOUDEST month when it comes to celebrations, recognitions and tributes. In 2013, February became the official Black Women in Horror Month, and each year we happily rev up at this time to celebrate the bold voices and lasting impact of black women in the horror industry. 

This year, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the first Black Women in Horror list series, and 5 years after the last major update to the series, Kenya Moss-Dyme of Colors in Darkness, and Sumiko Saulson, who put together 100+ Black Women in Horror, are revitalizing the series with the launch of the BlackWomenInHorror.org website. We will start off by debuting a new series of interviews, but over time, we will honor not only trailblazers like Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due and L. A. Banks, we also recognize the women creating art and showing up every subgenre of the field. From books to film; from paranormal, sci-fi, dark romance to bad ass monsters, BWiHM will kickoff a celebration that’s far too big for one month – we’ll be following these creatives all year long!

We’ve only got 28 days so let’s make the most of it! Join us as we introduce you to the women who show up in every space of the horror universe – some you may know, but many who will become your newest darlings. 

Is there a Black Woman in Horror that we should know about? Someone who was not on the original list and should be added as we improve and increase it? Old bios that should be updated? You can be a part of improving, updating, and increasing the list! Contact Sumiko Saulson at sumikoska@yahoo.com if you have any suggestions for writers who should be on the list, including yourself!

Watch this space for more information, news and links to BWiHM celebrations across all media. 

Follow blackwomeninhorror.org to stay in the know.

Like and Share, and Tag us in your own posts about Black Women in Horror all throughout the month of February and use the #BWiHM and #BlackWomenInHorror hashtags! 

March is Black Women in Horror Month!

Keeping it going on with posts on the entire 150 Black Women in Horror List and more updates!

Congratulations to the winners of the Serena Kefira Leclerc Memorial Creative Arts Fund, and Happy Birthday to our dearest Serena Toxicat ❤

James Leon will be awarded $125 for “The Life of a Cat.” He intends to book studio time at Kitten Robot Studios and record a song with his band, Epiphany’s Terror, that will be featured in a film that he wrote the screenplay for, “Serena: Aquari-Cat Mistress.” The song Epiphany’s Terror will be doing is a reworking of Al Stewart’s “The Year of the Cat” retitled as “The Life of a Cat.” James is a long-time friend of Serena’s. They worked on music and film projects together and she appears in his debut film, “Dropping like Flies.” She was initially involved in the conceptualizing of “Serena” Aquari-Cat Mistress.”

Charlena Verrette will be awarded $75 to purchase a microphone and a sound interface for her computer system. She will honor Serena Toxicat with musical projects, video projects and live streaming video for her Industrial Dance music project “Children are the Devil.” Charlena performed burlesque shows with Serena and modeled in her fashion shows many times over the past four years. She says she feels Serena is guiding her in her journey as a transitioning transwoman.

Sierra Bloomer & Winter Mycelium will be awarded a joint award totalling $75, for creating a vegan leather collection for “Whipped and Chained,” their queer-owned fetish ware and chainmail company, that honors Serena Toxicat and her commitment to animals and a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle as well as her place in the kink/leather community by making a line of handcrafted animal-free leather line that vegans can wear. Sierra has modeled with Serena, and both “Whipped and Chained” and Sierra and Winter’s death rock band “Mystic Priestess” have been inspired by Serena’s multifaceted career.

Robert Nisbet will be awarded $75 to assist in with creation of a musical composition honoring Serena Toxicat. The son of Serena’s dear friend Brenda Wood, Robert is a young man who grew up knowing the wonderfully gifted and kindhearted Serena. As a musician she encouraged and mentored him, and his musical composition will honor her memory, mentorship, and contributions to the future and the next generation of artist.

All of these people have been inspired by Serena’s tremendous contribution to her communities – Gothic, Leather & Fetish, Disability Rights Advocacy, Animal Rights Advocacy, Vegan & Vegetarian, Neo-Pagan, ED Survivor, Adoptee, Homeless Communities and Marginally Housed… multitalented, collaborative artist, author, designer, singer, songwriter, burlesque performer, model, and actress… the beloved and loving Serena Toxicat.

Thanks to DeTraci Regula, Jenna Church, and a third anonymous donor for the funding.

Happy Birthday, Serena ❤ Or I should say, Happy Bird Day Two Mews ❤

DeTraci Regula of Isis Oasis Sanctuary generously offered two grants in Serena Toxicat‘s name, which consists of a $100 award for the top selection as well as two smaller $50 awards. This award is for creative people who were friends and associates of Serena or inspired by her in some way. She asked me, Sumiko Saulson of Iconoclast Productions to oversee the grant application and selection process. As many of you know, Serena was closely associated with organizations as a volunteer, and as an artist and performer. But this is an ad hoc private endowment and not through either non-profit.

Those on the selection committee may not apply.

Applications must be received no later than Midnight, February 5, 2021.

To Apply.

1. Write a paragraph or three (100 to 250 words describing what you intend to use the money for. It should be a creative project such as a book, a play, a music CD, an audio file that is downloadable, a video, a film, an art book, a poetry chapbook, a comic book. A creative event (online, please – we have a pandemic!) such as a DJ Music Dance Party, an online book reading, an online group poetry reading, a burlesque performance, etc. The project can be a solo or group project. Winner MUST put the words “Funded by the Serena Toxicat Creative Arts Grant” or similar on their project which MUST be finished within a year of receiving the funds. Project doesn’t have to be about Serena.

2. Let us know what your personal or community connection to Serena is, even if you only admired her from afar by attending a concert she was at. Take up to 100 words to do that.

3. Please take up to 100 words to explain anything about how $100 or $50 would especially be helpful to you, such as if you have a fixed income or financial stressors or other considerations you want us to take into account when deciding.

Email these things to me at sumikoska@yahoo.com by NO LATER THAN midnight on February 5.

The winners will be announced on February 6 (Serena’s Birthday).

Title of the email should say “Serena Toxicat Creative Arts Grant” please. I will email you that I received it, please contact me if you DO NOT receive a confirmation that I received it.

We’re giving $100 to the top proposal/applicant for the Serena Toxicat Creative Arts Fund, and $50 to two of the runner ups. But I have been thinking that, while we have currently got a backer who offered $200 (DeTraci) to kick this off/honor Serena’s name, that if anyone else wants to donate $50 to a creative artist in need, in honor of Serena’s birthday, maybe we could give the award to more than two runners up? If you think that you would like to do that, let me know, and I can credit you or keep your name anonymous (you let me know). I’m having the donors Venmo the donation to the winners, so that’s how it would work, you could just sent it to one of the applicants. If you are interested in being a donor, let me know.

Barclays Coffee and Tea Company
Saturday, January 18, 2020
8976 Tampa Ave, Northridge, CA 91324

Expressions Gallery
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
7 PM – 9 PM
2035 Ashby Ave, Berkeley, California 94703

Convention Appearances
The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird 2020
Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28, 2020
4215 Thurman Rd, Conley, Georgia 30288

I am also trying to get a reading/signing scheduled for Thursday, March 26 in near by Decatur,Georgia but it is not yet confirmed.

Readersfest Writers’ Conference
July 17-19, 2020
UW/Tacoma, Phillips Hall, Tacoma, WA

Carolyn Saulson, Founder and President

Carolyn Saulson (Feb. 24, 1948 – Jan. 14, 2019) passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 70. A resident of Berkeley, California, she was the board president and a founder of Iconoclast Productions, a Bay Area media arts non-profit serving the Black community.

She attended Berkeley City College, had an AA in Psychology, and attended Cal State Dominguez. She’d been diagnosed with multiple myeloma Aug. 10, 2009. It is a rare blood cancer that predominantly affects African Americans. Carolyn was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Los Angeles, California. She’d been a Bay Area resident since 1987.

She leaves behind two children, Sumiko Saulson and Scott Saulson, and three grandchildren, Franchesca Saulson, Elisabetta Maria Saulson and Joshua Andrakin; sisters Yvonne Matthews, Gloria Matthews, Glenna Matthews, and a brother, Stephen Matthews, as well as a number of nieces, nephews and cousins including Tim Smith, Toni Matthews, Coco Matthews, Damon Pascal, Loren M. Jordan, Marilyn Meeks, Crystal Anthony, Christopher Anthony, Keda Matthews, Rae Rae Matthews, Dashenae Matthews, Antoine Matthews, Gina Lee Shansey, Angie Martinez, Crystal Terrell, Elizabeth Saulson, Mike Saulson, and Brian Saulson. She was predeceased by her brother James Matthews, parents Eleanor Matthews nee Lynch and Leon Matthews, her ex-husband Robert Allen Saulson and his siblings Donald Saulson, Charlene Martinez and James Saulson.

Carolyn was a community leader in both the African American and the Disabilities Rights Advocacy Community. She was a founder of the Iconoclast San Francisco Black Independent Film Festival and the African American Multimedia Conference. She was a proud member of WryCrips Disabled Women’s Reading Theater and the African American Historical and Cultural Society. She volunteered at the African American Art and Culture Complex between 1987 and 2005. She was a San Francisco Juneteenth Festival board member throughout the ‘90s.

She co-authored a Black Who’s Who directory with Joyce Durant for the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) in the late 1970s and was a published professional poet. She was also the author of several plays and the novella and graphic novel “Living a Lie.” She was the lead singer for the band Stagefright, a family band where she sang with her son Scott and daughter Sumiko.

She was on a radio program with Mickey McMeel in Los Angeles in the 1970s, exposing psychiatric abuses with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. She had a television program, Stagefright, a variety show with local talent that aired in San Francisco, Berkeley, Vallejo, Dayton, Ohio, New York City, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Detroit and Toronto between 1993 and 2016.

Carolyn was a Baptist and a member of Greater Faith Baptist Church.

Board Members

Bobbie Webb

Pastor JR Richardson

Reverend Eugene Lumpkin

Sharen Hewitt

Robert Saulson

Harry Silver

Volunteers

Gregory Hug

Natalya Fay

Resurrecting the old African American Multimedia Conference (1996 – 2009) is bringing a big nostalgic tear to my eye. I can’t believe how far we have come, and how far we still have to go in terms of narrowing the digital divide. Between honoring my mother Carolyn Saulson who we lost this January and the new column in the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper it is all coming together so fast now.

Here are a bunch of photos from Back in the Day portraying us between 1996 and 2001 in our Hey Day. I can’t believe Kevin E Myrick is on our board of directors now. I feel like our elders Carolyn Saulson, Bobbie Webb, Doris Rowe, and Sharen Hewitt are looking down on us from above along with my dad Robert Saulson, holding us steady as the new generation ascends to our place on the throne as the Black Kings and Queens we are.