02/05/2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Besu Tadesse

Candace Nola
3 hours ago
5 min read

As we do every year in the month of February, Uncomfortably Dark takes time out to honor Black authors and Black history from every era, past and present. If you already read widely and diversely or want to get started; please add these authors to your Must - Read lists and to those TBR piles! A massive thank you to fellow author Eliza Broadbent for this huge undertaking for this month, enabling Uncomfortably Dark to honor at least one author a day, or more!

An author based in Maryland, Besu Tadesse loves to write horror and speculative fiction. He has published two books – The Ghosts of Poplar Valley, a paranormal horror novella about our history’s echoes into the present, and Broken Persons, a short story collection that deals with broad themes of grief, trauma, and speculation on the future.

His short stories have been included in several works, including Devour the Rich!, Arsenic and Grandma’s Refrigerator: Horror Told in Colours, Dark and Dreary: A Basement Horror Anthology, A Chronicle of Horrors: An Anthology, Recipes for Newlyweds: Stories of Marital Bliss, With Teeth: A Dark Fiction Anthology, and several upcoming projects. He also works as a gaming writer and reviewer for Calcopia and Uncomfortably Dark.

You can find him on all social media platforms under the handle @stickybearartist.

Today, we honor Besu Tadesse

1. What kind of horror do you write/publish, and what brought you to the horror genre in particular?

I write a wide variety of horror scenarios, though I tend toward paranormal and sci-fi horror. I find that, of all genres, it’s the closest genre that allows me to pull on the threads of every one of my emotions – rage, fear, joy, despair – in a way that I can’t when I did other writings.

2. Who would you consider your influences and inspiration?

The biggest inspiration that got me off my butt and started writing was Jordan Peele. His work made me realize that there may be others that would like to read what I write, so I gave it a shot.

3. What piece of writing has meant the most to you, and why? This can be both your own and/or another author’s.

My own writing: The Ghosts of Poplar Valley is what officially gave me the title of author, and it’s my longest published work to date. I’ve gotten great feedback on it, so I guess I’m a real author. 😊

Other writings: The Actual Star by Monica Byrne. It’s one of the only novels in a long time that made me sit with it after reading. Truly a gem.

4. What’s your writing/editing journey been like? What challenges have you faced?

I’ve started my journey relatively late (I’m middle aged), so unlike my previous artistic endeavors, I’m learning how to start from a more immature style and feel myself making deeper connections to my own feelings and writing skills. The toughest part was learning how the horror community space operates, though I’ve met a lot of people that have been willing to help when I reach out.

5. Who do you think everyone should be reading right now?

In horror, I’ve started thumbing through “King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby, and I think it’s going to be a great ride. In other genres and for the current times, I would recommend reading Octavia Butler – it’s nearly prophetic.

6. What’s it like being a Black horror writer/editor at this particular moment?

Day to day and moment to moment, it doesn’t feel very different. I have a long queue of ideas and outlines that need to be developed, so I keep my head down and my fingers on the keyboard. On a broader scale, I’m scared for my neighbors, friends, and colleagues. All of our civil liberties are under attack, and who knows when they’ll come for more of our rights next. It motivates me to continue the work, to find my voice so that I can be stronger for everyone. People are threatened by art, and even more when it’s relevant for the moment.

7. All horror is political. How do you think your politics informs your writing/editing?

There is no part of my work that isn’t informed by something sociopolitical. From a technical standpoint, the similarities or gaps in economic status, race, gender, educational attainment, religion, and environment shape how the actions of characters play out or even how the potential audience may receive it. Creatively, there is no way to tell a good story without acknowledging or grasping those realities. I would even argue this extends to every genre, especially when human connection (or lack thereof) is the driving force.

8. Do you do any writing or editing that’s not fiction? If so, how did you come to that space, and where can we find it?

I have a lot of practice in technical and business writing from my previous jobs supporting the Federal government (back when it wasn’t… this…). I write video game reviews. I reached out many years ago to the owner of Calcopia from a Craigslist post soliciting for game writers for his previous site, Popzara. The work that I got there gave me experience that led me to his successor site, but also to Candace Nola’s Uncomfortably Dark, a fortuitous opportunity from my longstanding experience and the connections through the horror community. You can search both sites online and see some of the work I’ve done to date.

9. Have you faced any unique challenges in your writing career?

While I don’t think this is particularly unique, I think I juggled a lot – office worker, musician, husband, father. There are a lot of things to balance, especially when it comes to providing support and care for others, so finding time can be tough. It does inform why I plot so much, because it keeps everything organized in case I get pulled away from all of my ideas.

10. What advice do you have for Black horror writers who are just getting started in the genre?

You have been given a gift of a unique experience that not a lot of people have been privy to. So tap into that and show the world, and yourself, that your voice matters. Don’t be afraid to pull from those untapped emotions, and don’t be afraid of what you find when you do.