Bryce J. Stevens

In the early 2000s, Stevens discovered he was of Maori heritage.

• Name — B. J. Stevens • Pen Name — David Kuraria • Birth Name — Bryce John Stevens • Born — 10 September 1957 • Birthplace — Christchurch, New Zealand • Occupation — Writer, artist • Period — 20th/21st century • Genre — Horror, Dark Fantasy, • Notable Works — "Sisters of the Moss"

Between 1987 and 1992 he co-edited (with Christopher Sequeira and Leigh Blackmore) Terror Australis (1987–92). A column by Stevens, "Every Time the Candle Burns", appeared in Issues 1 and 3 of Terror Australis, and he reviewed books under both his own name and the pseudonym of David Kuraria for the magazine's "In the Bad Books" column. Stevens was the basis for the character 'Doc Martin' as drawn and photographed in various of Sequeira's occult detective graphic novel series, Deadlocke and Doc Martin (in Pulse of Darkness and elsewhere). Stevens contributed interior art to numerous horror magazines in the 1990s in Australia and also cover art for issues of E.O.D, Shoggoth and Bloodsongs. In the mid-1990s Stevens moved to Melbourne, where he was a key figure (with Steven Proposch and Chris A. Masters) in the Melbourne Horror Society (later known as The Australian Horror Writers) - a forerunner to the Australian Horror Writers Association) - where he helped produce Bloodsongs (1994–95) magazine. From 1996 through 1998, Stevens was President of the Australian Horror Writers. He edited issues 5-11 of its official newsletter Severed Head

In 2009, Stevens relocated to Johns River City of Greater Taree NSW, where he worked as an on-call handler of venomous reptiles. He continues to draw and paint, and holds regular exhibitions of his work in different cities in Australia. He has controversially used his own blood in some of his paintings which he refers to as "blood works". A novel in progress as The Malign Comedy became the novella "The Absurd Quest of Thomas Wu" (published in Bedding the Lamia: Tropical Horrors (IFWG, 2023)). Stevens has been writing horror tales under the pen name 'David Kuraria' since 2015. In recent years, Stevens has co-edited a number of horror anthologies published by IFWG Publishing in collaboration with Steven Proposch and Christopher Sequeira. These include Cthulhu Deep Down Under, Cthulhu Land of the Long White Cloud, War of the Worlds: Battleground Australia, and Caped Fear: Superhuman Horror Stories. Recent stories have also appeared in a number of Australian horror anthologies. His work has appeared in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror Honourable Mentions and recommended Reading lists on multiple occasions.

• Review of Stephen Jones (ed), Shadows Over Innsmouth. Skintomb (1994). • "A Humorous Look at Sex in Horror" (nf). Severed Head 4 (April 1994), 8–9. • "Bandages" (ss) Bloodsongs #6 (1995) • "Sleep Deprivation and Its Consequences." (nf) Severed Head 9 (July 1995). • "Clark Ashton Smith". Acrostic. Black Moon 4 (1995). • "Arthur Machen". Acrostic. Black Moon 4 (1995). • "Behind the Fear Codex" (nf) Orb Speculative Fiction #2 (2001) • "The Lord of Lewd: Clark Ashton Smith and the Fiction of Fornication". [Parody]. Mantichore 2, No 1 (Dec 2006). • "Of Caves, Dark Holes and Vaginas: The Pornographic Prose of the Providence Poet". [Parody re H.P. Lovecraft.)Mantichore 2, No 1 (Dec 2006) • "Two Acrostics on H.P. Lovecraft". Mantichore 2, No 2 (March 2007). [Poetry]. • "And They Shall Suffer for Their Art" (ss).Midnight Echo 5 (Feb 2011).

• Terror Australis (1988–92)(with Leigh Blackmore and Chris Sequeira) • Bloodsongs (1993–98). (with Steven Proposch and Chris A. Masters) • Severed Head: Newsletter of the Horror Writers of Australia (1994–96) • Choking Dog Gazette (fanzine, 1998-2012). Issue No 4 was the final print issue; Issues 5-13 were online only.

* * • As editor/compiler. The Australian H.P. Lovecraft Centenary Calendar 1990-1991. Sydney: Terror Australis, 1990. • Strange Vistas (1991) Artwork. • As editor/compiler/artist (with Kurt Stone). Razor Caress Calendar 1992-93 (Spine Publications). Featuring art by Stevens, Kurt Stone, Antoinette Rydyr and Steve 'Carnage' Carter. • As editor/compiler. The Fear Codex: The Australian Encyclopedia of Dark Fantasy and Horror (2001)(CD-ROM) • "Kurtus Interruptus". An interview with Australian comics artist Kurt Stone. Boodsongs 4 (Autumn 1995)