StokerCon® 2023: Full Schedule

4:00pm EDT

You Can't Get There From Here: Tales of Weird Pittsburgh

Welcome to Pittsburgh! Join our panelists as they bathe our Convention city in unholy and horror-worthy light. What mysteries hide in the alleyways of the Southside? Is there real magic at the convergence of three rivers? Can you feel the pull of the Fourth River? How many cemeteries have you haunted? How many bridges and tunnels does one city need? What cryptids, legends, ghosts, or maniacs haunt our Rust Belt abode. Hear from Pittsburgh horror writers who have been influenced by the often uncanny history, folklore, cultural oddities, and decaying buildings surrounded by an urban wilderness.

Moderators

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum

Douglas Gwilym's short story "Poppy's Poppy" (Penumbric Magazine) has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award this year. His story "Year Six" (LampLight Magazine) was on the preliminary ballot last year, and is on Ellen Datlow’s recommended reading list for Best Horror 14.He has... Read More →

Speakers

Nelson Pyles

Frank Oreto

Writer

Frank Oreto is a writer of weird fiction living in the wilds of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. His stories have lurked in the pages of The Years Best Hardcore Horror, Flame Tree Press, and F&SF and been recited in hoarse whispers in the halls of Pseudopod, Tales to Terrify and the NoSleep... Read More →

Gwendolyn Kiste

Gwendolyn Kiste is the three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens, Reluctant Immortals, Boneset & Feathers, and Pretty Marys All in a Row, among others. Her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in outlets including Lit Hub, Nightmare, Best American Science... Read More →

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous magazines and anthologies such as Weird Tales, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8 & 15, as well... Read More →

Michelle Renee Lane

Writer

Michelle Renee Lane holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is an instructor for Speculative Fiction Academy. She writes dark speculative fiction about identity politics and women of color battling their inner demons while fighting/falling in love with... Read More →

Thursday June 15, 2023 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

6:00pm EDT

Remembering Peter Straub

A tribute to the late master of horror, Peter Straub, covering his major works and contributions to the genre.

This session will be live-streamed to our virtual audience.

Moderators

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

John Langan is the author of two novels and five collections of stories. For his fiction, he has received the Bram Stoker and the This Is Horror awards. With Paul Tremblay, he co-edited Creatures: Thirty Years of Monsters (2011). He is one of the founders of the Shirley Jackson... Read More →

Speakers

John F. D. Taff

Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay has won the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and Massachusetts Book awards and is the author of Horror Movie, The Pallbearers Club, Survivor Song, The Cabin at the End of the World, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, the crime novels The Little Sleep... Read More →

JG Faherty

HWA, Writer, Editor

Writer of dark fiction (horror, S/F, fantasy). HWA Mentorship Program Manager. Editor at large. Talk to me about horror, writing, books, editing, movies, guitars, bourbon, or just about anything except politics!

Nat Cassidy

Nat writes horror for the page, stage, and screen. He's the author of the horror novels Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings, both published by Nightfire. His critically-acclaimed, award-winning horror plays have been produced across the United States, as well as Off- and Off-Off-Broadway... Read More →

Thursday June 15, 2023 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

11:00pm EDT

Midnight Special:Monster Mash!

A fun, late-night programming piece, not at all a serious discussion--though it might just get intense!

Nine participants and one host. Two teams of three. Three judges. An intrepid group who will strive to answer the age old question: "Which monster would win in a fight?" In each round, each team will randomly be assigned a monster out of classic horror or folklore and a random setting will be chosen (or provided by the audience). Each team will then make their case for why their monster would defeat the other team's monster, how their powers or characteristics would match up, and how their environment might be a factor. After the cases are presented, the judges will assess the arguments and decide the winner! Tongue-in-cheek! Outlandish! Deeply meaningful! Place yer bets and let fate decide!

Moderators

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

James Chambers received the Bram Stoker Award® for the graphic novel, Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe and is a four-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. He is the author of the short story collections On the Night Border and On the Hierophant Road... Read More →

Speakers

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Brooklyn native Steven Van Patten is the author of the critically acclaimed Brookwater’s Curse trilogy that features an 1860s Georgia plantation slave who becomes law enforcement within the vampire community. In contrast, the titular character in his Killer Genius series is a modern... Read More →

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator, Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Author, financial planner, former psychologist, husband, and father. That pretty much sums it up.

Lee Murray

Lee Murray is an author, editor, screenwriter, and poet from Aotearoa-New Zealand. A USA Today Bestselling Author, double Bram Stoker, and Shirley Jackson Award winner, she’s a serial panellist with a passion for horror. Read more at https://www.leemurray.info/... Read More →

Clay McLeod Chapman

Author of What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters, Whisper Down the Lane, The Remaking, and others.

Mary SanGiovanni

Mary SanGiovanni is an award-winning American horror and thriller writer of over a dozen novels, including The Hollower trilogy, Thrall, Chaos, The Kathy Ryan series, and others, as well as numerous novellas, short stories, comics, and non-fiction. Her work as been translated... Read More →

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor

Cynthia Pelayo is an International Latino Book Award winning poet and author.She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, as well as dozens of standalone... Read More →

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is the author, editor or co-editor of thirty books, including Bram Stoker Award nominees Uncovering Stranger Things, The Streaming of Hill House, Devil’s Advocates: The Conjuring, and Eaters of the Dead: Myths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters. He is also... Read More →

Owl Goingback

Guest of Honor

Owl Goingback has been writing professionally for over thirty years, and is the author of numerous novels, children's books, short stories, screenplays, comics, and magazine articles. He is a HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and has received the Bram Stoker Award for Novel... Read More →

Wrath James White

Guest of Honor

Wrath James White is a former World Class Heavyweight Kickboxer, a professional Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts trainer, distance runner, performance artist, and former street brawler, who is now known for creating some of the most disturbing works of fiction in print.Wrath is... Read More →

Thursday June 15, 2023 11:00pm - Friday June 16, 2023 12:00am EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

9:00am EDT

Take Their Hands: Ancestry as Source

Join us as we delve into the process of listening to the voices of our lineage to tell the stories that need to be told. We'll explore the past as a source, as we navigate the lines of integrity and authenticity in crafting layered stories that resonate.

Moderators

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Editor, Author, HWA Mental Health Committee Member, Brisbane Writers Workshop

A Rhode Islander living in Australia for 20+ years, Lauren Elise Daniels (L. E. Daniels) has worked in publishing since '92. An Emerson College MFA grad, she's edited over 130+ titles, including the Aurealis Award-winning Relics, Wrecks and Ruins (2021), Aiki Flinthart's legacy anthology... Read More →

Speakers

Frances Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito (she/her) is a Chinese American judge, mom, and writer in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Flame Tree’s Asian Ghost Stories, Chromophobia, Mother: Tales of Terror and Love, Death’s Garden Revisited, and Unquiet Spirits... Read More →

Rena Mason

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Erika T. Wurth’s novel WHITE HORSE is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and Book of the Month Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, has published in The Kenyon Review, Buzzfeed, and The Writer’s... Read More →

Friday June 16, 2023 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

9:00am EDT

Videogames and Horror

From Silent Hill to Alone in the Dark, video games have exploited the horror genre for many scares and thrills, from role playing survival games to first person shooters. How are video games uniquely suited to the genre of horror? How does interactivity, narrative and multimedia play come together to make for weird experiences? And are video games getting weirder?

Moderators

Robert Ottone

Robert P. Ottone is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of THE TRIANGLE. His other works include HER INFERNAL NAME & OTHER NIGHTMARES (an honorable mention in THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR VOLUME 13) as well as the suburban folk horror novel, THE VILE THING WE CREATED.His short stories... Read More →

Speakers

Heather Romanowski

Co-Founder, Book Realm Revisions, LLC

Editor. 📝 Bookdragon. 📚 Gaming enthusiast & RPG player. 🎲🎮🧩👾She/her.Heather has been writing and editing for the past decade and co-founded Book Realm Revisions in 2017. She has worked with fiction and nonfiction independent authors since then. Her most recent work... Read More →

Todd Keisling

Author, Graphic Designer, Precipice Books / Dullington Design Co.

TODD KEISLING is a writer and designer of the horrific and strange. His books include Scanlines, The Final Reconciliation, The Monochrome Trilogy, and Devil's Creek, a 2020 Bram Stoker Award finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel. A pair of his earlier works were recipients... Read More →

Richard Dansky

Franchise Narrative Director, Crytek

I am a twenty-plus year veteran of the video game industry, and have extensive experience in tabletop RPGs as well. I've published eight novels and one short story collection (soon to be two), as well as short fiction, book reviews, and academic papers in the dim and distant past... Read More →

Friday June 16, 2023 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Pointview

Horror History and Culture

11:00am EDT

Embodying Horror: Representations of the Body in Fiction

While horror can be a useful tool in examining societal issues, problems still remain with how certain types of bodies are dehumanized or villainized within the genre. Join panelists for a discussion on the representation of bodies of people that are often “othered” within horror, and how to avoid harmful tropes. Topics may cover (but are not limited to): fatphobia, visible and invisible disabilities, and neurotypical individuals

Moderators

Kathleen Scheiner

freelance editor, Yen Press

I'm Kathleen Scheiner, proud member of the New York City HWA chapter. I like dance, roller derby, mentoring teens at Girls Write Now, astrology, tarot cards, and other witchy things. I've written for Publishers Weekly, L'Ecran Fantastique, Chime for Change, Toxic, and other publications... Read More →

Speakers

Kate Maruyama

Kate Maruyama (she/her) writes, teaches, cooks, and eats in Los Angeles, where she lives.She is the author of Harrowgate(47North 2013) and Halloween Beyond: A Gentleman's Suit (Crystal Lake, 2022) and her novella Family Solstice (Omnium Gatherum) was named Best Fiction Book of... Read More →

Megan M. Davies-Ostrom

Megan M. Davies-Ostrom is a Canadian author with a penchant for horror and dark speculative fiction. Her work includes both Adult and Young Adult fiction. She is a member of the Canadian Author’s Association._x000D__x000D_Megan is also a Senior Analyst with the Government of Canada... Read More →

Sonora Taylor

Author

Sonora Taylor is the award-winning author of several books and short stories. Her books include Seeing Things, Little Paranoias: Stories, Without Condition, The Crow’s Gift and Other Tales, and Wither and Other Stories. She also co-edited Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology with... Read More →

Lara Frater

writer

Lara Frater (she/her) is the author of Paranormal Pest Control series, the End of the Lines Zombie series and many short stories and poems. She is also the author of the non-fiction book Fat Chicks Rule. http://www.larafrater.com.

Briana Una McGuckin

Briana Una McGuckin has cerebral palsy, a concerningly large collection of perfume oils, and an MFA from Western Connecticut State University. Her debut novel, On Good Authority, is a kink-positive, below-stairs Victorian Gothic/Romantic Suspense novel. Her short fiction appears... Read More →

Friday June 16, 2023 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Brighton III-IV

Horror History and Culture

11:00am EDT

Military Service in Horror

An appreciation of what people in uniform have contributed to the genre -- and how veterans, soldiers, sailors, marines, and other military personnel are represented in horror fiction.

Moderators

Michael Arnzen

Co-Chair, StokerCon® 2023

Amityville-born horror writer Michael Arnzen holds four Bram Stoker Awards® and an International Horror Guild Award for his often funny, always disturbing fiction and poetry. In addition to his creative books—like the novel, Grave Markings, the short story collection, Proverbs... Read More →

Speakers

Stephen Kozeniewski

Stephen Kozeniewski (pronounced "causin' ooze key") is a two-time winner of the World Horror Grossout Contest. His published works have been nominated for several Splatterpunk, Voice Arts, and Indie Horror Book Awards, among other honors. He lives in Pennsylvania with his girlfriend... Read More →

Sirrah Medeiros

Author | Editor | Editor-in-Chief, Tundra Swan Press

I write dark fantasy, horror, and thrillers - and other genres, but we're talking horror here aren't we? I retired a few years ago and am back to writing I enjoy. I edit (on occasion) between my own writing or other creative projects. I also own Tundra Swan Press, am a Marine Corps... Read More →

Brian Keene

Award-Winning Author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short stories, and nonfiction. He is the author of over fifty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and fantasy genres. They have been translated into over a dozen different languages and have won numerous awards (see below).His 2003 novel, The... Read More →

Brandon Ketchum

Brandon Ketchum is a speculative fiction writer from Pittsburgh, PA who enjoys putting a weird spin or strange vibe into every story, dark or light.

Dacia Arnold

Author

Friday June 16, 2023 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Pointview

Horror History and Culture

12:00pm EDT

The Psychology of Horror

“Why horror?” is a question a lot of us have been asked throughout our careers. Join panelists to discuss the lure, catharsis, and just plain fun that horror offers.

Moderators

Patrick Freivald

Speakers

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Paul Tremblay

C.C. Adams

Author.

London-based author of horror and dark fiction. Born and raised in the capital, and proud of.

Rook Riley

Former government contractor with a military background, Rook Riley splits their time between teaching Reading in the DFW area and helping run the family farm. They live with anxiety and PTSD by taking medication, writing, and hitting a heavy bag. After attending the University of... Read More →

P.M. Raymond

Author

P.M. Raymond is a principal consultant living on the East Coast with 27 cookbooks and an imaginary dog named Walter. As a native of New Orleans, mystical undertones are the roux in her crime and horror writing. Her main writing goal is to bring Black characters to life that preserve... Read More →

Friday June 16, 2023 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

2:00pm EDT

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Asian Narratives in Horror and Speculative Fiction

Like the landmark film, Everything, Everywhere All at Once, Asian identity is complex and varied, existing in a multiverse of histories and cultures. With a plethora of stories depicting stereotypes and in the face of rising anti-Asian violence and hate, Asian storytellers are increasingly taking back control of our narrative. Within the horror community a movement has sprung up, born from the award-winning anthology Black Cranes. Panelists will discuss representation, being part of a movement, the importance of Asian narratives and… learning to become unquiet.

This session will be live-streamed to our virtual audience.

Moderators

K.P. Kulski

K.P. KULSKI is a Hawaii-born Korean-American author, historian, and career vampire of patriarchal tears. Channeling a lifelong obsession with history and the morose she’s managed to birth the gothic horror novel, Fairest Flesh, and novella, House of Pungsu. She bartered nine years... Read More →

Speakers

Lee Murray

Rena Mason

Alma Katsu

Guest of Honor

Alma Katsu is the author of historical horror novels such asThe Hunger and The Fervor, as well as the Red Widow spy series. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, been featured in the NY Times and Washington Post, been nominated... Read More →

J.A.W. McCarthy

J.A.W. McCarthy is the Bram Stoker Award and Shirley Jackson Award nominated author of Sometimes We’re Cruel and Other Stories (Cemetery Gates Media, 2021) and Sleep Alone (Off Limits Press, 2023). Her short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including The Best Horror... Read More →

Geneve Flynn

Editor and author

Geneve Flynn is an award-winning fiction editor, author, and poet, and a member of the HWA Diversity Works Inclusion Committee.She is the co-editor of Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women (with Lee Murray). The anthology won the 2020 Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson awards and shortlisted for the British Fantasy, Aurealis, and Australian Shadows awards.Geneve’s short stories have been published in various markets, including Flame Tree Publishing, PseudoPod, Crystal... Read More →

Friday June 16, 2023 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

3:00pm EDT

Monstrous Mothers and the Women Who Write Them

Often, in horror films and literature, mothers are either given little to no character development, or are painted as villainesses. This panel will seek to explore why motherhood in horror is such a scapegoat for villainy, and the panelists, some of whom are mothers themselves, will discuss the tensions that can arise within the dynamic of motherhood, and the complex emotions that it can invoke, which is where some of our most truly interesting tales of horror stem from.

Moderators

Christa Carmen

writer, CLB Creative, LLC

Author bio: Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island and is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of the short story collection Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked. She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Boston College, and an MFA from the University of Southern... Read More →

Speakers

K.P. Kulski

Zoje Stage

Author

Zoje Stage is the author of BABY TEETH, WONDERLAND, GETAWAY, THE GIRL WHO OUTGREW THE WORLD, and MOTHERED. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA.

Katrina Monroe

Katrina Monroe is the author of THEY DROWN OUR DAUGHTERS and GRAVEYARD OF LOST CHILDREN. She lives in Minneapolis with her wife, where she is a private investigator by day and mom to Very Hungry Teenagers the rest of the time. Her short work has previously been published at Great... Read More →

Willow Becker

Weird Little Worlds Press

Willow Dawn Becker is the CEO and Editor-In-Chief for Weird Little Worlds Press. She likes eating blueberries and looking at butterflies when ah is not reading scary stories and watching (or making) scary movies. She lives in Utah with her daughters, husband, dogs and ghosts.

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Friday June 16, 2023 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

9:00am EDT

Characters Like Me: The Impact of Representation and Diverse Voices

Panelists discuss the importance of diverse representation in horror and speculative fiction. What has been done to promote representation, why is it important, and how can we continue to keep up the good fight for diverse voices?

Moderators

M. Lopes da Silva

M. Lopes da Silva (he/they/she) is a non-binary trans masc author from Los Angeles. He writes pulp and poetry. Previously he’s been employed as a sex worker, an art critic, and an educator. His poetry can be found in Eye to the Telescope, The Dread Machine, and Electric Literature... Read More →

Speakers

K.P. Kulski

S. Alessandro Martinez

S. Alessandro Martinez is a Bram Stoker Award® -nominated author of Mexican and Spanish descent, and a native Southern Californian with Autism/Asperger’s who writes horror and fantasy for adults and children. His work has appeared in several magazines, websites, and anthologies... Read More →

Shane Hawk

Teacher-Writer-Editor, Birds May Not Be Real But Bigfoot Is

SHANE HAWK (enrolled Cheyenne-Arapaho, Hidatsa and Potawatomi descent) is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. Hawk is the author of Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror and other short fiction featured in numerous anthologies. He lives in San Diego with his... Read More →

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Erin E. Adams

Erin E. Adams is a first-generation Haitian American writer and theater artist. Her debut novel, Jackal, was a finalist for the Edgar Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Lefty Award. It was also named one of the best books of the year by Esquire, Vulture, PopSugar, Paste, and Publishers... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Brighton III-IV

Horror History and Culture

10:00am EDT

The Cryptid Panel: Legends of Strange Creatures in North America.

Are there unknown creatures lurking deep in the forests? Does Bigfoot, The Mothman, The Little People, and the Tall Men really exist? Join our panel of experts as they discuss cryptid sightings, eerie encounters, and legends of strange beasts across North America and elsewhere.

This session will be live-streamed to our virtual audience.

Moderators

Owl Goingback

Guest of Honor

Speakers

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Hailey Piper

Hailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, No Gods for Drowning, The Worm and His Kings, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, Benny Rose the Cannibal King, and Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, with... Read More →

Shane Hawk

Teacher-Writer-Editor, Birds May Not Be Real But Bigfoot Is

Yaika Sabat

Manager of Reader Services, NoveList

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 17, 2023 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

10:00am EDT

The Long and Short of It: Prose Other than the Novel

Our panelists discuss the importance of short and long fiction, the resurgence of novellas in the market, and how the horror genre can say a lot in just the span of a short story.

Moderators

John F. D. Taff

Speakers

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum

Karlo Yeager Rodriguez

Attendee, Author

Karlo Yeager Rodríguez is originally from the enchanting island of Puerto Rico, but moved to the Baltimore area some years ago where he now lives with his wife and one odd dog. His fiction has appeared in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Seize the Press, Pseudopod, and khōréō. He... Read More →

Eric LaRocca

Eric LaRocca (he/they) is the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of the viral sensation, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. A lover of luxury fashion and an admirer of European musical theatre, Eric can often be found roaming the streets of his home city, Boston, MA, for inspiration... Read More →

J.A.W. McCarthy

Paula D. Ashe

Paula D. Ashe (she/her) is an author of dark fiction. Her debut collection We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (Nictitating Books) is a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. She is also an associate editor for Vastarien: A Literary Journal. She lives... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Brighton III-IV

Horror History and Culture

11:00am EDT

The Dead Don't Die: Romero's Enduring Legacy

Everyone knows how George A. Romero changed zombies. But that was only the start. Join panelists in discussing Romero's influence beyond the undead, from his role in reviving interest in EC horror comics to his effect on indie filmmaking in general.

Moderators

John Harrison

Speakers

Emily Hughes

Writer/Editor/Listmaker

Emily Hughes wants to talk to you about scary books. Formerly the editor of Unbound Worlds and TorNightfire.com, she writes about horror literature and tweets bad puns @emilyhughes. You can find her writing elsewhere on Vulture, Tor.com, Electric Literature, Thrillist, and more.

Clare Castleberry

Clare Castleberry grew up in the swamps of Louisiana and lived behind her family's neighborhood bar, which fueled her imagination for southern gothic stories, often with erotic, horrific, or crime-laden themes. She has worked as a librarian, model, phone sex operator, ghostwriter... Read More →

Owl Goingback

Guest of Honor

Daniel Kraus

Guest of Honor

Daniel Kraus is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels and graphic novels, including his latest,Whalefall (August 2023). He coauthored The Living Dead with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero. With Guillermo del Toro, he coauthored The Shape of Water, based... Read More →

Brian Keene

Award-Winning Author

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator for Archives & Special Collections at the University of Pittsburgh Library System - responsible for building, managing, and curating archival and rare book resources related to horror studies and serving as subject area expert for reference related... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

11:00am EDT

Youthful Frights: the importance of YA and Middle Grade Horror

Moderators

Robert Ottone

Speakers

Darcy Coates

Author

Kalynn Bayron

Ally Malinenko

Ally Malinenko is the author of several poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl and the Stoker nominated This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins

Lora Senf

All the scary things but especially middle grade horror.

Clare Withers

Curator, Liaison Librarian, University of Pittsburgh

I'm interested in horror, the macabre, and agency in children's and YA literature. My background is in children's literature, storytelling, and librarianship (public and academic). In my Archives & Special Collections capacity, I'm also focused on book history, curating and collaborating... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Pointview

Horror History and Culture

12:00pm EDT

The Invisible Other: Bisexuality and the Horror Genre

Bisexuality represents the largest population of the LGBT umbrella, yet biphobia and bi-erasure remain all too prevalent, both in everyday life and in media. However, bisexuality has always been present in the horror genre. From Carmilla to Jennifer's Body, this panel will discuss the good, the bad, and the monstrous when it comes to representations of bisexuality in horror, as well as the panelists' hopes for the future of bi-representation in literature, cinema, and beyond.

Moderators

Gwendolyn Kiste

Speakers

Eric Raglin

Cursed Morsels Press

Eric Raglin (he/him) is a Nebraskan horror/Weird fiction writer and the editor-in-chief of Cursed Morsels Press. He frequently writes about queerness, the terrors of capitalism, and body horror. His debut short story collection is Nightmare Yearnings. His second collection Extinction... Read More →

K.P. Kulski

Angela Sylvaine

Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes horror fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, and her debut collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, are forthcoming from Dark Matter INK. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in/on over forty anthologies... Read More →

J.A.W. McCarthy

Saturday June 17, 2023 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

1:00pm EDT

Death to Tropes, Long Live Tropes

From final girls to jump scares, we often come to horror with expectations rooted in longstanding storytelling conventions. This panel will discuss the horror tropes that endure through the ages (for better or worse) and how modern authors have refreshed them in recent years. Which tropes are deliciously immortal and which ones need a stake driven through the heart? We'll find out as soon as we split up in search of cell reception...

Moderators

Brian McAuley

Brian McAuley is a WGA screenwriter with six produced film credits, including the award-winning thriller DISMISSED. He wrote an episode of the Netflix sitcom FULLER HOUSE and sold his horror series pitch AFFLICTION to Syfy Network in a pilot development deal. Brian's debut horror... Read More →

Speakers

Nat Cassidy

Neil McRobert

Host/Producer, Talking Scared Podcast

Hi. I'm the host and producer (and everything else) of Talking Scared. Every week I talk to a different horror writer about their work, their life and their fears. It's fun. I also write about horror for Esquire. If you've heard the show then you probably already know an alarming... Read More →

Rachel Harrison

Stephanie Gagnon

Host, Books in the Freezer Podcast

Agatha Andrews

Host of the She Wore Black Podcast and writer that haunts old Texas cemeteries and lurks in libraries and bookstores.

Saturday June 17, 2023 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Ellwood I-II

Horror History and Culture

2:00pm EDT

The Night Strangler: 51 Years of Kolchak

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the second TV movie, The Night Strangler, which brought horror icon, Carl Kolchak, to millions of TV screens and helped launch the seminal TV series that debuted the following year. Five decades--and yet Kolchak seems more popular than ever today! Why does this character and the horror stories that feature him resonate so strongly with contemporary horror writers and readers? What is the real extent of Kolchak's influence on the horror genre? What are the essential elements of a Kolchak story that inform modern horror? What might be in store for this classic character in the years to come?

Moderators

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

James Aquilone

Publisher, Monstrous Books

James Aquilone is the owner of Monstrous Books, writer of the Dead Jack Zombie Detective series, and editor of the anthologies Classic Monsters Unleashed, Shakespeare Unleashed, and the 50th anniversary Kolchak: The Night Stalker graphic novel. This year, he's nominated for the Best... Read More →

Lisa Morton

Author of four novels and 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and parnormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association.

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Tim Waggoner

I’ve published over fifty novels and seven collections of dark fiction as well as media tie-ins. I’m a three-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, and I teach creative writing at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. People can talk to me about anything! But anything horror-related... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Pointview

Horror History and Culture

4:00pm EDT

"I well remembered the words of my father": Fathers and Fatherhood In Horror

Mary Shelley made the fathers and the role of fatherhood central to the horror genre. In honor of Father's Day, join us for a wide-ranging exploration of the significance of fathers and paternal figures in horror. How have fathers stood in for the violence and manipulation of patriarchal norms—and what is the potential to overcome those familiar symbols? How do we reckon with the "fathers" of horror and inheritances they have left to us? How does horror enable us to confront assumptions about gender, power, and traditional family dynamics? While our discussion will surely consider the historic role of male parents, this is a panel that welcomes fathers, dads, and role models of all genders.

Moderators

Bridget Keown

Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Bridget Keown is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and is the head of the Gender and Science Initiative. She earned her PhD in history at Northeastern University, where her research focused on the... Read More →

Speakers

Eric J. Guignard

Gentleman Extraordinaire, Dark Moon Books

Eric J. Guignard is a writer and anthologist of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press Dark Moon Books. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award, won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award.He has over 100 stories appearing in publications around the world and has edited and published nine anthologies, most... Read More →

John Edward Lawson

President, Horror Writers Association

John Edward Lawson is an author, artist, and musician from Maryland. His work has been nominated for the Dwarf Stars, Rhysling, Stoker, and Wonderland Awards in addition to the Pushcart Prize. For his work as an editor John received the 2018 HWA Specialty Press Award. He currently... Read More →

Mark Matthews

Mark Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a licensed professional counselor who has worked in behavioral health for over 20 years. He is the author of On the Lips of Children, All Smoke Rises, and Milk-Blood, as well as the editor of (and contributor to) Lullabies... Read More →

Scott Johnson

Author

Wrath James White

Guest of Honor

Saturday June 17, 2023 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Pointview

Horror History and Culture

4:00pm EDT

A Decade of Black Women in Horror

Join us as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Black Women in Horror list, a milestone in recognizing and supporting black women in the horror genre. This panel, led by moderator and new list member Tamika Thompson, with list creator Sumiko Saulson, as well as list members Kenya Moss-Dyme, Paula D. Ashe, RJ Joseph, Linda Addison, and L. Marie Wood, as well as Guest of Honor Jewelle Gomez. They will discuss the list's origins, its evolution through projects like the BlackWomenInHorror.org website, and the impact of anthologies such as Sycorax's Daughters and Black Magic Women. Panelists will share their experiences as Black women writing horror, the progress made over the years, and the ongoing challenges they face in the industry.

This session will be live-streamed to our virtual audience.

Moderators

Tamika Thompson

Author

Tamika is author of Unshod, Cackling, and Naked (Unnerving Books), which Publishers Weekly calls “powerful,” “unsettling,” and “terrifying,” as well as author of Salamander Justice (Madness Heart Press). She is co-creator of the artist collective POC United and fiction... Read More →

Speakers

Kenya Moss-Dyme

Author/Nightmare Vendor

Kenya has been writing weird stories since childhood, and is now the proud author of two collections - Daymares and The Mixtape. You can also find her short stories in other horror anthologies such as Forever Vacancy, Black Magic Women, and Deadly Bargain, as well as frequent appearances... Read More →

Sumiko Saulson

Social Media Manager, Horror Writers Association

Sumiko Saulson, authorWriter of Dark Speculative Fictionwwww.SumikoSaulson.comPronouns: ze/hir/hirsSumiko Saulson is a Bram Stoker and Elgin nominated poet and award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror. Author of the Bram Stoker nominated The Rat... Read More →

Linda D. Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Linda D. Addison is an award-winning author of five collections, including How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, recipient of the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award, HWA Mentor of the Year and SFPA Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry.

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

Professor of English, Lone Star College University Park

Rhonda Jackson Garcia, AKA RJ Joseph, is a Stoker Award™ nominated, Texas based academic and creative writer/professor whose writing regularly focuses on the intersections of gender and race in the horror and romance genres and popular culture. She has had works published in various... Read More →

Lisa Wood

Vice President, Horror Writers Association

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning psychological horror author and screenwriter. She won the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper. Her screenplays have won Best Horror, Best Afrofuturism/Horror/Sci-Fi, and Best Short Screenplay awards at several film festivals. Wood’s... Read More →

Paula D. Ashe

Jewelle Gomez

Guest of Honor

Jewelle Gomez is the author of several books including the double Lambda Literary Award winning vampire novel, The Gilda Stories. She is the recipient of a literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, two California Arts Council fellowships and an Individual Artist... Read More →

Saturday June 17, 2023 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Haselton I-II

Horror History and Culture

4:00pm EDT

The Evolution of the Zombie from Slave to Flesheater

The panel would discuss how, prior to Night of the Living Dead, cinematic zombies were typically the creations of voodoo masters, resurrected to continue the colonialist servitude they'd suffered in life; George Romero, however, recreated zombies to function as shambling metaphors for conformity and consumerism. How did these different types reflect their times, and were there films in which the two zombie worlds collided?

Moderators

Lisa Morton

Author of four novels and 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and parnormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association.

Speakers

Nicole Hopeman

Scott Edelman

Author

Marc Abbott

Author/Storyteller

I’m the author of the horror anthologies Hell at the Way Station (Winner of the African Literary award for Best Anthology)and Hell at Brooklyn Tea. My works have been featured in Under Twin Suns, Even in the Grave, New York State of Fright and Hells Malls. I have also been a featured... Read More →

James Aquilone

Publisher, Monstrous Books

Saturday June 17, 2023 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Brighton III-IV

Horror History and Culture