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Thursday, May 9
 

9:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Thursday May 9, 2019 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
Registration Counter 2

11:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Thursday May 9, 2019 11:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

12:00pm EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 1 — Good and Evil in Life and Death
  • Gavin Hurley, “The Affective Dialectics of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist”
  • Michael Potts, “William Peter Blatty’s Character ‘Chris’ and the Fear of Death as Annihilation”
  • Amanda Trujillo, “Psychic Detectives in Lit and TV”

Speakers
avatar for Gavin Hurley

Gavin Hurley

Assistant Professor of English, University of Providence
Rhetoric of Horror Fiction, Horror Stylistics, and Religious Horror FictionHe has discussed the following films/literature in his articles: The Exorcist (Blatty), The Leftovers (Perrotta), Lunar Park (Ellis), Hellraiser (I and II), Event Horizon, Prometheus, the novels of Richard... Read More →
avatar for Michael Potts

Michael Potts

Professor of Philosophy, Methodist University
I am a philosophy professor and creative writer. I have three published novels, one which is Southern Fiction ("End of Summer") and two of which are horror ("Unpardonable Sin" and "Obedience"). I also have two published collection of poetry, one mainstream ("From Field to Thicket... Read More →
AT


Thursday May 9, 2019 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Thornapple Room

12:00pm EDT

Reserved for HWA Board and StokerCon™ Business
Reserved for HWA Board and StokerCon Business.

Thursday May 9, 2019 12:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

1:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.
Thursday May 9, 2019 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

1:00pm EDT

Dealer Room Set Up
Dealer Room Set Up.

Thursday May 9, 2019 1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

1:45pm EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 2 — The Capitalist Path to Horror
  • Michael Duda, “Of Bugs and Bludgeons: Horror and Late Stage Capitalism"

Speakers
MD

Michael Duda

Purdue University Northwest


Thursday May 9, 2019 1:45pm - 3:15pm EDT
Thornapple Room

3:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Thursday May 9, 2019 3:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

3:30pm EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 3 — Gender Interrupted
Panel Chair: Khara Lukancic
  • Chelsea Covington Maass, “Gothic Feminism: The Rise of Domestic Suspense in the Age of #MeToo”
  • Bridget Keown, “’She is very lovely…very toothsome’: Hegemonic Masculinity and Vampirism in Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot”
  • Deirdre Marie Flood, “Who is Allowed to Be a Hero?: Gender and Race in It and Stranger Things”
  • Khara Lukancic, “’He’s Waited for Me, I’ve Waited for Him’: Laurie Strode’s Evolution from Final Girl to Neoconservative Militant in Halloween”

Moderators
KL

Khara Lukancic

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Speakers
DF

Deirdre Flood

the CUNY Graduate Center


Thursday May 9, 2019 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

4:00pm EDT

Lifetime Author Earnings
The birth of the internet and ebooks has transformed the careers of book authors.  They have income potential from traditional publishers as well as self publishing and subsidiary rights.  In order to realize that value authors must inventory, manage and exploit all their books over very long periods of time.  This presentation will discuss how to manage your traditional publishing agreements, how to realize the most value from your own book publishing and subsidiary rights and how contracts and careers age.

Speakers
avatar for Ethan Ellenberg

Ethan Ellenberg

President, Royalty Reminder
Ethan Ellenberg has been a literary agent for more than thirty years and is the Royalty Reminders, an author services company that helps creators organize, manage, and monetize their book contracts.


Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

4:00pm EDT

Reading Block 1
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for S. Kay Nash

S. Kay Nash

Attendee
I'm an occasional writer of dark short stories and a full-time freelance editor. I also enjoy narrating short stories for podcasts. Former Associate Editor at Escape Pod (2016-2020).
avatar for Brandon McNulty

Brandon McNulty

Author & YouTuber
Brandon McNulty is the author of the horror novel BAD PARTS, which won both Pitch Wars (2017) and RevPit (2018). He gives weekly writing advice on his Youtube channel Writer Brandon McNulty.


Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

4:00pm EDT

Websites, Blogs, Newsletters, and Facebook: What Do I Need?
Newer authors need guidance when it comes to designing and building websites, blogs, and newsletters. Which 'do it yourself' products provide the best results? Which are the most user friendly? What features should authors include on their sites? What functionality should the site/blog have? How do you use Facebook to promote your work? Our panelists discuss what they have seen that works, and what to avoid.
Moderators
avatar for H.R. Boldwood

H.R. Boldwood

Author of Horror and Urban FantasyAuthor of The Corpse Whisperer series as well as many short stories appearing in anthologies.

Speakers
avatar for Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A. Snyder is the five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the poetry collection Exposed Nerves and the forthcoming Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress... Read More →
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →
avatar for J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including FORSAKEN and THE FOURTH MONKEY. His latest novel, DRACUL, co-authored with Dacre Stoker, released October 2018. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into... Read More →
avatar for Beverly Bambury

Beverly Bambury

Beverly Bambury Publicity
Beverly Bambury has been a book publicist since 2012. She has worked with writers from most genres, including horror, mystery, crime, SFF, and others. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Beverly resides in Brampton, Ontario. She lives there with her husband, teenage stepson, two very... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

4:00pm EDT

Horror University — The Art of Suspense
In this workshop, you’ll learn techniques to create pulse-pounding fiction that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Topics covered include creating dilemmas for your characters, creating memorable villains, developing unpredictable plots, and using suspenseful pace.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™. 
Speakers
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

I've published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. I write original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and my articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. I've won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA’s Mentor of the Year Award, been... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

4:00pm EDT

GAME: Dire Multiverse
Using the Dire Multiverse setting, and a simplified version of the Savage Worlds rule system, players will play characters thrown into a fantastic modern world of mystery, puzzles, and adventure. This gaming session (tabletop roleplaying) will be dark and dangerous. Come play with Angel Leigh McCoy, the setting's creator and 20-year veteran of game writing.

This game is limited to six players. Gaming experience is strongly suggested.
Moderators
avatar for Angel McCoy


Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

4:00pm EDT

Dealer Room
The Dealer Room is open.

Thursday May 9, 2019 4:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

5:00pm EDT

Foundations of Horror
HORROR, a genre based in the most primal places of our psyches. We’ll look at its structure and forms, its psychological underpinnings and its strange but tantalizing connection with its sister genres Romance and Erotica. We’ll explore the nuance and levels of fear and when when we have a handle on it all, slipping and sliding at the corners of our courage, we’ll look at effective techniques to bring out the reactions we want in our writing.
Speakers
avatar for Johnny Worthen

Johnny Worthen

Author
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

5:00pm EDT

Professional Etiquette: The Business Side of Art
Writing is a business. Although authors spend much of their time alone behind the keyboard, they cannot afford to lose sight of professional etiquette and behavior. The panelists will share their insights into what constitutes professional and unprofessional behavior in the publishing industry, how to cultivate good professional etiquette, and how to cope with unprofessional behavior directed at you. Topics will include approaching and interacting with agents and editors, how to handle bad reviews, seeking advice and mentorship from experienced authors, remembering that a social business event is still a business event first, and keeping up good relationships with colleagues.
Moderators
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.
avatar for Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h, short fiction for more than forty years. She currently acquires short fiction and novellas for Tor.com. She’s edited more than one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series and has won multiple awards for... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for Cherry Weiner

Cherry Weiner

owner, Cherry Weiner Literary Agency
Cherry Weiner grew up in Australia, lived in Europe for three and a half years and moved to American when she married her husband Jack.  She has been agenting since 1977, when she was fired by her boss the well-known Robert P. Mills. Mills’ famous clients (she will not drop any... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

5:00pm EDT

Reading Block 2
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis is the author of COOKING FOR GHOSTS, SPELLS & OREGANO, and DEMONS, WEEL-SEASONED, a trilogy of magical realism novels set aboard the haunted RMS Queen Mary. The audiobook versions were released in 2020 by Tantor Media.  Patricia wrote and produced the screenplay... Read More →
AT
avatar for David Busboom

David Busboom

David Busboom is a writer, science editor, and very occasional actor/producer for microbudget horror films. Talk to him about dinosaurs, rock music, and his debut collection EVERY CRAWLING, PUTRID THING (JournalStone 2022).


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

5:00pm EDT

Rise of the Pod(cast) People
Podcasting is growing into an entertainment powerhouse. Horror-focused podcasts have been around for over 10 years, new pods are entering the field, and nearly every pro-paying magazine has added a podcast as part of their platform. Formats range from audio magazines to horror news, film and book discussions, author interviews, fancasts, and fully-dramatized serials. How do creators distinguish themselves from the pack, get funding, and grow their audience? Are there opportunities for under-represented authors and subgenres? Aside from delivering pure, unadulterated fear directly to your brain, what other opportunities do podcasts offer the horror community?





Moderators
avatar for S. Kay Nash

S. Kay Nash

Attendee
I'm an occasional writer of dark short stories and a full-time freelance editor. I also enjoy narrating short stories for podcasts. Former Associate Editor at Escape Pod (2016-2020).

Speakers
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →
avatar for Tonia Ransom

Tonia Ransom

Creator & Executive Producer, NIGHTLIGHT Podcast
Tonia Ransom is the creator and executive producer of NIGHTLIGHT, a horror podcast featuring creepy tales written by Black writers. Tonia has been scaring people since the second grade, when she wrote her first story based on Michael Myers. She’s pretty sure her teacher was concerned... Read More →
avatar for Karen Bovenmyer

Karen Bovenmyer

Assistant Editor, PseudoPod Horror Podcast Magazine
Karen Bovenmyer earned an MFA in Creative Writing: Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine. She teaches and mentors students at Iowa State University and serves as the Assistant Editor of Escape Artists’ Mothership Zeta Magazine. She is the 2016 recipient of the Horror... Read More →
avatar for Scott Edelman
avatar for Lisa Kröger

Lisa Kröger

Trustee, Horror Writers Association
Horror writer. Author of MONSTER, SHE WROTE and TOIL AND TROUBLE. Cohost of the Know Fear Cast and The Monster, She Wrote podcast.


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

5:00pm EDT

BIRD BOX: From Book to Movie (90 Minute Session)
Bram Stoker Award® Winning Author John Skipp interviews StokerCon™ 2019 Guest of Honor and BIRD BOX author, Josh Malerman, about the experience of taking his idea from book to movie.
Speakers
avatar for John Skipp
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

5:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Thursday May 9, 2019 5:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

5:15pm EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 4 — Food and Domesticity a la Horror
Panel Chair: Kevin Wetmore, Jr.
  • E. F. Schraeder, “Renfield’s Craving: Horror Cinema and Animal Ethics”
  • Karley Pardue, “The ‘Undertaste’ of Unkindness: Food and Deception in Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby”
  • Crystal O’Leary-Davidson, “Home is Where the Horror Is: Ari Aster’s Hereditary and the New Horror Renaissance”
  • Kevin Wetmore, Jr., “Corn is the Grain of Horror: Sinister Scarecrow Cinema”

Moderators
avatar for Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

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 →

Speakers
EF

E. F. Schraeder

author
Ethicist, horror author, and poet. Author of Ghastly Tales of Gaiety and Greed: Unauthorized and Haunted Cedar Point. Semi-finalist in Charlotte Mew chapbook contest. 
avatar for Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

C. O. Davidson’s fiction has appeared in Hard to Find: Anthology of the New Southern, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates, Georgia Gothic, Dark Moon Digest, Black Poppy Review, and Dark Ink’s collection Generation X-ed. She has also co-edited Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable, a collection... Read More →
avatar for Karley Pardue

Karley Pardue

Karley Pardue (she/her) is an author and academic of horror. Her most recent obsession has been dissecting shower scenes from every sexy and violent angle. She has a weakness for vampires, nonlinear plots, and monsters as metaphor. Every October, Karley reviews horror films and other... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 5:15pm - 6:45pm EDT
Thornapple Room

6:00pm EDT

Coming-Of-Age Horror In The Era Of Netflix
The popularity of Stranger Things, IT, and The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina suggests a resurgence in coming-of-age horror. Our panel explores the fascination with—and the allure of—this sub-genre, from its metaphors about puberty and and loss of innocence, to the visceral fears evoked by child endangerment and abuse, to potential opportunities writing fiction in this market.
Moderators
avatar for N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

Nancy Lambert is an author from New York City. As N.R. Lambert, her stories appear or are forthcoming in Lightspeed, VASTARIEN, The Modern Deity’s Guide to Surviving Humanity, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, and elsewhere. She’s also written for Entertainment Weekly, TIME, LIFE... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward is a Sydney-based creative who works in many modes. This August will see the publication of her second poetry collection, *The Macabre Moderne and Other Morbidities* by P'rea Press, following 2011's *The Land of Bad Dreams*. Her novel *Prismatic* (co-authored as Edwina... Read More →
avatar for Tom Deady

Tom Deady

Tom Deady's first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection, and the first book in his middle grade horror series. He has a Master's Degree in English and Creative... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

6:00pm EDT

Reading Block 3
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Amy Grech

Amy Grech

Author/Digital Content Strategist
Amy Grech has sold over 100 stories to various anthologies and magazines including: A New York State of Fright, Apex Magazine, Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled, Dead Harvest, Deadman's Tome Campfire Tales Book Two, Expiration Date, Fright Mare, Hell’s Heart, Needle Magazine, Psycho Holiday... Read More →
PF
avatar for Michael Kozlowski

Michael Kozlowski

Author, M.A.Kozlowski
Mike is a writer of horror and suspense. His sarcastic humor and social opinions regular infiltrate his writing but not overtly so. The primary goal of his writing is to entertain but he also finds it very therapeutic (you just can’t let all that weird stuff pile up in your head).Mike... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

6:00pm EDT

Reserved
Reserved for late addition programming.

Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

6:00pm EDT

The HWA: Days of Future Past
The Horror Writers Association's Board  discusses the HWA's past year, what to expect in 2019, and the long-range goals of the organization.
Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
avatar for Brad C. Hodson

Brad C. Hodson

Administrator, Horror Writers Association
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.


Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

6:00pm EDT

Horror University — How To Pitch A Story
In general, there are four basic pitches you can do to help sell both short and long fiction: two verbal, two written. We will discuss how and why each pitch is used and when. This is a workshop where participants will be asked to present both verbal and written pitches during the workshop based on prompts given.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talentedm award-winning author, editor, and tie-in writer. She is the author of the Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were finalists for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

6:00pm EDT

Omnium Gatherum Book Launch Event
Join Omnium Gatherum in the Crown Foyer (right outside the hall for the opening ceremonies) for cake and cocktails as we celebrate the release of our new books for 2019.  Meet the authors and editors, win prizes and meet and mingle with old friends and new.  

Thursday May 9, 2019 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Crown Foyer

7:00pm EDT

"Whatever Walked There, Walked Alone": Bad Places in Contemporary Horror
Haunted houses, weird landscapes, shopping malls, outer space, and the Internet. These are the “bad places” of contemporary horror, from Hill House to the Southern Reach to the Dark Web. Join us for a discussion of how the “haunted house,” a traditional Gothic setting, has morphed into a place of annihilating terror.
Moderators
avatar for Eli Holden

Eli Holden

Author, Editor, KthonicRaven Press, DragonAss Books
Author, editor, and teacher. Elijah and his beautiful bride have three grown sons and three teen grandchildren. They reside in Virginia with their dogs.

Speakers
MA

Melanie Anderson

Melanie R. Anderson is an associate professor of English at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. In addition to academic publications related to horror and the supernatural, she is the coauthor of Monster, She Wrote. She also cohosts The Monster, She Wrote and Know... Read More →
avatar for Rob E. Boley

Rob E. Boley

I like to make blank pages darker.
avatar for Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing is a Bram Stoker Award® winning novelist and a two-time nominee for the Shirley Jackson Award. Cemetery Dance will be publishing her new novella, The Plastic Priest, this December.
avatar for Usman Malik

Usman Malik

Horror writing, reading. Short fiction. Dark Fantasy. Hauntings and haunted houses. Global horror.
avatar for Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

C. O. Davidson’s fiction has appeared in Hard to Find: Anthology of the New Southern, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates, Georgia Gothic, Dark Moon Digest, Black Poppy Review, and Dark Ink’s collection Generation X-ed. She has also co-edited Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable, a collection... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

7:00pm EDT

Be A Diamond In The Slush Pile Rough
Tired of getting lost in the stack of unread submissions? Do you want your work to stand out as the diamond in the rough? Learn the top editing tips that can help you rise above the slush pile and get published.



Moderators
avatar for J. L. Gribble

J. L. Gribble

writer, Raw Dog Screaming Press
J.L. Gribble writes the urban fantasy/alternate history Steel Empires series, which includes Steel Victory, Steel Magic, Steel Blood, and Steel Time. Her other jobs include medical editing, Netflix watching, cat snuggling, and blogging for SpeculativeChic.com. You can find her at... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Michael Cieslak

Michael Cieslak

Editor in Chief, Dragon's Roost Press
Michael Cieslak is a lifetime reader and writer of horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. A native of Detroit, he still lives with his wife and their dog Tesla (named for the inventor, natch) in a house is covered in Halloween decorations in October and dragons the rest of the... Read More →
avatar for Norman Prentiss

Norman Prentiss

NORMAN PRENTISS is the author of ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, THE APOCALYPSE-A-DAY DESK CALENDAR, and LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, and he won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for INVISIBLE FENCES, published by Cemetery Dance (www.cemeterydance.com... Read More →
avatar for J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including FORSAKEN and THE FOURTH MONKEY. His latest novel, DRACUL, co-authored with Dacre Stoker, released October 2018. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into... Read More →
avatar for April Grey

April Grey

April Grey's short stories can be found in various anthologies, both in print and on-line. Her collections of short stories, The Fairy Cake Bake Shoppe, and I'll Love You Forever are also available through Amazon. She is the editor of Hell's Garden: Bad, Mad and Ghostly Gardeners... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

7:00pm EDT

Guest of Honor Welcome Event—By Invitation Only
By Invitation Only.
Speakers
avatar for Nicholas Diak

Nicholas Diak

Co-Chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conf.
Pop culture studies, Italian genre films, industrial and synthwave music, tiki culture, pinup art and photography, cooking, cocktails, H. P. Lovecraft, sword and sandal genre, video games, retro games, and cats. Cohost of the HP Lovecast Podcast.
avatar for Michele Brittany

Michele Brittany

Co-chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference
Michele Brittany is a writer, editor, podcaster, photographer, and independent scholar.  Her interests include spy cinema, horror studies, and mummy representation in popular culture.  Her first edited book was James Bond and Popular Culture, followed by the Bram Stoker Award nominated... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →
avatar for Lee Murray

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 →
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →
avatar for Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h, short fiction for more than forty years. She currently acquires short fiction and novellas for Tor.com. She’s edited more than one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series and has won multiple awards for... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.
avatar for Brad C. Hodson

Brad C. Hodson

Administrator, Horror Writers Association
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Rena Mason
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

7:00pm EDT

Reading Block 4
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for John F. D. Taff
avatar for Megan Hart

Megan Hart

Megan Hart writes books. Some of them use bad words, but most of the other words are okay. She writes a little bit of everything from steamy romance to psychological horror (and domestic suspense as Mina Hardy.)
avatar for Violet Castro

Violet Castro

Author of Maria The Wanted and the Legacy of The Keeper


Thursday May 9, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

8:00pm EDT

Opening Ceremonies
StokerCon™ 2019 Opening Ceremonies. Join us to cheer the start of the convention, welcome our guests of honor, mingle with other attendees, and find out what's in store for StokerCon™ 2019. Appetizers will be served, and a cash bar will be available for drink purchases.
Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →


Thursday May 9, 2019 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

11:00pm EDT

Midnight Special: Dramatic Reading — Unbury Carol
"The last thing I wanna see is myself at a podium, awkwardly trekking through what should be an immersive, electric story."
                                                                                                                                    –Josh Malerman

From the day his first book, Bird Box, was released, Malerman eschewed the traditional (and practical) ways of a public reading, opting instead for something closer to Grand Guignol theater. Using live actors, live music, costumes, and props, Malerman and his crew of freakish friends (featuring fiancé Allison Laakko most of all) have been recreating scenes from his books on stage. Sometimes this re-creation is literal; others, like with Unbury Carol, find the performance a bit more meta, as the scenes come to life around Malerman, who seemingly creates them as the reading unfolds.

Catch this thrilling, unique, and even important performance as Malerman and crew change what readers and writers can expect from a book tour, and the way in which that book is presented.
Moderators
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →


Thursday May 9, 2019 11:00pm - Friday May 10, 2019 12:00am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West
 
Friday, May 10
 

8:00am EDT

Horror University — Beyond Branding: Discovering the Writer You're Meant to Be.
While the development of an “author brand” can be helpful for many writers, it can also be restricting and reductive. This workshop will help participants discover (or re-discover) their unique creative identity, and how to use that identity as a guide to developing meaningful writing goals.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.

Speakers
avatar for Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing is a Bram Stoker Award® winning novelist and a two-time nominee for the Shirley Jackson Award. Cemetery Dance will be publishing her new novella, The Plastic Priest, this December.


Friday May 10, 2019 8:00am - 10:00am EDT
Heritage Hill Room

8:00am EDT

Hospitality Room — Sponsored by Cutting Block Books
A place to rest and recharge. Coffee in the morning. Water in the afternoon.

Friday May 10, 2019 8:00am - 4:00pm EDT
Ruby Room

9:00am EDT

Circle of Confusion and the HWA
The HWA recently partnered with Circle of Confusion, the group behind Outcast, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and the hit television series, The Walking Dead. Come meet Antonio D'Intino, Circle of Confusion's literary manager, as he, HWA President Lisa Morton and Vice President John Palisano discuss the benefits of this exciting new partnership, including a special announcement you will not want to miss.
Speakers
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

Author of four novels and 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and parnormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association.
avatar for Antonio D'Intino


Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Emerald Room

9:00am EDT

Librarians Day — Even Immortals Have Their Beginnings: The Research and Writing of Dracul
The story and images behind the research and writing of DRACUL, by international best-selling authors Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker. This multimedia presentation contains Bram Stoker's own notes, insight into the 101 missing pages from the DRACULA manuscript, the recently discovered "sister edition" of DRACULA in Iceland and Sweden, and Stoker family tales that function as a backdrop for the fictional plot.

When DRACULA, a compilation of the Harker Papers and other related accounts, was first published in 1897, the first 101 pages of the novel were excised from the text, believed to be too frightening, too dark, for the masses. Bram Stoker never meant for his words to disappear, only sleep, waiting until it was time. More than 100 years would pass before they would rise again, drawing breath between these pages. A story only he could tell, a warning of sorts.

Speakers
avatar for J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including FORSAKEN and THE FOURTH MONKEY. His latest novel, DRACUL, co-authored with Dacre Stoker, released October 2018. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into... Read More →
avatar for Dacre Stoker

Dacre Stoker

Author
I am the great grand nephew of Bram Stoker. I have co authored The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker, The Dublin Years (non fiction) with Dr. Elizabeth Miller 2012. I have co authored Dracul (fiction) with JD Barker, it is a Bram Stoker Award finalist for best novel this year. I lead tours... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

9:00am EDT

Reading Block 5
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Kathleen Kaufman
avatar for Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward is a Sydney-based creative who works in many modes. This August will see the publication of her second poetry collection, *The Macabre Moderne and Other Morbidities* by P'rea Press, following 2011's *The Land of Bad Dreams*. Her novel *Prismatic* (co-authored as Edwina... Read More →
KM


Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Winchester Room

9:00am EDT

Reserved for HWA Board and Stokercon™ Business
The room will be reserved for HWA board and StokerCon business.

Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Berkey Room

9:00am EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 5 — Myth and Femininity
Panel Chair: Rhonda Jackson
  • Anthony Gombol, “The Genesis of Myth”
  • Carina Bissett, “Fragmenting the Female in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”
  • Rhonda Jackson, “Rendering the Invisible Visible: Black Femininity in Horror”
  • Michele Brittany, “Bringing to Light the Darkness of Garth Ennis’ Sci-Fi Space Horror Caliban”

Moderators
avatar for Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

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 →

Speakers
AG
avatar for Michele Brittany

Michele Brittany

Co-chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference
Michele Brittany is a writer, editor, podcaster, photographer, and independent scholar.  Her interests include spy cinema, horror studies, and mummy representation in popular culture.  Her first edited book was James Bond and Popular Culture, followed by the Bram Stoker Award nominated... Read More →
avatar for Carina Bissett

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium
Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Thornapple Room

9:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Friday May 10, 2019 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
Registration Counter 2

10:00am EDT

Historical Horror: Inspiration, Research, and Storytelling
Drawing inspiration from historical events can provide writers with a rich arena in which to create incredible stories, whether based loosely or more closely on the past. Why are we so interested in true crime, serial killers, and the blood of the past? How can we avoid falling down the research rabbit hole and never emerging? Are there certain past events we shouldn’t use in our writing? During this session, our panelists will discuss their thoughts on our lure into true horror, research tactics, inspiration from their own work, notable writers of historical horror fiction, when to stop researching and start writing, and much more.
Moderators
avatar for Sara Tantlinger

Sara Tantlinger

Co-Chair, StokerCon® 2023
Sara Tantlinger is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, and the Stoker-nominated works To Be Devoured and Cradleland of Parasites. She has also edited Not All Monsters and Chromophobia. She is an active HWA member... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Kathleen Kaufman
avatar for Lisa Kröger

Lisa Kröger

Trustee, Horror Writers Association
Horror writer. Author of MONSTER, SHE WROTE and TOIL AND TROUBLE. Cohost of the Know Fear Cast and The Monster, She Wrote podcast.
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

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 →
avatar for Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Emerald Room

10:00am EDT

Reading Block 6
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Norman Prentiss

Norman Prentiss

NORMAN PRENTISS is the author of ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, THE APOCALYPSE-A-DAY DESK CALENDAR, and LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, and he won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for INVISIBLE FENCES, published by Cemetery Dance (www.cemeterydance.com... Read More →
avatar for Bill Bodden

Bill Bodden

Writer working on honing his skills. Have two short stories published (and counting!) both horror/dark fantasy. Most of my writing work has been in the tabletop gaming field, including work for Onyx Path/White Wolf, Modiphius Entertainment (for their World War 2/Cthulhu mashup, Achtung... Read More →
avatar for John R. Little


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Winchester Room

10:00am EDT

The Press Kit That Ate New York
Behind you! Look out it's... a PRESS KIT! Huh? Press Kit? What is that? Why should writers even care? Join Matt Betts as he discusses what makes up a basic press kit (or media kit), how to put one together, and how to use one effectively to get interviews and speaking engagements.
Speakers
MB


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Grand View Room B-C

10:00am EDT

The Writer's Process
Writers can get in their own way. They do it all the time by mishandling their writing time, not understanding how the business works, having a faulty process, and more. All of that is fixable as long as you know how to do it! This presentation discusses how to run your writing life as a business, how to assess and improve your process, time management, resources for writers, managing social media, personal branding, business etiquette and more.
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Grand View Room A

10:00am EDT

Horror University — Writing Characters of Color
As our world is diverse, our writing should reflect that diversity. This workshop is designed to help you write fleshed-out realistic characters of color by building a complex backstory, while avoiding stereotypes.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for John Edward Lawson

John Edward Lawson

Co-Founder, Raw Dog Screaming Press
John Edward Lawson was born in Washington, DC and currently divides his time between Bowie, Maryland and Broadkill Beach, Delaware. Over 500 stories, poems, and articles have been published worldwide. While he has been called “The forgotten black man of horror” he also regularly... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

10:00am EDT

Dealer Room
Dealer Room Open

Friday May 10, 2019 10:00am - 7:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

10:15am EDT

Librarians Day — Fandom Programs @ Your Library
Emily Vinci, a national expert at fandom programming in libraries, will lead a panel of experts, including local library workers, authors, and publishers as they share their secrets to providing programming for fandom communities, regardless of genre and across all age ranges. Confirmed to appear and share their experiences are Konrad Stump from the Springfield-Greene County Library District in Missouri and Rebecca Baumann from the Lilly Library and Indiana University.
Moderators
avatar for Emily Vinci

Emily Vinci

Fiction Manager, Schaumburg Township District Library
Librarian, writer, collector, VHS devotee, pop culture junkieDo you want to hear about my Jurassic Park VHS collection??

Speakers
avatar for Rebecca Baumann

Rebecca Baumann

Head of Public Services, Lilly Library, Indiana University
Rebecca Baumann is the Head of Public Services at the Lilly Library of Indiana University. Rebecca has worked in a number of positions at the Lilly Library since 2012, and she is obsessively passionate about sharing the library’s eclectic and wide-ranging collections with visitors... Read More →
avatar for Konrad Stump

Konrad Stump

HWA Library Committee Co-Chair, The Springfield-Greene County Library
Co-Chair of the Horror Writers Association's Library Committee and co-coordinator of StokerCon’s Librarians’ Day and the HWA’s Summer Scares program. Creator of Springfield-Greene County Library's horror book discussion group, Donuts & Death, featured in 417 Magazine, Feast... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

10:45am EDT

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference: Panel 6 — Creeping, Crawling, Cosmic Monsters
Panel Chair: Rocky Colavito
  • Douglas Ford, “Of All Nights in the Year: Walpurgis Night and ‘Young Goodman Brown’”
  • Rebecca Baumann, “’A Splotch, a Blotch’: The Protoplasmic Monster”
  • Nicholas Diak, “Cullzathro Fhtagn! Magnifying the Carnivalesque in Lovecraft Through the Comic Book Vinegar Teeth”
  • Rocky Colavito, “’A Mechanical Semblance of Life’: Reading Get Out Through the Lenses of Post-Colonial, Appropriation, and Zombie Studies”

Moderators
RC

Rocky Colavito

Professor of English, Butler University
Horror Scholarship, Grindhouse films, teaching horror, teaching horror writing, horror as a genre, adaptation and appropriation, and rookie horror author.

Speakers
avatar for Douglas Ford
avatar for Rebecca Baumann

Rebecca Baumann

Head of Public Services, Lilly Library, Indiana University
Rebecca Baumann is the Head of Public Services at the Lilly Library of Indiana University. Rebecca has worked in a number of positions at the Lilly Library since 2012, and she is obsessively passionate about sharing the library’s eclectic and wide-ranging collections with visitors... Read More →
avatar for Nicholas Diak

Nicholas Diak

Co-Chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conf.
Pop culture studies, Italian genre films, industrial and synthwave music, tiki culture, pinup art and photography, cooking, cocktails, H. P. Lovecraft, sword and sandal genre, video games, retro games, and cats. Cohost of the HP Lovecast Podcast.


Friday May 10, 2019 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Thornapple Room

11:00am EDT

Ambiguously Haunted Houses
2019 marks the 120th and 60th anniversaries of The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House, respectively. Both are renowned classics in horror literature, both were recently adapted anew for television, and both feature haunted houses--or do they? Each novel remains open-ended as to whether the purported ghosts actually exist or are products of the characters' imaginations, relying on subtlety and unreliable narrators rather than gore or explicit, externalized terrors to make an impact.  This panel will explore the enduring appeal of both works. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the merits of the various adaptations of each novel, as well as similar novels and films within the genre. Further, the discussion can address relevant storytelling aspects (e.g., When is less more? When does ambiguity enrich a story and when does it confuse the audience?).
Moderators
avatar for Marc Abbott

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
AT
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

11:00am EDT

Ask the Agent!
Literary Agent Cherry Weiner will take your questions about publishing, what to expect from the relationship with your agent, or any other questions you may have. Don't miss this rare opportunity to ask an agent directly.
Speakers
avatar for Cherry Weiner

Cherry Weiner

owner, Cherry Weiner Literary Agency
Cherry Weiner grew up in Australia, lived in Europe for three and a half years and moved to American when she married her husband Jack.  She has been agenting since 1977, when she was fired by her boss the well-known Robert P. Mills. Mills’ famous clients (she will not drop any... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

11:00am EDT

Meeting of the Ohio Chapter of the HWA
A general meeting of the Ohio Branch of the HWA. Anyone is welcome to attend and meet the chapter members.

Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

11:00am EDT

Reading Block 7
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

I've published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. I write original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and my articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. I've won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA’s Mentor of the Year Award, been... Read More →
avatar for John Skipp
AC


Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

11:00am EDT

Writing to Prompts: Prose, Poetry, and Sources of Inspiration
We will discuss the difference between writing longer stories and writing flash/short fiction or prose poetry. Panelists will select examples to read (either their own or by another author) to demonstrate how short fiction works. Writing to visual or other prompts, such as those provided for Ladies of Horror Facebook group, will be explored. Open to audience questions or comments.
Moderators
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Karen Bovenmyer

Karen Bovenmyer

Assistant Editor, PseudoPod Horror Podcast Magazine
Karen Bovenmyer earned an MFA in Creative Writing: Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine. She teaches and mentors students at Iowa State University and serves as the Assistant Editor of Escape Artists’ Mothership Zeta Magazine. She is the 2016 recipient of the Horror... Read More →
avatar for Michael Bailey

Michael Bailey

Senior Editor, Written Backwards
Michael Bailey is a writer, editor who lives near the Caribbean Sea in Costa Rica. He is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award (and nine-time finalist), Benjamin Franklin Award, a four-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and an insane number of independent accolades. Publications include Palindrome... Read More →
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.
avatar for Michael Arnzen

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 →
avatar for Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith

Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Space & Time Magazine
Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Shimanchu-American and an award-winning poet, author, and publisher with 20+ years of experience as a professional writer in nonfiction. A three-time Bram Stoker Awards® Finalist for excellence in long fiction (Bitter Suites, 2018), excellence... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

11:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Friday May 10, 2019 11:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

11:30am EDT

Librarians Day — Introducing Summer Scares a horror reading program for libraries presented by the Horror Writers Association in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Library Journal/School Library Journal.
Join Summer Scares committee members Becky Spratford, Grady Hendrix, J.G. Faherty, and Carolyn Ciesla as they introduce you to both the titles and some of the authors identified as official 2019 inaugural “Summer Scares Selections.”
Speakers
CC
avatar for SGJ

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →
avatar for Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix

I own too many paperbacks and write too many books. I apologize for both of these sins.
avatar for Daniel Kraus

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 →
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

12:00pm EDT

Creature Feature Fiction
From amorphic blob to prehistoric beasts and rampaging apes, and even the humble rat, the creature feature has become a staple of horror fiction. What is it about creature feature fiction that continues to appeal to readers and movie goers alike? What are the key elements of an engaging creature feature story? And is it all just pulpy fun or can it also be high prose?
Moderators
avatar for Lee Murray

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 →

Speakers
TF
avatar for F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, bestselling author of 60 books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between.      His novels The Keep, The Tomb, Harbingers, By the Sword, The Dark at the... Read More →
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

I've published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. I write original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and my articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. I've won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA’s Mentor of the Year Award, been... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for Rena Mason
MB


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

12:00pm EDT

HWA Scholarships: How Do I Get Me One Of Those?
The HWA offers several scholarships to its members: the HWA Scholarship, the Mary Shelley Scholarship, the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship for Non-Fiction Writing, the Dark Poetry Scholarship, the Scholarship From Hell, and the Young Adults Write Now Endowment Program. But what are they, and what do they offer? Our panelists discuss each scholarship, how to apply, and strategic tips to make your application survive the first round of cuts.

Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for Carina Bissett

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium
Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial... Read More →
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

12:00pm EDT

Promoting Your Work
Explore the various ways you can promote your work: what to do, when to do it, here are some ideas for how to go about it. How do first-time authors get their work noticed? Moderated by publicist Beverly Bambury, our panel will discuss what has and hasn't worked for them, and where social media comes into the promotional game.



Moderators
avatar for Beverly Bambury

Beverly Bambury

Beverly Bambury Publicity
Beverly Bambury has been a book publicist since 2012. She has worked with writers from most genres, including horror, mystery, crime, SFF, and others. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Beverly resides in Brampton, Ontario. She lives there with her husband, teenage stepson, two very... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Mark Matthews

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 Garden of Fiends: Tales of... Read More →
avatar for Zoje Stage

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.
avatar for Jennifer Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes is managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press which has been publishing off-kilter books for nearly two decades. She spent four years as an editor for The Dream People Literary Magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen... Read More →
avatar for Brian Kirk

Brian Kirk

Hi. My name is Brian Kirk, and I write strange, often scary stories.My debut novel, We Are Monsters, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in the first novel category. And my short fiction has been published in several notable magazines and anthologies, such as Gutted: Beautiful... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

12:00pm EDT

Reading Block 8
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand

Five-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. One-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Ten-time (!) Bram Stoker Award Master of Ceremonies.Author of plentiful books for your reading pleasure, including Pressure, Dweller, My Pretties, Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Clowns Vs. Spiders... Read More →
avatar for J. L. Gribble

J. L. Gribble

writer, Raw Dog Screaming Press
J.L. Gribble writes the urban fantasy/alternate history Steel Empires series, which includes Steel Victory, Steel Magic, Steel Blood, and Steel Time. Her other jobs include medical editing, Netflix watching, cat snuggling, and blogging for SpeculativeChic.com. You can find her at... Read More →
avatar for Peggy Christie


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

12:00pm EDT

Turn Your Fictional World Into an RPG
Do you have a rich world in which you write your novels and short stories? Would you like to develop another income stream? Would you like to give your readers another way to enjoy your world and the characters that live there? Would you like another avenue through which to pollinate your promotions? Why not turn it into a tabletop roleplaying setting? You have an array of options for doing so. Let's talk about what they are, explore some ideas, and see if you can get inspired!
Moderators
avatar for Angel McCoy

Speakers
avatar for Joanna Nelius

Joanna Nelius

Joanna earned her MFA from Chapman University. She has been writing about video games since 2015 and is currently a staff writer at PC Gamer, where she mostly writes about computer hardware, The Sims 4, and Vampire: The Masquerade. (You can find her reviews in Maximum PC, as well... Read More →
avatar for Bill Bodden

Bill Bodden

Writer working on honing his skills. Have two short stories published (and counting!) both horror/dark fantasy. Most of my writing work has been in the tabletop gaming field, including work for Onyx Path/White Wolf, Modiphius Entertainment (for their World War 2/Cthulhu mashup, Achtung... Read More →
avatar for Donald J. Bingle

Donald J. Bingle

Writer on Demand TM
Writer on Demand TM of short stories, novellas, screenplays, novels, and more in the horror, thriller, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk genres. Editor of Familiar Spirits, an anthology of ghost stories. Occasional ghostwriter. World's top-ranked player of classic RPG... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talentedm award-winning author, editor, and tie-in writer. She is the author of the Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were finalists for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

12:00pm EDT

Horror University — Novel Writing with Scrivener Software
A general overview of using Scrivener software to research, outline, write and compile a novel.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for Steven Hopstaken

Steven Hopstaken

Author
Co-author of "Stoker's Wilde". The third book in the series, "Land of the Dead came out from Flame Tree Press on April 26, 2012. My fourth book, "A Man Among Ghosts" has been purchased by Flame Tree and will be out sometime in 2023.Stoker's Wilde:Years before either becomes a literary... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

12:30pm EDT

Librarians Day — Lunch and Meet Gabino Iglesias
Please enjoy the buffet lunch included in your registration and take time to network with your colleagues and our panelists. Then at 1:30, join librarian, author, and 2017 HWA Mary Shelley Scholarship Recipient, A.E. Siraki as she interviews Gabino Iglesias, live on stage. Gabino is a critically acclaimed novelist and reviewer whose critical pieces have appeared in among other places, LitReactor, The LA Times, and NPR. They will talk about literary criticism and genre, the writing world from the perspective of marginalized authors, and more. This will be a frank and fun conversation you will not want to miss.
Speakers
avatar for Gabino Iglesias


Friday May 10, 2019 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

1:00pm EDT

Body Modification: It's More Than Just Earrings And Tongue Studs
The art and practice of body modification is as old as human history itself, yet many horror writers only delve into the superficial aspects of the ancient practice. Besides the low hanging fruits of fantastical tattoos and ritual suspensions, body modification is ripe with horrific imagery and terrifying concepts, from self-amputations to flaming urethral implants that horror writers can incorporate into their work and bring their writing to the next dark level.
Moderators
ER

Speakers
avatar for Donna Lynch

Donna Lynch

Body horror, psychological horror, ghosts, witches, music, horror films, geography
avatar for Gwendolyn Kiste

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

1:00pm EDT

Creating The Collection: Collaborative Anthology Publishing Projects
Indie publishing is no longer a dirty word and has instead become a viable option for writers looking to get their works out into the world. One of the ways to utilize the new platform is through collaborative works. Learn the pros and cons of joining forces to create an independently published anthology, what to watch out for, what mistakes to avoid and how to make the project a fun success for everyone involved. It's not the right choice for everyone, but it might be the right one for you.
Moderators
avatar for Megan Hart

Megan Hart

Megan Hart writes books. Some of them use bad words, but most of the other words are okay. She writes a little bit of everything from steamy romance to psychological horror (and domestic suspense as Mina Hardy.)

Speakers
avatar for Erik T Johnson

Erik T Johnson

SpecFic Writer, Writer
I am an author from Brooklyn, NYC, whose work has appeared in many excellent literary periodicals and anthologies, including all volumes of Written Backwards' Chiral Mad series, and the #1 Amazon bestseller, I Can Taste the Blood, a five-author novella collection including Josh Malerman... Read More →
avatar for Brian Kirk

Brian Kirk

Hi. My name is Brian Kirk, and I write strange, often scary stories.My debut novel, We Are Monsters, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in the first novel category. And my short fiction has been published in several notable magazines and anthologies, such as Gutted: Beautiful... Read More →
avatar for John F. D. Taff
avatar for Rob E. Boley

Rob E. Boley

I like to make blank pages darker.
avatar for Rena Mason


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

1:00pm EDT

Flash Fiction for Fun and Profit
"Flash fiction is so hot right now." Mugatu  

Strengthen your writing skills, rack up writing credits, play with a new form that is finding more and more traction in the changing spec fic world. Come learn about flash fiction, suitable markets, and maybe write a piece of your own before you go.
Moderators
avatar for Munro, Donna

Munro, Donna

1003-TEACHERS-HS(9/15-8/31), EHS

Speakers
avatar for Asher Ellis

Asher Ellis

Vermonter, educator, screenwriter and noveler. Er, I mean, novelist. Author of THE REMEDY (Full Fathom Five), the forthcoming PET (Stitched Smile), and screenwriter of the award-winning films EXIT 7A (Hammer & Saw ) and MY NAME IS ART (Think Speak Films). Stories have most recently... Read More →
avatar for Michael Arnzen

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

1:00pm EDT

Magick: A Seminar of the Occult
An introduction and accurate explanation of the Western Magical tradition. From the sacred geometry of the Qabalah, to the symbolic language of the Tarot, we will explore the history, tools and uses of High Magic. Circles, wands, and sacred names are just the outer signs of a deep associative philosophy that shapes will into reality.
Speakers
avatar for Johnny Worthen

Johnny Worthen

Author
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

1:00pm EDT

Out There In The Dark: Horror — The Original Literature
From the earliest cave paintings to the introduction of Frankenstein's monster two hundred years ago, horror has been a part of literature from the beginning. Join our guests of honor as they discuss horror throughout the ages and the impact it has had on literature, specifically, and on culture, in general.
Moderators
avatar for Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

1:00pm EDT

Reading Block 9
Reading Block 
Speakers
TF
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

1:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Friday May 10, 2019 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

2:00pm EDT

Beyond The Sale: Working With Editors
We all hope to make that first sale. But what happens next? Enter the editor. Our panel will discuss what authors should know about the editorial process, how it can differ by editor or publication, how to accept and incorporate edits into your work without losing your voice or intent, what editors expect of authors in a professional sense, and how to protect your work from unprofessional editing.
Moderators
avatar for Michael Bailey

Michael Bailey

Senior Editor, Written Backwards
Michael Bailey is a writer, editor who lives near the Caribbean Sea in Costa Rica. He is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award (and nine-time finalist), Benjamin Franklin Award, a four-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and an insane number of independent accolades. Publications include Palindrome... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes is managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press which has been publishing off-kilter books for nearly two decades. She spent four years as an editor for The Dream People Literary Magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen... Read More →
avatar for Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h, short fiction for more than forty years. She currently acquires short fiction and novellas for Tor.com. She’s edited more than one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series and has won multiple awards for... Read More →
avatar for Leza Cantoral

Leza Cantoral

Publisher, CLASH Books
I am the publisher of CLASH Books & also an author. I'm into poetry, witchcraft & weird fiction. I'm the editor of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath & author of Cartoons in the Suicide Forest.
avatar for Don D'Auria

Don D'Auria

Executive Editor, Flame Tree Press
For fifteen years, Don D’Auria directed Leisure Books’ horror line, which Rue Morgue magazine called “the champion of paperback horror.” Don went on to launch and direct for six years Samhain Publishing’s horror line, described by Famous Monsters as “one of the premiere... Read More →
avatar for Kate Jonez

Kate Jonez

Chief Editor, Omnium Gatherum
Kate Jonez is the Chief Editor at Omnium Gatherum. Omnium Gatherum publishes horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction.


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

2:00pm EDT

Facts in Fiction: Drawing Readers Into Your Fantasy World By Telling Them the Truth
When the world and the characters in your fiction are so believable that they seem real, your reader is primed to accept every fantastical, spooky, or otherworldly event and creature you weave into your story. But how to get the facts we need to enhance our writing without spending months on research? The answer is to go directly to the source.   For her magical realism trilogy, The Secret Spice Cafe, author Patricia V. Davis was able to procure an interview (and a book blurb) from the greatest living magician in the world, David Copperfield, a private hour with a genuine, reclusive voodoo priestess who revealed secret rituals, a podcast interview with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Mark B. Perry (Ghost Whisperer) and several other busy and guarded professionals who are hard to reach. How does a midlist author make these valuable connections without spending thousands of dollars for publicists who have those contacts? In this workshop, she'll tell you just what she does---the right and wrong ways to approach people, and how you can do it too.


Speakers
avatar for Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis is the author of COOKING FOR GHOSTS, SPELLS & OREGANO, and DEMONS, WEEL-SEASONED, a trilogy of magical realism novels set aboard the haunted RMS Queen Mary. The audiobook versions were released in 2020 by Tantor Media.  Patricia wrote and produced the screenplay... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

2:00pm EDT

Horror Comics in the New Millennium
In the 1950s, horror comics employed the commonly horrific—vampires, zombies, ghosts, werewolves—to explore themes of paranoia/McCarthyism, threats of foreign invasion, the dangers of promiscuity. Changes in Post-World War II society that some people saw as threatening the status quo.  In the new millennia, comics like Come Into Me (social media) and Infidel (racism) have risen in popularity and explore new social issues. Join our panelists as they discuss this how the themes of horror comics have changed over the years, and what they think the future holds.
Moderators
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

C. O. Davidson’s fiction has appeared in Hard to Find: Anthology of the New Southern, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates, Georgia Gothic, Dark Moon Digest, Black Poppy Review, and Dark Ink’s collection Generation X-ed. She has also co-edited Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable, a collection... Read More →
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →
avatar for SGJ

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones
avatar for Chad Stroup

Chad Stroup

Chad Stroup is the author of the novels Secrets of the Weird (Grey Matter Press) and Sexy Leper (Bizarro Pulp Press). His stories have appeared in various anthologies, such as Chiral Mad 4, Lost Films, and Splatterlands, and his debut comic series, Hag, is forthcoming from American... Read More →
avatar for Michele Brittany

Michele Brittany

Co-chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference
Michele Brittany is a writer, editor, podcaster, photographer, and independent scholar.  Her interests include spy cinema, horror studies, and mummy representation in popular culture.  Her first edited book was James Bond and Popular Culture, followed by the Bram Stoker Award nominated... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

2:00pm EDT

Reading Block 10
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
avatar for Carol Gyzander

Carol Gyzander

Carol writes horror, dark fiction, and sci-fi/cyberpunk. She's the Co-Chair of HWA NY Chapter and co-host of HWA NY Galactic Terrors reading series, as well as one of the HWA Chapter Program Co-Managers, supporting chapters in the US.Her story, "The Yellow Crown," was nominated for... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

2:00pm EDT

The Lifetime Achievement Award: An Exploration and Celebration
Lifetime Achievement Award Committee Chair John R. Little explores the history and process of selecting the Horror Writers Associations' prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Joining him are HWA President Lisa Morton, past committee chair Patrick Freivald, and previous winners* Robert R. McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, and Thomas F. Monteleone.

*Lifetime Achievement Award winners Ellen Datlow and Linda Addison have scheduling conflicts which prevent them from attending this panel. We explored changing the time to accommodate Ellen and Linda, but due to the late date, any change resulted in myriad other scheduling complications and ultimately proved impossible.
Moderators
avatar for John R. Little

Speakers
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →
TF
PF
avatar for F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, bestselling author of 60 books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between.      His novels The Keep, The Tomb, Harbingers, By the Sword, The Dark at the... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

2:00pm EDT

Writing Horror For Kids and Teens
Kids love scary stories. But how dark is too dark? Our panelists discuss how to write entertaining, age-appropriate horror literature for younger readers, including the upcoming HWA members only anthology, New Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.
Moderators
avatar for N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

Nancy Lambert is an author from New York City. As N.R. Lambert, her stories appear or are forthcoming in Lightspeed, VASTARIEN, The Modern Deity’s Guide to Surviving Humanity, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, and elsewhere. She’s also written for Entertainment Weekly, TIME, LIFE... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A. Snyder is the five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the poetry collection Exposed Nerves and the forthcoming Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for Daniel Kraus

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 →
avatar for Gaby Triana

Gaby Triana

Gaby Triana is the Cuban-American author of 22 books for adults and teens, including Moon Child, Island of Bones, River of Ghosts, City of Spells, Wake the Hollow, Cubanita, and Summer of Yesterday. Her short stories have appeared in Classic Monsters Unleashed, A Tribute to Alvin... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

2:00pm EDT

Horror University — Master Plotting Crash Course
Learn Skipp’s ultimate tag team storyboarding technique! You’ll uncover more about your next novel or screenplay in two short hours than you can possibly believe, and walk away with huge chunks of your outline in hand. The tricks you learn in this class will last you a lifetime.
Course requirements: pack of 3 inch X 5 inch index cards (at least a hundred), one bold Sharpie, your best penmanship, and a story you’re excited to tell.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.


Speakers
avatar for John Skipp


Friday May 10, 2019 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

2:15pm EDT

Librarians Day — Podcasting 101
Join award winning Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror writer and editor, as well as podcaster [Eating the Fantastic] Scott Edelman as he moderates a panel about those who have started their own successful podcasts and YouTube book channels. Already confirmed to appear is author and podcaster Brian Keene, as well as Lisa Quigley and Mackenzie Kiera, the team behind the popular Ladies of the Fright podcast.

Moderators
avatar for Scott Edelman

Speakers
MK

Mackenzie Kiera

Editor and Co-host, Ladies of the Fright
Talk to us about all things dark and stormy.
avatar for Lisa Quigley
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

3:00pm EDT

Beta Readers: The Secret to Better Writing
Twelve eyes are better than two! Self-editing can only get a writer so far; having good beta readers to review your work can make the difference between getting that story or novel published or having it produce nothing but rejection letters. A panel of award-nominated and award-winning writers will provide insight not only on how to effectively beta read, but also what to look for when seeking out beta readers.
Moderators
avatar for Rena Mason

Speakers
CM
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
PF


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

3:00pm EDT

Exit Stage Death: Writing Horror for the Stage
Theater brings a proximity to the audience that movies simply cannot replicate. The recent success of Hamilton shows that people still crave live interaction. Even Guest of Honor Josh Malerman chose to contribute a stage play for the souvenir book. Horror theater is alive and well! Panelists will discuss the history, theory, and practice of putting elements designed to cause fear on the stage, as well as the challenges of adaptation, practical tips on how to write scary for the stage, and how to confront the challenges of writing plays for audiences raised on cinema and television.
Moderators
avatar for Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward is a Sydney-based creative who works in many modes. This August will see the publication of her second poetry collection, *The Macabre Moderne and Other Morbidities* by P'rea Press, following 2011's *The Land of Bad Dreams*. Her novel *Prismatic* (co-authored as Edwina... Read More →
avatar for April Grey

April Grey

April Grey's short stories can be found in various anthologies, both in print and on-line. Her collections of short stories, The Fairy Cake Bake Shoppe, and I'll Love You Forever are also available through Amazon. She is the editor of Hell's Garden: Bad, Mad and Ghostly Gardeners... Read More →
avatar for Brad C. Hodson

Brad C. Hodson

Administrator, Horror Writers Association


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

3:00pm EDT

Reading Block 11
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Donna Lynch

Donna Lynch

Body horror, psychological horror, ghosts, witches, music, horror films, geography
avatar for Sara Tantlinger

Sara Tantlinger

Co-Chair, StokerCon® 2023
Sara Tantlinger is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, and the Stoker-nominated works To Be Devoured and Cradleland of Parasites. She has also edited Not All Monsters and Chromophobia. She is an active HWA member... Read More →
avatar for Saba Syed Razvi

Saba Syed Razvi

Saba Syed Razvi is the author of the Elgin Award-nominated collection In the Crocodile Gardens and the collection heliophobia, which appeared on the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry, as well as the chapbooks Limerence & Lux, Of the Divining... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

3:00pm EDT

Representation in Horror: Writing Disabled, Disfigured, and Chronically Ill Characters CANCELLED
The horror genre is full of disabled, disfigured, and chronically ill characters (e.g. A Quiet Place, Misery, Hush, The Shape of Water, and Before I Wake—just to name a few). But sometimes these portrayals fall short, playing into negative stereotypes or falling into “inspiration porn” that actually perpetuates stigma against disabled people. As horror writers, we can do better. At this panel, we’ll tackle a number of questions, including: What are some good (and bad) examples of disabled representation? What are the big pitfalls to be aware of, and how can a writer avoid them? Why does good representation matter? And, what are some tools that a writer can employ while creating a unique cast that is inclusive of these types of characters?
Moderators
avatar for KM Hammond

KM Hammond

Attendee
Writer. Cancer survivor. I'm sure I'll come up with something witty or impressive to put here later. :)

Speakers
RL


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

3:00pm EDT

The Truth Inside the Lie: An Examination of Peter Straub's Use of the Unreliable Narrator
Ghost Story. Koko. lost boy, lost girl. In The Room. The Throat. Common among these Peter Straub novels is one thing: the unreliable narrator. Someone who cannot be completely trusted in a story. The unreliable narrator confuses readers, leaves them unsettled about his role—what he is about and what are his goals. This creates an atmosphere of psychological tension throughout the novels, especially The Throat. Our panelists discuss Straub's use of the unreliable narrator and the techniques he and other authors have used to create such memorable characters.

Speakers
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.
AC
avatar for John F. D. Taff
avatar for Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter’s life-long interest in horror and crime fiction and film led him to develop parallel careers as a lawyer, writer, editor, critic, and teacher. He is the author or editor of 13 published books and three screenplays, including the authorized critical biographies... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

3:00pm EDT

Thrills And Chills: Horror And Cross-Genre Thrillers
Scary is back! Cross-genre thrillers that draw on elements of the paranormal and supernatural are burning up the bookshelves in the adult and young adult markets.  New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award® winner Jonathan Maberry shares the inside scoop on how to write and sell this new breed of fast-paced shiver-inducing cross-genre thriller.
Moderators
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

3:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Friday May 10, 2019 3:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

3:30pm EDT

Librarians Day — Small Publishers, Big Voices
Becky will moderate a panel of some of her favorite small presses whose books you should consider carrying in your libraries. This panel will present the upcoming titles for each publisher and highlight some of the authors. These presses may be small but they are attracting big name and award winning talent. If you are only ordering your horror from the “Big 5,” you are missing out.  Confirmed to appear:
  • Grady Hendrix will talk about his Paperbacks From Hell line debuting in 2019 from Valancourt Books.
  • StokerCon 2019 Guest of Honor Josh Malerman and Erik Johnson talk about their upcoming upcoming book.
  • StokerCon 2019 Guest of Honor Stephanie Wytovich and Jennifer Barnes from Raw Dog Screaming Press discuss their upcoming titles.
  • Christopher Payne and Gwendolyn Kiste will discuss JournalStone’s upcoming titles.
  • Don D'Auria from Flame Tree Press and author Jonathan Janz discuss their upcoming titles.
  • Lesley Conner from APEX Publications and author Jerry Gordon.
Moderators
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Gwendolyn Kiste

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 →
avatar for Jennifer Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes is managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press which has been publishing off-kilter books for nearly two decades. She spent four years as an editor for The Dream People Literary Magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen... Read More →
avatar for Lesley Conner

Lesley Conner

Apex Publications
Lesley Conner is the managing editor of Apex Publications and Apex Magazine, as well as a writer and a Girl Scout leader. Her first novel The Weight of Chainswas published by Sinister Grin Press in September, 2015. She is the co-editor, along with Jason Sizemore, of Best of Apex... Read More →
avatar for Don D'Auria

Don D'Auria

Executive Editor, Flame Tree Press
For fifteen years, Don D’Auria directed Leisure Books’ horror line, which Rue Morgue magazine called “the champion of paperback horror.” Don went on to launch and direct for six years Samhain Publishing’s horror line, described by Famous Monsters as “one of the premiere... Read More →
avatar for Christopher C. Payne

Christopher C. Payne

Publisher, JournalStone
Christopher C. Payne is JournalStone’s owner and publisher.
avatar for Jonathan Janz

Jonathan Janz

Author
Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors like Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, and Jack Ketchum; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, the Library Journal, and the School Library Journal. His ghost... Read More →
avatar for Erik T Johnson

Erik T Johnson

SpecFic Writer, Writer
I am an author from Brooklyn, NYC, whose work has appeared in many excellent literary periodicals and anthologies, including all volumes of Written Backwards' Chiral Mad series, and the #1 Amazon bestseller, I Can Taste the Blood, a five-author novella collection including Josh Malerman... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →


Friday May 10, 2019 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

4:00pm EDT

How to Start a Regional HWA Chapter
Being part of a supportive, like-minded community of writers is one of the many benefits of the HWA. But what happens after StokerCon? How can we continue to be active members of the horror-writing community throughout the year, and what are the benefits of doing so? In this panel, members of the HWA’s newly formed Atlanta Chapter will discuss the process, challenges, and rewards of setting up a regional chapter of the organization.
Moderators
avatar for Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of In the Valley of the Sun, The Boatman's Daughter, and The Hollow Kind. His novels have been listed among NPR's Best Books, the New York Public Library's Best Adult Books of the Year, and Esquire’s Best Horror of the Year... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Jessi Ann York

Jessi Ann York

Jessi Ann York’s stories have been featured at several professional rate horror markets, including PseudoPod, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates Media, Love Letters to Poe, and more. Her first two stories, “Phases of the Shadow” and “Women of the Mere,” were mentioned as standouts... Read More →
avatar for David Powell

David Powell

I've placed six stories in the past year--hard-boiled crime, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and literary spec. My problem is I don't want to be restricted to one style. I'd love to talk with anyone who has struggled with this issue.
avatar for Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand

Five-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. One-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Ten-time (!) Bram Stoker Award Master of Ceremonies.Author of plentiful books for your reading pleasure, including Pressure, Dweller, My Pretties, Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Clowns Vs. Spiders... Read More →
avatar for Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

C. O. Davidson’s fiction has appeared in Hard to Find: Anthology of the New Southern, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates, Georgia Gothic, Dark Moon Digest, Black Poppy Review, and Dark Ink’s collection Generation X-ed. She has also co-edited Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable, a collection... Read More →
avatar for Brian Kirk

Brian Kirk

Hi. My name is Brian Kirk, and I write strange, often scary stories.My debut novel, We Are Monsters, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in the first novel category. And my short fiction has been published in several notable magazines and anthologies, such as Gutted: Beautiful... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

4:00pm EDT

Poetry Open Mic
Poets unite! Bram Stoker Award® and Lifetime Achievement Award winning author and poet Linda D. Addison hosts an open mic session for poetry readings.

Speakers
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

4:00pm EDT

Reading Block 12
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Hans

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 →
avatar for Usman Malik

Usman Malik

Horror writing, reading. Short fiction. Dark Fantasy. Hauntings and haunted houses. Global horror.
avatar for Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing is a Bram Stoker Award® winning novelist and a two-time nominee for the Shirley Jackson Award. Cemetery Dance will be publishing her new novella, The Plastic Priest, this December.


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

4:00pm EDT

Setting and Tone: How to Create the Fright Mood
You have a great story, but now you want to set the right mood for your reader. A creaking door. A rattle of a tree limb against a window. A whisper you can barely hear. These can help set your tone, but you have need more tools in your repertoire. Our panelists discuss the techniques they have used to get the perfect tone for a story, what elements have fallen into cliché, and what will break the tension you've worked hard to create.
Moderators
avatar for Eric J. Guignard

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Alma Katsu

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 →
avatar for Michael Kozlowski

Michael Kozlowski

Author, M.A.Kozlowski
Mike is a writer of horror and suspense. His sarcastic humor and social opinions regular infiltrate his writing but not overtly so. The primary goal of his writing is to entertain but he also finds it very therapeutic (you just can’t let all that weird stuff pile up in your head).Mike... Read More →
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.
PF
avatar for Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne is the author of twenty-three published novels and lots of short stories, articles and a reference dictionary. Her most recent published book is Supernatural: The Usual Sacrifices (based in the Supernatural Universe). Her writing has won a bunch of awards and stuff. Lately... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

4:00pm EDT

Triumphs and Tribulations of Underrepresented Voices in Horror
Over the past decade, the strive for diversity in speculative and horror fiction has gained traction. No longer content with old-guard monoculture, audience and creators have indicated their propensity for minority voices in literature and readiness to become part of the cultural landscape. This has been met with backlash from certain sources resistant to change in the genre they love. The #MeToo movement has also given agency to voices previously underrepresented. This panel will examine what drew us to writing as a way of confronting oppression, the obstacles we face as content creators, audience expectations, and how we might succeed moving forward and encourage others to do the same.
Moderators
avatar for Leza Cantoral

Leza Cantoral

Publisher, CLASH Books
I am the publisher of CLASH Books & also an author. I'm into poetry, witchcraft & weird fiction. I'm the editor of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath & author of Cartoons in the Suicide Forest.

Speakers
avatar for Larissa Glasser

Larissa Glasser

Larissa Glasser is a librarian-archivist from New England. She writes dark fiction centered on the lives of trans women, library science, and heavy metal. Her work is available in Transcendent 3: The Year's Best Transgender Themed Speculative Fiction (Lethe Press) and Tragedy Queens... Read More →
RL
avatar for Violet Castro

Violet Castro

Author of Maria The Wanted and the Legacy of The Keeper


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

4:00pm EDT

When The Mission Goes FUBAR: Horror In The Military
Do you love the weird? Do you love action? Do you love the military? This is the panel for you. Join award-winning authors Weston Ochse, Lee Murray, Brian Keene, and Jonathan Maberry as they discuss the use of military in horror stories, their love of the characters they create, and how they craft realistic action scenes involving the military.
Moderators
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →
avatar for Lee Murray

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 →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

5:00pm EDT

Mass Autograph Session And Ice Cream Social — Sponsored by Broad Universe
Join us in the Crown Foyer and Dealer Room for a mass autograph session, along with an Ice Cream Social. While you're there, check out what our vendors and exhibitors have to offer. While the mass signing lasts from 5 pm - 6:30 pm, the Ice Cream Social will only last from 5 pm until 6 pm.

THIS EVENT IT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE INDICATE YOU ARE JOINING THIS EVENT ONLY IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SIGNING AS AN AUTHOR. THE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH SEATING WE NEED TO MAKE AVAILABLE FOR OUR AUTHORS.

stokercon2019 author signing names announcement pdf
Friday May 10, 2019 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT
Crown Foyer

5:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Friday May 10, 2019 5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

7:45pm EDT

4th Annual Final Frame Short Film Competition
The Final Frame Film Competition has become a fixture at StokerCon™. This year's lineup promises to be truly terrifying, including two short films recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

Hosted by Jonathan Lees, this year's judges include Josh Boone, Lisa Morton, John Skipp, Josh Malerman, Lynn Hansen, and Jonathan Maberry. Door open at 7:45 pm. The event starts at 8:00 pm. We kindly ask that participants remain in the room while films are screened. If you need to leave, please wait until there is a break between film screenings.
Moderators
avatar for Jonathan Lees

Jonathan Lees

 Jonathan Lees has spent over twenty years championing filmmakers through his programming work with the New York Underground Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, TromaDance, and now, Final Frame.

Speakers
avatar for Antonio D'Intino
avatar for Lynne Hansen

Lynne Hansen

Artist, Lynne Hansen Art
Lynne Hansen is a horror artist who specializes in book covers. She loves creating art that tells a story and that helps connect publishers, authors and readers. Her art has appeared on the cover of the legendary Weird Tales Magazine, and she was selected by Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for John Skipp


Friday May 10, 2019 7:45pm - 9:45pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

9:45pm EDT

Final Frame Short Film Competition Reception
The Final Frame Short Film Competition is finished! Now join us in the Crown Foyer for a catered reception, including a Beer City Mac and Cheese bar, along with a cash bar for drinks.

Friday May 10, 2019 9:45pm - 10:00pm EDT
Crown Foyer

10:00pm EDT

Final Frame Short Film Competition Awards Presentation
Join us for the presentation of the Final Frame Short Film Competition award presentation.
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Lees

Jonathan Lees

 Jonathan Lees has spent over twenty years championing filmmakers through his programming work with the New York Underground Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, TromaDance, and now, Final Frame.


Friday May 10, 2019 10:00pm - 10:15pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

11:00pm EDT

Midnight Special: The Art of Darkness
Darkness can be a friend or a foe, or both—and it can be art. StokerCon™ 2019 Guest of Honor Kathe Koja is a playwright and director as well as a novelist, producing live immersive performances, shows that offer the audience a chance to breathe deep, listen hard, and become part of the experience. Some of her past shows include “Dracula” and “ALI<E.” 

Join Kathe as she creates “The Art of Darkness” along with the audience and convention guests, making a story in real time, together, in the dark.

The show starts promptly at 11 pm. Due to the nature of the performance, we request that event attendees stay for the entire forty-five minute presentation. Entering during the performance will be prohibited, and leaving will be discouraged.
Speakers
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →


Friday May 10, 2019 11:00pm - Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West
 
Saturday, May 11
 

8:00am EDT

Horror University — Saying More With Less: Word Economy in Writing Genre Fiction
Through examples and work on their own 500-word sample, participants will explore common types of overwriting and how to get more out of each word they put on the page, while maintaining content, tone, and style.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
PF


Saturday May 11, 2019 8:00am - 10:00am EDT
Heritage Hill Room

8:00am EDT

Hospitality Room — Sponsored by Cutting Block Books
A place to rest and recharge. Coffee in the morning. Water in the afternoon.

Saturday May 11, 2019 8:00am - 4:00pm EDT
Ruby Room

9:00am EDT

Reading Block 13
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Michael Potts

Michael Potts

Professor of Philosophy, Methodist University
I am a philosophy professor and creative writer. I have three published novels, one which is Southern Fiction ("End of Summer") and two of which are horror ("Unpardonable Sin" and "Obedience"). I also have two published collection of poetry, one mainstream ("From Field to Thicket... Read More →
NC
SK


Saturday May 11, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Winchester Room

9:00am EDT

Room reserved for HWA Board and StokerCon™ business
Room reserved for HWA Board and StokerCon business

Saturday May 11, 2019 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Berkey Room

9:00am EDT

Inclusiveness in the Horror Genre: Are We Doing Enough? (90 Minute Session)
Horror lives independent of gender, race, sexual orientation, or religious belief. While efforts have been made to elevate the importance of inclusiveness, are we as a group doing enough to promote and advocate for inclusiveness, not only in our writing, but among ourselves? Bram Stoker Award® winning author and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Linda Addison moderates a discussion of inclusiveness with Guests of Honor Kaaron Warren Gabino Iglesias, Stephanie Wytovich, Norman Prentiss,  and John Edward Lawson. The session will include a question and answer period.
Moderators
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.

Speakers
avatar for Gabino Iglesias
avatar for Norman Prentiss

Norman Prentiss

NORMAN PRENTISS is the author of ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, THE APOCALYPSE-A-DAY DESK CALENDAR, and LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, and he won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for INVISIBLE FENCES, published by Cemetery Dance (www.cemeterydance.com... Read More →
avatar for John Edward Lawson

John Edward Lawson

Co-Founder, Raw Dog Screaming Press
John Edward Lawson was born in Washington, DC and currently divides his time between Bowie, Maryland and Broadkill Beach, Delaware. Over 500 stories, poems, and articles have been published worldwide. While he has been called “The forgotten black man of horror” he also regularly... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

9:00am EDT

Horror University — Research and Write Horror Non-Fiction
This course will review the different types of non-fiction, examine the different venues in which such material can be published (magazines, websites, journals, blogs, publishers of books, etc.), review research processes, examine the pitfalls and challenges, and finally consider the actual process of writing non-fiction. Participants will walk away with a list of potential markets as well as the beginnings of a piece of non-fiction writing to be developed for publication.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.


Speakers
avatar for Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
Thornapple Room

9:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Saturday May 11, 2019 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
Registration Counter 2

10:00am EDT

Meet the Authors—JournalStone
Join publisher JournalStone in the Dealer Room to meet its authors, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, and others. Get a book signed, chat with the author, have a photo taken with them. Don't pass up this unique opportunity to meet your favorite writers!


Speakers
avatar for F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, bestselling author of 60 books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between.      His novels The Keep, The Tomb, Harbingers, By the Sword, The Dark at the... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

10:00am EDT

Fairy Tales: A Child's Introduction to Horror
Most children get their first exposure to horror reading the tales of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (The Brothers Grimm). Replete with scary monsters, cruel step-parents, and evil forces, the fairy tales highlighted the dangers of strangers, greed, and independence (or what parents at that time would call rebelliousness). Join our panelists as they discuss the evolution of the fairy tale and how the dangers they portray translate into today's society.
Moderators
avatar for Carina Bissett

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium
Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Munro, Donna

Munro, Donna

1003-TEACHERS-HS(9/15-8/31), EHS
avatar for April Grey

April Grey

April Grey's short stories can be found in various anthologies, both in print and on-line. Her collections of short stories, The Fairy Cake Bake Shoppe, and I'll Love You Forever are also available through Amazon. She is the editor of Hell's Garden: Bad, Mad and Ghostly Gardeners... Read More →
avatar for Gwendolyn Kiste

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Grand View Room A

10:00am EDT

He Said... What? How Dialogue Can Make or Break A Story
For many, dialogue drives the story. It helps establish character, motivation, mood, and pacing. But dialogue isn't easy. Writers often use too much dialogue when a little goes a long way. Our panelists explore the uses and abuses of dialogue and how you can fine tune your dialogue skills to make your story hum.
Moderators
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Janz

Jonathan Janz

Author
Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors like Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, and Jack Ketchum; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, the Library Journal, and the School Library Journal. His ghost... Read More →
avatar for Amy Grech

Amy Grech

Author/Digital Content Strategist
Amy Grech has sold over 100 stories to various anthologies and magazines including: A New York State of Fright, Apex Magazine, Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled, Dead Harvest, Deadman's Tome Campfire Tales Book Two, Expiration Date, Fright Mare, Hell’s Heart, Needle Magazine, Psycho Holiday... Read More →
avatar for Tish Booker

Tish Booker

The Jackson Press
Tish Booker grew up in the Bay Area and started writing in elementary school. Graduating to crafting murder mysteries in high school, the love of writing stuck. After graduating from HBCU Dillard University, she moved back home and continued writing. Her short story ‘The Love of... Read More →
avatar for John R. Little
avatar for Sarah Read


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Emerald Room

10:00am EDT

Library-Author Partnerships: How To Work Together To Find Readers
Join a panel of librarians, who together have amassed decades of experience working with horror authors and readers, to learn how to work with your local library- public or academic. Learn how to get your book into your library's collection, how you can help with programming, and most importantly, how NOT to behave. The panel will also discuss, in detail, the brand new HWA Summer Scares initiative aimed at connecting horror books with more readers across all age levels and how every HWA author can participate, even if your title is not one of the nine official selections.




Moderators
avatar for JG Faherty

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!

Speakers
CR

Cathleen Russ

Library Director, Troy Public Library
avatar for Lesley Conner

Lesley Conner

Apex Publications
Lesley Conner is the managing editor of Apex Publications and Apex Magazine, as well as a writer and a Girl Scout leader. Her first novel The Weight of Chainswas published by Sinister Grin Press in September, 2015. She is the co-editor, along with Jason Sizemore, of Best of Apex... Read More →
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →
avatar for Emily Vinci

Emily Vinci

Fiction Manager, Schaumburg Township District Library
Librarian, writer, collector, VHS devotee, pop culture junkieDo you want to hear about my Jurassic Park VHS collection??


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Grand View Room B-C

10:00am EDT

Little Bites: Writing the Short Horror Film
The short film, much like the short story, is often overlooked in favor of its larger and longer counterpart. However, short horror films can be an immensely rewarding experience for both their creators and audience. With the help of film festivals and the internet, short films can even evolve into full-sized monsters, as proven by films like CARGO (2013) and LIGHTS OUT (2013).   This panel will explore where to find ideas, how to contain a narrative to ten pages, and what venues to explore once the script is complete.
Moderators
avatar for Lenore Sagaskie

Lenore Sagaskie

Author, artist, nomad. I write novels, short stories and screenplays. I've worked on film sets. I'm interested in everything from anime to horror and I love horror films. Vincent Price and Bruce Campbell are my idols.

Speakers
avatar for Asher Ellis

Asher Ellis

Vermonter, educator, screenwriter and noveler. Er, I mean, novelist. Author of THE REMEDY (Full Fathom Five), the forthcoming PET (Stitched Smile), and screenwriter of the award-winning films EXIT 7A (Hammer & Saw ) and MY NAME IS ART (Think Speak Films). Stories have most recently... Read More →
avatar for Brad C. Hodson

Brad C. Hodson

Administrator, Horror Writers Association
avatar for Lynne Hansen

Lynne Hansen

Artist, Lynne Hansen Art
Lynne Hansen is a horror artist who specializes in book covers. She loves creating art that tells a story and that helps connect publishers, authors and readers. Her art has appeared on the cover of the legendary Weird Tales Magazine, and she was selected by Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Lees

Jonathan Lees

 Jonathan Lees has spent over twenty years championing filmmakers through his programming work with the New York Underground Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, TromaDance, and now, Final Frame.


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Berkey Room

10:00am EDT

Reading Block 14
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Angel McCoy
avatar for Chad Stroup

Chad Stroup

Chad Stroup is the author of the novels Secrets of the Weird (Grey Matter Press) and Sexy Leper (Bizarro Pulp Press). His stories have appeared in various anthologies, such as Chiral Mad 4, Lost Films, and Splatterlands, and his debut comic series, Hag, is forthcoming from American... Read More →
MH


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Winchester Room

10:00am EDT

Horror University — Making the Reader Squirm
This two hour workshop will cover insider tricks and tactics for crafting horror imagery -- not just by employing familiar horror tropes, but by making direct appeals to the reader's sensorium -- generating feelings that really hit readers in the guts. It will include a live writing activity with the aim of improving description of a gory or scary scene. Open to novelists, poets, flash fiction writers … anyone looking to sharpen their writing skills -- from the crafty suspense writer to anyone eager to "go for the gross out."

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for Michael Arnzen

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

10:00am EDT

Dealer Room
Dealer Room Open

Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00am - 6:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

11:00am EDT

Author Readings: Captivating Your Audience Is As Easy As...
Multi-award winning author Thomas Monteleone hosts a panel of top readers to discuss what works, what doesn't, and innovative ways to capture your audience.

Moderators
TF

Speakers
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

I've published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. I write original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and my articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. I've won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA’s Mentor of the Year Award, been... Read More →
avatar for F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, bestselling author of 60 books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between.      His novels The Keep, The Tomb, Harbingers, By the Sword, The Dark at the... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

11:00am EDT

Introduction to Deconstruction
Deeper reading for deeper writing. Consciously or unconsciously, meaning is hidden beneath signs and facades in literature, layered in word choice and focus. Through shared reading, discussion and meaning and themes, we will learn to consciously see what our subconscious feels within a text, those elements that unite and undercut, but always elevate craft into art. Once you understand deconstruction, your reading and your writing will never be the same.
Speakers
avatar for Johnny Worthen

Johnny Worthen

Author
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

11:00am EDT

Promoting Yourself for the Bram Stoker Awards®
Learn what you can and can't do to promote your work to HWA members for the Bram Stoker Awards. We'll give you tips you can use to get the word out about your publications and will answer questions from the audience. Publishers and authors both will find this useful.
Moderators
avatar for Angel McCoy

Speakers
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →
avatar for Rena Mason


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

11:00am EDT

Reading Block 15
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

Nancy Lambert is an author from New York City. As N.R. Lambert, her stories appear or are forthcoming in Lightspeed, VASTARIEN, The Modern Deity’s Guide to Surviving Humanity, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, and elsewhere. She’s also written for Entertainment Weekly, TIME, LIFE... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

11:00am EDT

Why Does Horror Matter — an Exploration of the Relevance and — Dare We Say — Necessity of Horror in a Tumultuous World
A LIVE recording of a Ladies of the Fright podcast! Dive into what horror means to the panelists and what it means to society. What has it been? What makes horror relevant and compelling in our current socio-political times? Why do you write and read horror? What is horror, for that matter?


                 
Moderators
MK

Mackenzie Kiera

Editor and Co-host, Ladies of the Fright
Talk to us about all things dark and stormy.
avatar for Lisa Quigley

Speakers
avatar for SGJ

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones
avatar for Kathryn E. McGee
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

11:00am EDT

Army of Darkness and Other Hollywood Adventures (90 Minute Session)
Screenwriter (Meet the Hollowheads) and modelmaker (The Abyss) Lisa 
Morton and Army of Darkness co-star Richard Grove ('Henry the Red') 
engage in a freewheeling conversation about the horrors of working in 
Hollywood. A signing will follow the discussion, so bring your favorite 
Army of Darkness memorabilia!"
Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for Ricky Grove


Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

11:00am EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Saturday May 11, 2019 11:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

12:00pm EDT

Bloody or Creepy: Can It Ever Be Too Much?
Sometimes horror writers feel the need to resort to gore to try to make the story scary. What are the pros and cons of going the route of gore in the work?
Moderators
avatar for Asher Ellis

Asher Ellis

Vermonter, educator, screenwriter and noveler. Er, I mean, novelist. Author of THE REMEDY (Full Fathom Five), the forthcoming PET (Stitched Smile), and screenwriter of the award-winning films EXIT 7A (Hammer & Saw ) and MY NAME IS ART (Think Speak Films). Stories have most recently... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing

Nicole Cushing is a Bram Stoker Award® winning novelist and a two-time nominee for the Shirley Jackson Award. Cemetery Dance will be publishing her new novella, The Plastic Priest, this December.
avatar for John F. D. Taff
avatar for Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand

Five-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. One-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Ten-time (!) Bram Stoker Award Master of Ceremonies.Author of plentiful books for your reading pleasure, including Pressure, Dweller, My Pretties, Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Clowns Vs. Spiders... Read More →
avatar for John Skipp


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

12:00pm EDT

Clive Barker's Books of Blood — 35 years on
When Clive Barker published The Books of Blood in 1984, horror fiction readers took to its storytelling power, diversity of setting and character, and astonishing gore. As 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of The Books, their power and relevance persist. What are some of your choice stories? What do you think of some of their adaptation to film? What might explain Barker's path from theater to horror fiction to film directing? Do you have any technical/craft issues with some of the stories? What from them inspires you? What do The Books suggest about life during the Thatcher/Reagan era? Barker was one of the first dark/fantasy fiction authors to come out as gay before it was fully above-ground in mainstream Western culture--did you see his work in a different light than other writers?
Moderators
avatar for Larissa Glasser

Larissa Glasser

Larissa Glasser is a librarian-archivist from New England. She writes dark fiction centered on the lives of trans women, library science, and heavy metal. Her work is available in Transcendent 3: The Year's Best Transgender Themed Speculative Fiction (Lethe Press) and Tragedy Queens... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Rena Mason
avatar for John Edward Lawson

John Edward Lawson

Co-Founder, Raw Dog Screaming Press
John Edward Lawson was born in Washington, DC and currently divides his time between Bowie, Maryland and Broadkill Beach, Delaware. Over 500 stories, poems, and articles have been published worldwide. While he has been called “The forgotten black man of horror” he also regularly... Read More →
CP

Christoph Paul

CLASH Books
avatar for Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter’s life-long interest in horror and crime fiction and film led him to develop parallel careers as a lawyer, writer, editor, critic, and teacher. He is the author or editor of 13 published books and three screenplays, including the authorized critical biographies... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

12:00pm EDT

Financial Planning for Writers
JG Faherty moderates a panel discussion about financial planning for writers. Brian Matthews has worked in the financial planning field for twenty years and is a Certified Financial Planning Professional (CFP®). Weston Ochse, Yvonne Navarro, and Patricia Davis will add their personal experiences regarding the need for financial planning for the writing professional.
Moderators
avatar for JG Faherty

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!

Speakers
avatar for Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne is the author of twenty-three published novels and lots of short stories, articles and a reference dictionary. Her most recent published book is Supernatural: The Usual Sacrifices (based in the Supernatural Universe). Her writing has won a bunch of awards and stuff. Lately... Read More →
avatar for Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis

Patricia V. Davis is the author of COOKING FOR GHOSTS, SPELLS & OREGANO, and DEMONS, WEEL-SEASONED, a trilogy of magical realism novels set aboard the haunted RMS Queen Mary. The audiobook versions were released in 2020 by Tantor Media.  Patricia wrote and produced the screenplay... Read More →
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

12:00pm EDT

Reading Block 16
Reading Block 16
Speakers
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

I've published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. I write original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and my articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. I've won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA’s Mentor of the Year Award, been... Read More →
avatar for Andy Lockwood

Andy Lockwood

Andy Lockwood
Talk to me about anything. Really. Obviously, I'm interested in the horror genre. I adore pop culture, spend my commute listening to podcasts and audiobooks, should have gotten a degree in comic books, love film, and try my best to keep up with tv. Also, I play video games where I... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

12:00pm EDT

Reading Block 17
Speakers
avatar for James Chambers

James Chambers

Co-Chair, StokerCon™ 2022, Horror Writers Association
James Chambers was co-chair of StokerCon 2018. He is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the original graphic novel Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe as well as the Lovecraftian novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, described in a Publisher’s... Read More →
avatar for Alma Katsu

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 →
avatar for Donald J. Bingle

Donald J. Bingle

Writer on Demand TM
Writer on Demand TM of short stories, novellas, screenplays, novels, and more in the horror, thriller, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk genres. Editor of Familiar Spirits, an anthology of ghost stories. Occasional ghostwriter. World's top-ranked player of classic RPG... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

12:00pm EDT

Weird Poetry Panel: Weird, Horror & Otherwise Speculative Poetry
A panel of published Weird Poets (horror, supernatural, and otherwise speculative) discuss the nature of Weird/Horrific poetry and the state of same today.
Moderators
DC

David Cowen

Bram Stoker Nominated author of Bleeding Saffron (Weasel Press 2018), The Seven Yards of Sorrow (Weasel Press 2016), The Madness of Empty Spaces (Weasel Press 2014), editor of HWA Poetry Showcase Vols. III and IV and editor of HWA Poetry Blog.

Speakers
avatar for Mary Turzillo

Mary Turzillo

Writer
Mary Turzillo won the 2000 Nebula for novella with "Mars Is No Place for Children." Her poetry collection, Lovers & Killers, won the 2013 Elgin Award. She has been on the British SF Association, Pushcart, Stoker, Dwarf Stars, and Rhysling ballots. Sweet Poison, written with... Read More →
avatar for Randy D. Rubin

Randy D. Rubin

Horror Fiction ad Dark Speculative Poetry.
avatar for Donna Lynch

Donna Lynch

Body horror, psychological horror, ghosts, witches, music, horror films, geography
avatar for Sara Tantlinger

Sara Tantlinger

Co-Chair, StokerCon® 2023
Sara Tantlinger is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, and the Stoker-nominated works To Be Devoured and Cradleland of Parasites. She has also edited Not All Monsters and Chromophobia. She is an active HWA member... Read More →
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →
avatar for Frank Coffman

Frank Coffman

Writer/Editor/Publisher, Writer / and Mind's Eye Publications
Frank Coffman is a retired professor of English, creative writing, and journalism. He has published speculative poetry, fiction, and scholarly research in a variety of journals, magazines, and anthologies. His large collection of poems, THE COVEN'S HORNBOOK & OTHER POEMS was released... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

12:00pm EDT

Horror University — More Scary Forms: The World of Structured Poetry for All Writers
For poets, fiction, non-fiction writers: a workshop to play with the different forms of poetry to increase the ability to use less words, to say more; heighten reader emotional reaction, clarify your style/voice and handle writing blocks. We will explore several poetry shapes and their rules to understand how they are created. Time will be available for attendees to practice writing, including creating writing “seeds”.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.


Saturday May 11, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

1:00pm EDT

Alternate History: Creating Stories by Changing the Past
Join author and editor J.L. Gribble for an overview of the alternate history genre, followed by world-building activities with audience interaction to create various alternate histories of our own. Appropriate for both readers and creators.
Speakers
avatar for J. L. Gribble

J. L. Gribble

writer, Raw Dog Screaming Press
J.L. Gribble writes the urban fantasy/alternate history Steel Empires series, which includes Steel Victory, Steel Magic, Steel Blood, and Steel Time. Her other jobs include medical editing, Netflix watching, cat snuggling, and blogging for SpeculativeChic.com. You can find her at... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

1:00pm EDT

Not One Word Wasted: The Art of the Short Story
When you have less than five thousand words to tell a complete story, you must be simple and direct, while keeping your reader interested. Our panelists discuss the art of the short story: how narrow a scope, where to place your emphasis, and how to wrap up the ending.

Moderators
avatar for John R. Little

Speakers
avatar for SGJ

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones
avatar for Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne is the author of twenty-three published novels and lots of short stories, articles and a reference dictionary. Her most recent published book is Supernatural: The Usual Sacrifices (based in the Supernatural Universe). Her writing has won a bunch of awards and stuff. Lately... Read More →
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.
avatar for David Busboom

David Busboom

David Busboom is a writer, science editor, and very occasional actor/producer for microbudget horror films. Talk to him about dinosaurs, rock music, and his debut collection EVERY CRAWLING, PUTRID THING (JournalStone 2022).
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

1:00pm EDT

Pitch Session Panel
Are you scheduled to pitch a story during Stokercon™? We recommend you attend this session to hear the do's and don't's from the people who will be hearing your pitch. And if you have never pitched before, we strongly recommend you attend. The information you learn could make your pitch all the more effective.
Moderators
CM
avatar for Rena Mason

Speakers
avatar for Antonio D'Intino
avatar for Jennifer Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes is managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press which has been publishing off-kilter books for nearly two decades. She spent four years as an editor for The Dream People Literary Magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen... Read More →
avatar for Norman Prentiss

Norman Prentiss

NORMAN PRENTISS is the author of ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, THE APOCALYPSE-A-DAY DESK CALENDAR, and LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, and he won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for INVISIBLE FENCES, published by Cemetery Dance (www.cemeterydance.com... Read More →
avatar for Christopher C. Payne

Christopher C. Payne

Publisher, JournalStone
Christopher C. Payne is JournalStone’s owner and publisher.
avatar for Leza Cantoral

Leza Cantoral

Publisher, CLASH Books
I am the publisher of CLASH Books & also an author. I'm into poetry, witchcraft & weird fiction. I'm the editor of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath & author of Cartoons in the Suicide Forest.
avatar for Lesley Conner

Lesley Conner

Apex Publications
Lesley Conner is the managing editor of Apex Publications and Apex Magazine, as well as a writer and a Girl Scout leader. Her first novel The Weight of Chainswas published by Sinister Grin Press in September, 2015. She is the co-editor, along with Jason Sizemore, of Best of Apex... Read More →
avatar for Johnny Worthen

Johnny Worthen

Author
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →
avatar for Kate Jonez

Kate Jonez

Chief Editor, Omnium Gatherum
Kate Jonez is the Chief Editor at Omnium Gatherum. Omnium Gatherum publishes horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction.
avatar for Don D'Auria

Don D'Auria

Executive Editor, Flame Tree Press
For fifteen years, Don D’Auria directed Leisure Books’ horror line, which Rue Morgue magazine called “the champion of paperback horror.” Don went on to launch and direct for six years Samhain Publishing’s horror line, described by Famous Monsters as “one of the premiere... Read More →
avatar for Cherry Weiner

Cherry Weiner

owner, Cherry Weiner Literary Agency
Cherry Weiner grew up in Australia, lived in Europe for three and a half years and moved to American when she married her husband Jack.  She has been agenting since 1977, when she was fired by her boss the well-known Robert P. Mills. Mills’ famous clients (she will not drop any... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

1:00pm EDT

Reading Block 18
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →
DC

David Cowen

Bram Stoker Nominated author of Bleeding Saffron (Weasel Press 2018), The Seven Yards of Sorrow (Weasel Press 2016), The Madness of Empty Spaces (Weasel Press 2014), editor of HWA Poetry Showcase Vols. III and IV and editor of HWA Poetry Blog.

Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

1:00pm EDT

Reading Block 19
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for April Grey

April Grey

April Grey's short stories can be found in various anthologies, both in print and on-line. Her collections of short stories, The Fairy Cake Bake Shoppe, and I'll Love You Forever are also available through Amazon. She is the editor of Hell's Garden: Bad, Mad and Ghostly Gardeners... Read More →
avatar for Michael Arnzen

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 →
avatar for Bob Eccles

Bob Eccles

Parking Enforcement Officer, University of Michigan Police Department
Specializing in 100-word horror stories. A 30-year radio broadcasting veteran, I also do voice work: podcasts, documentaries, film trailers.


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

1:00pm EDT

Robert McCammon Q&A (90 Minute Session)
Multiple Bram Stoker Award® winning author Jonathan Maberry interviews special Guest of Honor, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of the Horror Writers Association, Robert McCammon, including a question and answer period after the interview.
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

1:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the conference.

Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

1:00pm EDT

GAME: Bedlam Hall: An All Female RPG Game
A gaming session of all-female players. Attendees are welcome to come and cheer on your favorite player.
Moderators
avatar for Karen Bovenmyer

Karen Bovenmyer

Assistant Editor, PseudoPod Horror Podcast Magazine
Karen Bovenmyer earned an MFA in Creative Writing: Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine. She teaches and mentors students at Iowa State University and serves as the Assistant Editor of Escape Artists’ Mothership Zeta Magazine. She is the 2016 recipient of the Horror... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Joanna Nelius

Joanna Nelius

Joanna earned her MFA from Chapman University. She has been writing about video games since 2015 and is currently a staff writer at PC Gamer, where she mostly writes about computer hardware, The Sims 4, and Vampire: The Masquerade. (You can find her reviews in Maximum PC, as well... Read More →
avatar for Lee Murray

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 →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Kathleen Kaufman


Saturday May 11, 2019 1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Berkey Room

2:00pm EDT

Going Wide - How to Reach an International Audience with Ebooks
Today publishing has never been more diverse, inclusive and global with the help of self-publishing. The best way to increase your book sales is to tap into new markets such as Europe, China or India and to be among the first authors who understand how these multi-billion-dollar markets work. Speculative fiction at large, and horror fiction in particular are both doing well in self-publishing,. So, if you want to understand how you can reach an international audience this is your chance. This session by Kinga Jentetics, CEO of PublishDrive, will cover the best examples and case studies to leverage the power of global publishing, and learn new tactics that they can work with immediately.




Speakers
avatar for PublishDrive - Kinga Jentetics

PublishDrive - Kinga Jentetics

CEO, PublishDrive
Kinga Jentetics is the CEO and founder of PublishDrive, a self-publishing platform that distributes ebooks globally to over 400 online stores. Her number one goal is to help indie authors and self-publishers succeed. She made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Media in 2017 and similarly to... Read More →


Going Wide at StokerCon 2019 (1) pdf
Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

2:00pm EDT

Reading Block 20
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →
BM


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

2:00pm EDT

Reading Block 21
Reading Block 
Speakers
avatar for Steven Van Patten

Steven Van Patten

Laughing Black Vampire Productions
Writer about anything that hastens the trip to the grave, supernatural and otherwise. Raconteur, tequila enthusiast, motorcycle owner, DJ, and professional TV show stage manager. If you have stock tips, I'm all ears.
avatar for Scott Edelman
avatar for Marc Abbott

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

2:00pm EDT

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Writing Workshops
Join Borderland Bootcamp instructors and alumni as they discuss their experiences with this writing workshop. 
Moderators
TF

Speakers
avatar for John Buja
avatar for Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter

Douglas E. Winter’s life-long interest in horror and crime fiction and film led him to develop parallel careers as a lawyer, writer, editor, critic, and teacher. He is the author or editor of 13 published books and three screenplays, including the authorized critical biographies... Read More →
avatar for Tom Deady

Tom Deady

Tom Deady's first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection, and the first book in his middle grade horror series. He has a Master's Degree in English and Creative... Read More →
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →
avatar for F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, bestselling author of 60 books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between.      His novels The Keep, The Tomb, Harbingers, By the Sword, The Dark at the... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

2:00pm EDT

Writing Just Enough: The Novella
Advances in technology have resulted in a surge of new novels entering the market yearly, making competition for readers even more fierce. How do we adapt? Enter the novella. These works of longer fiction are giving novels a run for their money. Independent presses have published increasing numbers of novellas and novella collections, while major houses have launched dedicated novella programs online. What does this mean for authors? What are some of the most notable works of long, horror fiction of recent years?
Moderators
avatar for Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith

Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Space & Time Magazine
Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Shimanchu-American and an award-winning poet, author, and publisher with 20+ years of experience as a professional writer in nonfiction. A three-time Bram Stoker Awards® Finalist for excellence in long fiction (Bitter Suites, 2018), excellence... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h, short fiction for more than forty years. She currently acquires short fiction and novellas for Tor.com. She’s edited more than one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series and has won multiple awards for... Read More →
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
avatar for Usman Malik

Usman Malik

Horror writing, reading. Short fiction. Dark Fantasy. Hauntings and haunted houses. Global horror.
avatar for Michael Bailey

Michael Bailey

Senior Editor, Written Backwards
Michael Bailey is a writer, editor who lives near the Caribbean Sea in Costa Rica. He is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award (and nine-time finalist), Benjamin Franklin Award, a four-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and an insane number of independent accolades. Publications include Palindrome... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

2:00pm EDT

Horror University — From Indie to Traditional: Every Dirty Little Secret You Need to Know
J.D. Barker successfully published his debut as an indie and sold enough copies to land on the radar of the traditional publishers in a BIG way including seven figure advances, two feature films and a television program. He’ll open his toolbox and explain exactly what he did to make it happen. This is a not-to-be-missed session for any aspiring author or seasoned veteran trying to find their place in today’s publishing world.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including FORSAKEN and THE FOURTH MONKEY. His latest novel, DRACUL, co-authored with Dacre Stoker, released October 2018. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

2:00pm EDT

Pitch Sessions
The StokerCon 2019 Pitch Sessions. Preregistration required. If possible, please arrive thirty minutes prior to your assigned time slot, as pitch sessions sometimes run ahead of schedule.
Moderators
CM
avatar for Rena Mason

Speakers
avatar for Antonio D'Intino
avatar for Jennifer Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes is managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press which has been publishing off-kilter books for nearly two decades. She spent four years as an editor for The Dream People Literary Magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen... Read More →
avatar for Leza Cantoral

Leza Cantoral

Publisher, CLASH Books
I am the publisher of CLASH Books & also an author. I'm into poetry, witchcraft & weird fiction. I'm the editor of Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath & author of Cartoons in the Suicide Forest.
avatar for Lesley Conner

Lesley Conner

Apex Publications
Lesley Conner is the managing editor of Apex Publications and Apex Magazine, as well as a writer and a Girl Scout leader. Her first novel The Weight of Chainswas published by Sinister Grin Press in September, 2015. She is the co-editor, along with Jason Sizemore, of Best of Apex... Read More →
avatar for Johnny Worthen

Johnny Worthen

Author
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories.His best-selling science fiction series Coronam, beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an epic tale in... Read More →
avatar for Norman Prentiss

Norman Prentiss

NORMAN PRENTISS is the author of ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, THE APOCALYPSE-A-DAY DESK CALENDAR, and LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, and he won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for INVISIBLE FENCES, published by Cemetery Dance (www.cemeterydance.com... Read More →
avatar for Don D'Auria

Don D'Auria

Executive Editor, Flame Tree Press
For fifteen years, Don D’Auria directed Leisure Books’ horror line, which Rue Morgue magazine called “the champion of paperback horror.” Don went on to launch and direct for six years Samhain Publishing’s horror line, described by Famous Monsters as “one of the premiere... Read More →
avatar for Christopher C. Payne

Christopher C. Payne

Publisher, JournalStone
Christopher C. Payne is JournalStone’s owner and publisher.
avatar for Kate Jonez

Kate Jonez

Chief Editor, Omnium Gatherum
Kate Jonez is the Chief Editor at Omnium Gatherum. Omnium Gatherum publishes horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction.
avatar for Cherry Weiner

Cherry Weiner

owner, Cherry Weiner Literary Agency
Cherry Weiner grew up in Australia, lived in Europe for three and a half years and moved to American when she married her husband Jack.  She has been agenting since 1977, when she was fired by her boss the well-known Robert P. Mills. Mills’ famous clients (she will not drop any... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Pantlind Ballroom

3:00pm EDT

120 Years of Dracula from Myth to Movies and much, much more...
A fast-paced survey originating with the actual vampire hysteria of the 1700's in Europe through vampires in literature, on stage, movies, television, musicals, opera, merchandise, etc. This presentation appeals to the casual and hardcore Vampire fans alike.
Speakers
avatar for Dacre Stoker

Dacre Stoker

Author
I am the great grand nephew of Bram Stoker. I have co authored The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker, The Dublin Years (non fiction) with Dr. Elizabeth Miller 2012. I have co authored Dracul (fiction) with JD Barker, it is a Bram Stoker Award finalist for best novel this year. I lead tours... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

3:00pm EDT

African American Images in Horror
African Americans are becoming more widely seen in the genre. This panel will look at and discuss how their stories are being told. We’ll look back at the genre over the years at African American involvement as it pertains to shaping memorable characters, their take on traditional horror monsters and themes and how POC are being developed to be more than just sidekicks or tropes.
Moderators
avatar for Marc Abbott

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Steven Van Patten

Steven Van Patten

Laughing Black Vampire Productions
Writer about anything that hastens the trip to the grave, supernatural and otherwise. Raconteur, tequila enthusiast, motorcycle owner, DJ, and professional TV show stage manager. If you have stock tips, I'm all ears.
avatar for Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

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 →
avatar for Tish Booker

Tish Booker

The Jackson Press
Tish Booker grew up in the Bay Area and started writing in elementary school. Graduating to crafting murder mysteries in high school, the love of writing stuck. After graduating from HBCU Dillard University, she moved back home and continued writing. Her short story ‘The Love of... Read More →
avatar for John Edward Lawson

John Edward Lawson

Co-Founder, Raw Dog Screaming Press
John Edward Lawson was born in Washington, DC and currently divides his time between Bowie, Maryland and Broadkill Beach, Delaware. Over 500 stories, poems, and articles have been published worldwide. While he has been called “The forgotten black man of horror” he also regularly... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

3:00pm EDT

Married and in the Business
What's it like to be married and in the business? 
Moderators
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.

Speakers
avatar for Lynne Hansen

Lynne Hansen

Artist, Lynne Hansen Art
Lynne Hansen is a horror artist who specializes in book covers. She loves creating art that tells a story and that helps connect publishers, authors and readers. Her art has appeared on the cover of the legendary Weird Tales Magazine, and she was selected by Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew... Read More →
avatar for Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand

Five-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. One-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Ten-time (!) Bram Stoker Award Master of Ceremonies.Author of plentiful books for your reading pleasure, including Pressure, Dweller, My Pretties, Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Clowns Vs. Spiders... Read More →
avatar for Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

C. O. Davidson’s fiction has appeared in Hard to Find: Anthology of the New Southern, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates, Georgia Gothic, Dark Moon Digest, Black Poppy Review, and Dark Ink’s collection Generation X-ed. She has also co-edited Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable, a collection... Read More →
avatar for Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of In the Valley of the Sun, The Boatman's Daughter, and The Hollow Kind. His novels have been listed among NPR's Best Books, the New York Public Library's Best Adult Books of the Year, and Esquire’s Best Horror of the Year... Read More →
avatar for Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne is the author of twenty-three published novels and lots of short stories, articles and a reference dictionary. Her most recent published book is Supernatural: The Usual Sacrifices (based in the Supernatural Universe). Her writing has won a bunch of awards and stuff. Lately... Read More →
avatar for Weston Ochse

Weston Ochse

Author
The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century,*” because of his undeniably sophisticated capacity to recognize and manipulate his characters’ motivations. Whether he’s writing horror, science fiction, or thrillers... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

3:00pm EDT

Reading Block 22
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Gwendolyn Kiste

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 →
avatar for Valerie B. Williams

Valerie B. Williams

Writer, reader, dog lover.
avatar for Michael Cieslak

Michael Cieslak

Editor in Chief, Dragon's Roost Press
Michael Cieslak is a lifetime reader and writer of horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. A native of Detroit, he still lives with his wife and their dog Tesla (named for the inventor, natch) in a house is covered in Halloween decorations in October and dragons the rest of the... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

3:00pm EDT

Reading Block 23
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Kevin Lucia

Kevin Lucia

Reviews Edior, Cemetery Dance
Kevin Lucia is the Reviews Editor for Cemetery Dance Magazine. His column Revelations is featured on Cemetery Dance Online. His short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, most recently with Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Bentley Little, Peter Straub and Robert McCammon.His first... Read More →
MB
avatar for Chris Ringler

Chris Ringler

Writer. Arty weirdo. Occasional short film director. Podcaster. Creator of Flint Horror Convention/Collective.


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

3:00pm EDT

When Your Life Becomes the Horror Story: Writing Through Personal Tragedy
Life is terrible sometimes. Loved ones die. Disease threatens. Disasters tear a stable, productive life to rags. How do we, as writers, approach our craft in times of personal crisis? Is it even possible to write when you’re in the middle of a catastrophe? Hear from writers who have been through life’s ringer about how they handled hardship and writing, and how they came through on the other side.
Moderators
avatar for KM Hammond

KM Hammond

Attendee
Writer. Cancer survivor. I'm sure I'll come up with something witty or impressive to put here later. :)

Speakers
avatar for Mary Turzillo

Mary Turzillo

Writer
Mary Turzillo won the 2000 Nebula for novella with "Mars Is No Place for Children." Her poetry collection, Lovers & Killers, won the 2013 Elgin Award. She has been on the British SF Association, Pushcart, Stoker, Dwarf Stars, and Rhysling ballots. Sweet Poison, written with... Read More →
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →
avatar for Cynthia Pelayo

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

3:00pm EDT

Registration
Register for the convention.

Saturday May 11, 2019 3:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Registration Counter 2

4:00pm EDT

100 Years of Horror Movies: The Legacy of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Made in 1919, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is widely recognized as the first true horror movie and continues to be upheld as a sophisticated example of film-making. This panel will evaluate the impact of the film on horror over the next 100 years, from specific influences (e.g., the twist ending, Expressionism in Universal horror films) to general trends in horror films (e.g., monsters, serial killers, psychological thrillers--all of which descriptions could apply to Cabinet of Caligari) and how Cabinet of Caligari continues to be relevant a century later.
Moderators
avatar for Nicholas Diak

Nicholas Diak

Co-Chair, Ann Radcliffe Academic Conf.
Pop culture studies, Italian genre films, industrial and synthwave music, tiki culture, pinup art and photography, cooking, cocktails, H. P. Lovecraft, sword and sandal genre, video games, retro games, and cats. Cohost of the HP Lovecast Podcast.

Speakers
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →
avatar for Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of In the Valley of the Sun, The Boatman's Daughter, and The Hollow Kind. His novels have been listed among NPR's Best Books, the New York Public Library's Best Adult Books of the Year, and Esquire’s Best Horror of the Year... Read More →
AT
avatar for John Skipp
avatar for Jonathan Lees

Jonathan Lees

 Jonathan Lees has spent over twenty years championing filmmakers through his programming work with the New York Underground Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, TromaDance, and now, Final Frame.


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

4:00pm EDT

Creating Memorable Villains
Count Dracula. Annie Wilkes. Hannibal Lecter. Norman Bates. The names alone evoke a feeling of dread. Creating a memorable villain is arguably the pinnacle of storytelling. But... what made them infamous? Our panelists explore horror literature's great villains, what characteristics made them stand out, techniques the authors used to make them so notably evil, and what you can do to try and create the next great villain.
Moderators
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.

Speakers
avatar for J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including FORSAKEN and THE FOURTH MONKEY. His latest novel, DRACUL, co-authored with Dacre Stoker, released October 2018. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into... Read More →
avatar for Brandon McNulty

Brandon McNulty

Author & YouTuber
Brandon McNulty is the author of the horror novel BAD PARTS, which won both Pitch Wars (2017) and RevPit (2018). He gives weekly writing advice on his Youtube channel Writer Brandon McNulty.
avatar for William Malmborg

William Malmborg

Author of the novel Jimmy. And other novels that aren't Jimmy.
avatar for Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A. Snyder is the five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the poetry collection Exposed Nerves and the forthcoming Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Grand View Room A

4:00pm EDT

Reading Block 24
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Adam LaFrance

Adam LaFrance

I'm looking to become a better horror writer. I love everything about horror but my passion is for reading and writing short horror stories. I've worked in the computer industry since 1998 so I'm quite the IT nerd. I love tatoos, small dogs and Fireball.
RR

Robin Reed

Robin Reed, writing as Robin Morris, is the author of the indie horror novel "Mama" and the "Game" trilogy.  Under her own name is the humorous novel, "Vampzompocalypse."
avatar for Brian Keene

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

4:00pm EDT

Reading Block 25
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Gavin Pate

Gavin Pate

Virginia Wesleyan University
Gavin Pate is the author of the novel The Way To Get Here (Bootstrap Press) and short fiction found at Nightmare Magazine, The Collagist, & Barrelhouse, among others. His collection, Notes from the Coming War, is forthcoming from Bootstrap this fall. He lives in Norfolk, VA, and... Read More →
avatar for Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne is the author of twenty-three published novels and lots of short stories, articles and a reference dictionary. Her most recent published book is Supernatural: The Usual Sacrifices (based in the Supernatural Universe). Her writing has won a bunch of awards and stuff. Lately... Read More →
avatar for Michael Bailey

Michael Bailey

Senior Editor, Written Backwards
Michael Bailey is a writer, editor who lives near the Caribbean Sea in Costa Rica. He is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award (and nine-time finalist), Benjamin Franklin Award, a four-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and an insane number of independent accolades. Publications include Palindrome... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

4:00pm EDT

Twisted Tropes: Making the Common Uncommon
Tropes in horror writing are recognizable: vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts. Most get in the way of good stories. This panel will discuss past successes at twisting these tropes into something fresh and explore how you can create your own unique approach to tropes. 
Moderators
avatar for Rob E. Boley

Rob E. Boley

I like to make blank pages darker.

Speakers
avatar for SGJ

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones
avatar for John Kachuba

John Kachuba

Author
Shapeshifters! Ghosts! Middle Grade horror! Author of 12 books. Haycorn Smith and the Castle Ghost (middle-grade) coming June 14 from Paper Angel Press. Several of John's nonfiction books are about ghosts and the paranormal and he is a frequent speaker on that subject on TV, radio... Read More →
avatar for Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward

Kyla Lee Ward is a Sydney-based creative who works in many modes. This August will see the publication of her second poetry collection, *The Macabre Moderne and Other Morbidities* by P'rea Press, following 2011's *The Land of Bad Dreams*. Her novel *Prismatic* (co-authored as Edwina... Read More →
avatar for Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served over two terms as the Vice President... Read More →
avatar for Michael Arnzen

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 →


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Grand View Room B-C

4:00pm EDT

Horror University — Audiobooks: Another Revenue Stream For Writers
Do you have a box of short stories, novelettes, or novels that you'd like to resurrect? These days, you can do so without having to pay any money up-front. Learn how to get your works into the audio format and added to the Audible.com/Amazon.comcatalog  as audiobooks! We'll go over what it takes to have someone else record your book, or what it will take for you to narrate it yourself. Bring an excerpt. Everyone will have the opportunity to practice narrating with a session director.

To register for Horror University workshops, click on this link:  https://horror-u.org/

You must pay for each workshop you wish to attend. If you purchase four, don't forget to add the discount code HORRORU to get $20 off your purchase.

Squarespace will email you a receipt at the end of your purchase. If you do not get a receipt from them, you are not registered. We recommend you print out your receipt and bring it with you to StokerCon™.
Speakers
avatar for Angel McCoy


Saturday May 11, 2019 4:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Heritage Hill Room

5:00pm EDT

Reading Block 26
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Randy D. Rubin

Randy D. Rubin

Horror Fiction ad Dark Speculative Poetry.
avatar for John Edward Lawson

John Edward Lawson

Co-Founder, Raw Dog Screaming Press
John Edward Lawson was born in Washington, DC and currently divides his time between Bowie, Maryland and Broadkill Beach, Delaware. Over 500 stories, poems, and articles have been published worldwide. While he has been called “The forgotten black man of horror” he also regularly... Read More →
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.


Saturday May 11, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Thornapple Room

5:00pm EDT

Reading Block 27
Reading Block
Speakers
avatar for Janice Leach

Janice Leach

I write poetry, grants, and blogs. I'm co-author "Til Death: Marriage Poems" (Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2017) with Jim Leach. I also bake pies with local ingredients and volunteer at a long term garden project in youth detention. At home, I tend a rollicking kitchen garden filled... Read More →
avatar for Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A Snyder

Lucy A. Snyder is the five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the poetry collection Exposed Nerves and the forthcoming Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress... Read More →
avatar for Carina Bissett

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium
Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Winchester Room

6:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards® Cocktail Reception
Join us for a pre-banquet cocktail reception. Cash bar available.

Saturday May 11, 2019 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Crown Foyer

7:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet
The Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet. Ticket purchase required.
Speakers
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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


Saturday May 11, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

8:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards®
Join emcee Jonathan Maberry for the presentation of the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards®, as well as the Specialty Press Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Mentor of the Year Award, Richard Laymon Award, and the HWA Silver Hammer Award.
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Maberry

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International... Read More →


Saturday May 11, 2019 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom West

10:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards® After Party
Help celebrate with our winners at the Bram Stoker Awards® after party. A cash bar and light appetizers will be available. 

Saturday May 11, 2019 10:00pm - Sunday May 12, 2019 12:00am EDT
Pantlind Ballroom
 
Sunday, May 12
 

9:00am EDT

Dealer Room
Dealer Room open from 8am -12pm.

Sunday May 12, 2019 9:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East

11:00am EDT

HWA General Meeting
HWA General Meeting. Learn about the current state of the Horror Writers Association.
Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for John Palisano

John Palisano

Independent
Writer.
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal... Read More →
avatar for JG Faherty

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!
avatar for Linda D. Addison

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.
avatar for Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas
Ellen Datlow has been editing sf/f/h, short fiction for more than forty years. She currently acquires short fiction and novellas for Tor.com. She’s edited more than one hundred anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series and has won multiple awards for... Read More →
avatar for Brad C. Hodson

Brad C. Hodson

Administrator, Horror Writers Association
avatar for Marge Simon

Marge Simon

I love reading and writing genre/speculative sf short fiction/flash and poetry--I've spent decades writing and reading; also, an artist-illustrator as well, I admire the work of Robert Payne Cabeen, Wendy Sabre-Core and Dani Serra, to name a few. I also enjoy a good wine and would... Read More →


Sunday May 12, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

12:00pm EDT

Closing Ceremonies
Come celebrate the closing of StokerCon™ 2019, and hear about StokerCon™ 2020.
Moderators
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers
avatar for Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja

Creative Guest of Honor
KATHE KOJA is a novelist, playwright, performer, director and independent producer. Her work crosses and combines genres, from horror to historical to YA. Her novels—including The Cipher, Bad Brains, Skin, Strange Angels, Going Under, The Blue Mirror, the Under the Poppy trilogy... Read More →
avatar for Josh Malerman

Josh Malerman

JOSH MALERMAN is the author of the books Bird Box, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, Black Mad Wheel, Goblin, and Unbury Carol. He’s also the singer/songwriter of the High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the hit Showtime show “Shameless... Read More →
avatar for Robert R. McCammon

Robert R. McCammon

ROBERT R. McCAMMON – In the 1980s, as horror exploded in popularity and books featuring glowing eyes and demonic children crammed supermarket paperback racks, critics and fans alike often talked about the genre’s three primary practitioners: Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Robert... Read More →
avatar for Kaaron Warren

Kaaron Warren

Shirley-Jackson Award Winner Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had stories in print every year since. She was Guest of Honour at World Fantasy Convention in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.Her stories have... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie M. Wytovich

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 →


Sunday May 12, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Emerald Room

12:00pm EDT

Dealer Room Breakdown
Dealer Room closed for breakdown and exit.

Sunday May 12, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Ambassador Ballroom East
 
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