StokerCon® 2024: Full Schedule

8:00am PDT

Boardroom

This room is reserved for convention chairs, HWA board members, and staff.

Thursday May 30, 2024 8:00am - 7:00pm PDT
Salon G-F

Official HWA Business

4:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Johnny Worthen

Award-Winning 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 →

Sarah Read

G. O. Clark

self

Published poet and short story writer, going on 35 years now, specializing in horror, SF, fantasy, and just plain weird.

Ryan Marie Ketterer

Author & Editor

Ryan Marie Ketterer is an author and editor from Malden, Massachusetts. Her editorial debut, Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration, is coming in May 2024 from Salt Heart Press. Her short fiction can be found in Clarkesworld, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and various anthologies... Read More →

Thursday May 30, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Author Readings

4:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Preston Fassel

Nakayla Gallegos

TJ Price

Thursday May 30, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

4:00pm PDT

Dealer Room

Come visit our amazing vendors for this year's StokerCon:

Raw Dog Screaming Press
Tenebrous Press
Clash Books
Winding Road Stories
Day and Night Media, LLC
Drew Huff
Black Women in Horror
Rebekah L Webb
Cursed Morsels Press
Johnny Worthen
Edward Flora
Salt & Other Spices
Rae Wilde
The Art of Chlo'e Camonayan
HOWL Society Press
San Francisco Bay Area HWA Chapter
Amaya Tenshi
Stratosphere Books
Craig Hurd-McKenney
Surtr Books and Violets with Grace
Bitter Karella & Gentlemonster
Coyle and Fang
Dracula of Transylvania
Andrew Adams
HellBound Books w/Erin Louis
Stop The Killer Games with special guests Lynne Hansen and Jon Cohn
Superstars Writing Seminars
Amaya Tenshi
Mysterious Galaxy
Sley House Publishing

Thursday May 30, 2024 4:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Cabrillo

Dealer Room

5:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

A.C. Wise

A.C. Wise's fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Apex, and several Year's Best anthologies, among other places. Her work has won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as twice being a finalist for the Sunburst Award, twice being a finalist... Read More →

Michael Arnzen

Asst Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

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 →

Wailana Kalama

Writer, Wailana Kalama

I write short horror and travel pieces. My work can be found on Pseudopod, Dark Matter, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Hakai Magazine and other publications.

Sadie Hartmann

Co-Owner, Night Worms

Thursday May 30, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Author Readings

5:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

K.C. Grifant

KC Grifant is a Southern Californian author who writes internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction and weird west stories for podcasts, anthologies and magazines. Her tales have appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, Unnerving Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Dark... Read More →

Heather Hein

Creative ProgramsCoordinator, Writing Heights Writers Association

Brent Michael Kelley

Author, Mystery Potion Books

Brent Michael Kelley is an independent author who lives in northern Wisconsin. When he's not feeding the crows or searching for four-leaf clovers, Brent writes dark fantasy and horror-comedy.

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 →

Thursday May 30, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

5:00pm PDT

Eco-Horror And Climate Change

With the increasing focus on a world that crosses the threshold of a 1.5°C or 2.0°C temperature rise, how can horror help fight climate change? Is it better to scare the pants off people, or offer some hope for the future and help people take action instead of giving up? What authors have effectively called our attention to these issues?

Moderators

Carol Gyzander

I love quiet horror, weird fiction, and cosmic horror.

Speakers

David Agranoff

David Agranoff is a novelist, screenwriter, researcher, and Horror and Science Fiction critic. He is the Splatterpunk and Wonderland book award-nominated author of 12 books including the novels the WW II Vampire novel – The Last Night to Kill Nazis, the science fiction novel Goddamn... Read More →

Victoria Nations

Victoria Nations (she/her) writes Gothic and weird horror about creatures with emotional baggage. Her work is often set in Florida and other wild, liminal places.Victoria’s work appears in Dark Matter Magazine, "Nightmarish,” "Dark Waters," and “Fish Gather to Listen," among... Read More →

Chris Panatier

Writer

Gillian King-Cargile

Writer

Danger Slater

Good Time Party Dude

I will be keep an egg salad sandwich warm for you in my back pocket. Let me know when you're hungry.

Thursday May 30, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Genre and Subgenre

5:00pm PDT

Crafting Conversations: Tips for Interviewers and Guests

Join us to learn how to navigate interviews successfully. Experienced interviewers and writers share practical tips, best practices, and real-world anecdotes to help interviewers and writers prepare for and excel in their next interview.

Moderators

Neil McRobert

Host/Producer, Talking Scared Podcast

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

Speakers

Nathaniel Darkish

Scream Kings Podcast

Horror writer, podcaster on Scream Kings, English and creative writing teacher, obsessive reader, nerd. Represented by Najla Mamou of Savvy Literary.

Clay McLeod Chapman

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

Agatha Andrews

Clay Vermulm

Thursday May 30, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

6:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Richard Santos

J.W. Donley

Writer, Editor, Layout Designer, Publisher, Dark Forest Press LLC

J.W. Donley—HWA and HOWL Society member—lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. J.W. is the author of the novelette Cats of the Pacific Northwest and the brand new 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro... Read More →

Hilary Wilson

Literary Correspondent, The Folklore Podcast

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 →

Thursday May 30, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Author Readings

6:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Denise Tapscott

I'm the author of Gypsy Kisses and Voodoo Wishes. I play a spicy vampire named Tasha on the YouTube show The Vamps Next Door and I'm proud to be a member of the podcast Beef Wine and Shenanigans

Chloe Spencer

Keith Rosson

Keith Rosson is the author of the novels The Devil by Name, Fever House, Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award–winning story collection Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his partner and their two... Read More →

Carson Winter

Thursday May 30, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

6:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

S. Alessandro Martinez

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

Lindsay King-Miller

Lindsay King-Miller is the author of Ask a Queer Chick: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life for Girls who Dig Girls (Plume, 2016) and The Z Word (Quirk, 2024). Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Fireside Fiction, Baffling Magazine, The Deadlands, and numerous other publications... Read More →

Ryan Bradley

M. Kate Allen

M. Kate Allen is the award-winning author of the Sticky Ones series, a collection of spooky standalone books for middle readers. She has written numerous other books (including Memory Stands Still, Playing Gauche, and Thean Psalter) and short pieces for adults and children. Gothic... Read More →

Thursday May 30, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Author Readings

6:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

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 →

K.A. Schultz

writer illustrator, Dakeha Taunus LLC

Kimann (K.A.) Schultz is the author of NEITHERIUM Prose & Poetry from the Neither, GÖTHIQUE Ravenscraft Anthology of Horror III, & JACOB A Denouement in One Act.Follow Kimann on Instagram @kaschultz_writer & @butterflybroth, on X @kaschultzwriter,& for all books, sites, articles... Read More →

Laura Hickman

Jonathan Reddioch

Thursday May 30, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 3

Author Readings

8:00pm PDT

Opening Ceremony

Join your fellow attendees in welcoming our StokerCon 2024 Guests of Honor and meeting friends new and old.

In case of rain, this event will be moved indoors.

Moderators

John Edward Lawson

President, Horror Writers Association

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

Speakers

Rob Savage

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish American multiple award nominated author who writes prose poetry and short stories in cosmic horror and weird fiction with half a decade of writing experience. Five time Rhysling Award nominee, two time Pushcart Award nominee, and author of the Bram Stoker... Read More →

Justina Ireland

Justina Ireland is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Dread Nation and its sequel Deathless Divide, Rust in the Root, the middle-grade novel Ophie's Ghosts, which won the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction, and a number of Star Wars books including... Read More →

Nisi Shawl

Author

Nisi Shawl’s latest novel is Kinning, which came out from Tor in January 2024. Kinning is a sequel to their Nebula-nominated Belgian Congo steampunk novel Everfair, published by Tor in September 2016. Other recent titles include the short story collection Our Fruiting Bodies... Read More →

Paul Tremblay

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

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Lisa Wood

Vice President, Horror Writers Association

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

Thursday May 30, 2024 8:00pm - 10:00pm PDT
West Lawn

Convention Keynotes

11:59pm PDT

Midnight Special: Monster Mash

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

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

Moderators

James Chambers

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

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

Thursday May 30, 2024 11:59pm - Friday May 31, 2024 1:00am PDT
Salon B

Special Event

8:00am PDT

Welcome to Librarian's Day!

Welcome to Librarians’s Day!: Meet the Librarians’ Day team and fellow librarians from across the country while enjoying coffee and bites courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Friday May 31, 2024 8:00am - 8:25am PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

8:00am PDT

Boardroom

This room is reserved for convention chairs, HWA board members, and staff.

Friday May 31, 2024 8:00am - 7:00pm PDT
Salon G-F

Official HWA Business

8:30am PDT

Brains! Brains! Brainstorming Ways to Engage Your Community Moderated by Konrad Stump

Join HWA Library Advisory Council members in small group discussions to meet some of your fellow librarians, share experiences, and gather ideas for how to engage your community with the horror community.

Moderators

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 31, 2024 8:30am - 9:20am PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Stephen Mark Rainey

Stephen Mark Rainey is the author of the novels Balak, The Lebo Coven, Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (with Elizabeth Massie), The Nightmare Frontier, Blue Devil Island, The Monarchs, and others, including five novels for mid-grade readers in Elizabeth Massie's Ameri-Scares series... Read More →

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 →

Vaughn A. Jackson

Panicked Writer #2

Vaughn A. Jackson is an author and editor of dark speculative fiction, often blending elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror into one unholy abomination. His published works include UP FROM THE DEEP, a kaiju thriller, and TOUCHED BY SHADOWS, a novel of cosmic horror. The... Read More →

Terri Kang

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon B

Author Readings, Livestreamed Session

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

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 →

Justin C. Key

Author

Justin C. Key is a speculative fiction writer and psychiatrist whose short stories have appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Tor.com, Escape Pod, Lightspeed, and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming. A graduate of Clarion West, his debut... Read More →

Tamika Thompson

Author

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

ROYCE BUCKINGHAM

Author--Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet)

Author at Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet), Putnam's, St. Martin's Press. HWA, WGAw. *Speaking at the Middle Grade Panel Saturday at 2:00. Royce has published 14 novels, mostly featuring monsters or something equally horrible. "My agent is currently shopping my Monster Lawyer novel... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

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

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

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

P.M. Raymond

Author

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

Katherine Quevedo

Writer

Katherine Quevedo was born and raised near Portland, Oregon, where she works as an analyst and lives with her husband and two sons. Her speculative fiction and poetry have appeared in Asimov’s, Nightmare Magazine, Fireside Magazine, and elsewhere. Her fiction has been nominated... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

Screaming in SoCal

Discover how the region's unique blend of glitz and decay fuels the imaginations of modern horror writers. From haunted hotels to the shadows lurking behind the Hollywood sign, explore the myths and the real-world terrors of wildfires, inequality, and shattered dreams.

Moderators

Laura Picklesimer

Laura is the author of the horror novel Kill for Love (Unnamed Press, 2023). Literary Hub called her debut a feminist American Psycho thriller, and Kirkus Reviews declared it “neatly flips the formula of the male serial killer on its bashed-in head.” Laura’s fiction has appeared... Read More →

Speakers

Duane Swierczynski

Gleeful Mayhem Entertainment LLC

Lisa Morton

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

Dr. David Sandner

Writer, Raw Dog Screaming Press

Forthcoming work includes novella His Unburned Heart (about Mary Shelley and her husband’s heart) from Raw Dog Screaming Press (May, 2024), a novel Egyptian Motherlode (co-written with Jacob Weisman) from Fairwood Press (October, 2024), short story “Night School” (also with... Read More →

Sarah Faxon

Sarah Faxon, who publishes under S. Faxon, is a dark fantasy, horror, and urban fantasy author. Sarah is the author of the books: The Animal Court, Foreign & Domestic Affairs, Tiny Dreadfuls, Origins: The Blue Dragon Society, co-writer of Lost Aboard and How to Become A Successful... Read More →

K.C. Grifant

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

Horror History and Culture

9:00am PDT

Not Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero: Writing Profoundly Flawed Characters

Readers often connect with characters who are basically good, but what about cheaters, liars, & cowards? The vain, the envious, & the unrepentant? These aren’t pop song anti-heroes. They’re real, gritty, and sometimes vile. How do we make the reader love them?

Moderators

Gordon B. White

Gordon B. White is a Shirley Jackson Award and Bram Stoker Award nominee, as well as the author of the weird horror collection As Summer’s Mask Slips and Other Disruptions, as well as the novellas Rookfield and And In Her Smile, The World (with Rebecca J. Allred). A graduate... Read More →

Speakers

Ridley Harker

Author, Ronchy Writing LLC

Ridley Harker (he/they) is the author of the queer body horror novel, Parasite (Ninestar Press, 2022). Their short story, "Kill Your Darlings" was featured in Listen: The Sound of Fear (Ninestar Press, 2022). Ridley's favorite horror genres include LGBTQIA+, gothic, body horror... Read More →

Garrett Cook

Steve Rasnic Tem

A Colorado native, Steve Rasnic Tem is, according to Joe R. Lansdale, “a school of writing unto himself.” Steve is a past winner of the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Awards (incl. 2014’s Blood Kin for novel). His short fiction work is legendary, with over 450... Read More →

Rae Wilde

Rae Wilde (she/her) is a queer woman and author of dark fiction who has also published under the name Rae Knowles. Her work includes The Stradivarius, Merciless Waters, and I Do Not Apologize for My Position on Men. Rae is the author of numerous shorter works, published in magazines... Read More →

Rachel Harrison

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

9:00am PDT

Dealer Room

Friday May 31, 2024 9:00am - 6:00pm PDT
Cabrillo

Dealer Room

9:30am PDT

How to Feature Horror at Your Library Moderated by Corey Farrenkopf

Hear librarians from across the country share their experiences featuring horror at their libraries, from book discussions to writing groups to author events and more.

Moderators

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian, Eastham Public Library

Corey Farrenkopf lives on Cape Cod with his wife, Gabrielle, and works as a librarian. His work has been published in/is forthcoming from Nightmare, The Deadlands, Vastarien, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Bourbon Penn, and elsewhere. His debut novel, Living in Cemeteries... Read More →

Speakers

Meghan Bouffard

Information Services Librarian, Sargent Memorial Library

Public librarian in Massachusetts and horror fanatic. You will typically find me watching or reading horror. Topics of interest include Gothic literature, slashers, witchcraft & the occult, dark fantasy, and folk horror. I enjoy writing reviews and analyzing books and film.

Steven A. Torres-Roman

Librarian, San Diego Public Library

James Sabata

CoHost, TheNecronomi.Com

James Sabata is a horror author (Fat Camp, The Cassowary,A Distant Rumor) screenwriter (Disconnect (Coming 2025), This Stays with the House, Souvenir), and co-host of TheNecronomi.Com; a weekly podcast analyzing horror films as social commentary, with over one million downloads. James... Read More →

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

librarian, academic, and educator | scholar of queer horror and abjection theory | writer of body horror, poetry, and splatter | lover of tabletop gaming, cooking, and information freedom | appalachian extreme horror novel “stuffed” now forthcoming from unveiling nightmares l... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 9:30am - 10:20am PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

10:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Colleen Anderson

Colleen Anderson lives in Vancouver, BC and is a Canada Council and BC Arts Council grant recipient for writing. She has been widely published, and has performed her work before audiences in the US, UK and Canada. A Pushcart Prize, and multiple Aurora (poetry & anthology), Dwarf Stars... Read More →

Erin E. Adams

Erin E. Adams is a first-generation Haitian American writer and theater artist. Her debut novel, Jackal, was a finalist for the Edgar Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Strand Critics Award and the Lefty Award. It was also named one of the best books of the... Read More →

Josh Winning

Josh Winning is the critically acclaimed author of Burn the Negative, which was long-listed for a Bram Stoker Award, Heads Will Roll and The Shadow Glass. He is a senior film writer at Radio Times and has written for Total Film, Gay Times and Den of Geek. During his years as a film journalist, he has been on set with Kermit the Frog (and Miss Piggy), devoured breakfast with zombies on The Walking Dead, and sat on the Iron Throne on the se... Read More →

Tanya Pell

Tanya Pell's horror debut CICADA releases in Sept. '24 with Shortwave. Her horror fiction can be found in Mother Knows Best, OBSOLESCENCE, Shortwave Magazine, and Well, This is Tense. She is represented by Marcy Posner at Folio Literary and FolioJr. Find her at tanyapell.com

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

10:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Sumiko Saulson

Social Media Manager, Horror Writers Association

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

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Editor, Author, Poet, HWA Wellness Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

A Rhode Islander living in Australia for 25 years, Lauren Elise Daniels (L. E. Daniels) has worked in publishing since '92. An Emerson College MFA grad, she's edited over 130+ titles, including the Aurealis Award-winning Relics, Wrecks and Ruins (2021), Aiki Flinthart's legacy anthology... Read More →

Rachel Brune

Rachel A. Brune got her first publishing gig working for the US Army as a military journalist. Twenty years later, she writes, edits, and publishes speculative fiction, with an emphasis on the dark side of the literary spectrum. She brings a deep and abiding love of all the flavors... Read More →

Nate Birt

Founder, WonderDread Publishing

It's great to meet you! My name is Nate Birt. I write supernatural thrillers, my most recent being "That Awful Box: A Novella" available on Kindle. I'm a twice-published nonfiction author (one book on climate change/DEI communication strategies, the other on human embryo adoption... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

10:00am PDT

Once-Human Monsters

Horror is fascinated with the transformation from human into monster, the way personhood is subsumed or perverted. Some of our longest standing monsters - vampires, werewolves, zombies - begin as human and mutate into the beastly, the voracious, the cannibalistic. Why are we appalled and fascinated by these sorts of transformations? Why do these once-human monsters endure?

Moderators

Catlyn Ladd

Writer

Catlyn Ladd loves alliteration, the poetic slip of similar sounds through throat and tongue. She blends metaphors and archetypes from the shadow self, illuminating the monsters, beautiful and horrifying, that gestate there. Her speculative fiction has been published in over a dozen... Read More →

Speakers

Liz Kerin

Jewelle Gomez

Jewelle Gomez, (Cape Verdean/Wampanoag/Ioway), is the author of eight books including the first Black Lesbian vampire novel, THE GILDA STORIES, winner of two Lambda Literary Awards; now available as an eBook and on AUDIBLE.The novel was recently optioned for a television mini-series by Cheryl Dunye (Queen Sugar). Her play based on the novel, “Bones and Ash,” was commissioned and performed by Urban Bush Women Compan... Read More →

Lindsay King-Miller

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones

Nisi Shawl

Author

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Genre and Subgenre

10:00am PDT

Stage Fright: Writing Horror for Theater

Join us as we discuss the rich, compelling history of horror presented on the stage. From the Grand Guignol specializing in grotesque, realistic horror vignettes to more recent Broadway fare such as Grey House by Levi Holloway, horror has endured and enjoyed a dynamic and exciting history in the theater. Our panelists will discuss the complex history of horror theater from William Shakespeare (Titus Andronicus) to Sarah Kane (Blasted), while offering useful advice for those interested in crafting their own horror plays.

Moderators

Sam Rebelein

Sam Rebelein holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, with a focus in horror and memoir. Sam's work has recently appeared in Bourbon Penn, Coffin Bell Journal, Press Pause Press, Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year, and elsewhere. HarperCollins' horror and crime... Read More →

Speakers

Kristin Dearborn

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 →

Eric LaRocca

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

Nat Cassidy

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

Max Kennel

Max Kennel (He/him) is an award-winning playwright, local goblin, and member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Horror Writers Association. Max can be found directing, doing improv theatre/comedy, and photography outside of writing. He recently acquired a BA in Theater Arts... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

10:00am PDT

Silver Screams: The Business of Adapting Books for the Big and Small Screens

Horror's bigger than ever, and both studios and streaming services are looking for hot properties to scare the pants off viewers. Join authors to discuss options, agents, adaptations, and how a killer book translates into a fan-favorite film or TV series.

Moderators

Brian Asman

Brian Asman is a writer and editor from San Diego, CA. He’s the author of I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today from Eraserhead Press and the forthcoming novella Jailbroke from Mutated Media and has recently published short stories in the anthologies Breaking Bizarro, Welcome to... Read More →

Speakers

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.

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Rob Savage

Paul Tremblay

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00am - 10:55am PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

10:30am PDT

Buzzing About Horror Books Moderated by Emily Vinci

Join librarians and book reviewers as they share the buzz about a slew of exciting new and upcoming horror titles. Come for the booktalks; stay for the free books and swag!

Moderators

Emily Vinci

Librarian, Fiction Manager, Schaumburg Township District Library

Speakers

Sadie Hartmann

Co-Owner, Night Worms

Misty Jones

Director, San Diego Public Library

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian, Eastham Public Library

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Christy Rickey Meister

Friday May 31, 2024 10:30am - 11:20am PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

11:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Andy Boyle

Andy Boyle is a Chicago-based writer whose work has appeared in Esquire, NBC News, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and more. Raised and educated in Nebraska, his journalism was cited in the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. He's also the author of... Read More →

James Sabata

CoHost, TheNecronomi.Com

CJ Leede

CJ Leede is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School, where she studied Mythology and the Middle Ages. When she is not driving around the country, she can be found in LA with her boyfriend... Read More →

Carol Gyzander

I love quiet horror, weird fiction, and cosmic horror.

Friday May 31, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

11:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NYX Horror Collective

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, lecturer and producer. She has lectured with Prairie View A&M Film & TV Program as a Keynote, BAFSS Horror Studies Sig and The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Mo has partnered with horror giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes... Read More →

Andrew F Sullivan

Author of The Marigold and The Handyman Method

Andrew F. Sullivan is the author of The Marigold, a finalist for Best Novel at the Aurora Awards and named a Best Book of the Year by The Verge, Book Riot and the Winnipeg Free Press. He cowrote The Handyman Method with Nick Cutter, a novel about home improvement gone wrong. Su... Read More →

Lisa D Kastner

Founder, Running Wild, LLC

Lisa Diane Kastner is the Founder of Running Wild, LLC, a content creation, distribution, and licensing company. Featured in FORBES and several other publications, she’s been named to multiple “Best of”s. A technology consultant and executive by day for the last twenty years... Read More →

Jonathan Fortin

Friday May 31, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

11:00am PDT

Fear on the Frontier: Western Horror

Join horror authors as they examine the fascinating intersection of frontier legends with horror narratives.

Moderators

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

Lone Star College University Park

Rhonda Jackson Garcia, AKA RJ Joseph, is a Stoker Award™ and Shirley Jackson 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... Read More →

Speakers

Jo Kaplan

Jo Kaplan is the author of It Will Just Be Us (2020) and When the Night Bells Ring (2022). Her short fiction (sometimes as Joanna Parypinski) has appeared in Fireside Quarterly, Black Static, Nightmare Magazine, Vastarien, Nightscript, Horror Library, Haunted Nights edited by Ellen... Read More →

Seth Humble

K.C. Grifant

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Friday May 31, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon B

Genre and Subgenre, Livestreamed Session

11:00am PDT

Sensitivity Reads: Writing Outside of Your Identity

Now more than ever we are seeing the desire for more inclusivity in art—not only in who creates the art, but in its content. But what do you do when you are writing about a community that you are not a part of? This panel will explore the challenges and remedies that exist when writing outside of your own identity. We’ll explore best practices to avoid stereotypes and bias, and take a deep dive into the use of Sensitivity Readers.

Moderators

Dennis Crosby

Dennis K. Crosby is the multi award-winning author of the bestselling Kassidy Simmons Series. Since 2020, he has published three urban fantasy novels and nine short stories.Dennis holds a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing... Read More →

Speakers

Heather Hein

Creative ProgramsCoordinator, Writing Heights Writers Association

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher

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

Shanna Heath

Shanna writes horror for all ages. Her short fiction has been published in OTHER TERRORS: AN INCLUSIVE ANTHOLOGY (July 2022), THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA (Godwin Books/Macmillan 2023), BURROW PRESS REVIEW, and CEMETERY MOON. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons... Read More →

Bitter Karella

Bitter Karella (He/She/They) is the creator of the three-time Hugo-nominated microfiction comedy account @Midnight_Pals which asks what if all your favorite horror writers were to gather around the campfire and tell scary stories like in the classic Nickelodeon series “Are You... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

11:00am PDT

Terror Transformed: Writing for Existing Media Properties

Learn how authors master the delicate balance of crafting new stories to captivate new and longtime fans alike.

Moderators

David Agranoff

Speakers

Justina Ireland

Tim Waggoner

i've published over fifty novels and eight collections of short stories. I write original horror and dark fantasy as well as media tie-ins. I'm a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and I've been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award... Read More →

Jennifer Brody

Author

Jennifer Brody (a/k/a Vera Strange) is the author of the "Disney Chills" series, "The 13th Continuum" trilogy, and "Spectre Deep 6," which was a Stoker Finalist prompting Forbes to call Brody “a star in the graphic novel world.” She is the co-author of "All is Found: A Frozen... Read More →

Kiersten White

Friday May 31, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

1:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

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.

Tiffany Michelle Brown

V. Castro

Garrett Cook

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

1:00pm PDT

What Horror Means to Me, Moderated by Lila Denning

Join StokerCon 2024’s Guests of Honor for a lively discussion about why readers of all ages enjoy a good scare, from fictional frights to all-too-true terrors. Featuring Justina Ireland, Jonathan Maberry, Nisi Shawl, and Paul Tremblay.

Moderators

Lila Denning

HWA-Volunteer Coordinator, St Petersburg Library System

Speakers

Justina Ireland

Nisi Shawl

Author

Paul Tremblay

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

1:00pm PDT

Ask an Agent

Gain invaluable insight into the submission process. Learn about what agents look for in potential clients and the current state of the publishing world.

Moderators

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Speakers

Becky LeJeune

Agent, Bond Literary Agency

Becky LeJeune is an agent at Bond Literary Agency, a Denver-based agency run by Sandra Bond. Prior to joining the agency, Becky spent time working as a bookseller, a freelance cookbook editor, and an acquisitions editor for a small, regional press. She is a graduate of the Denver... Read More →

Cherry Weiner

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 in1972. She has been agenting since 1977, when she left the Robert P. Mills AgencyMills’ famous clients (she will not any drop further names... Read More →

Lane Heymont

Lane Heymont is the founder of The Tobias Literary Agency and has consistently been ranked as the top horror agent according to Publishers Marketplace. His clients include Bram Stoker Award winners such as Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, Linda D. Addison, Lisa Morton, and more.Some... Read More →

Jolene Haley

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

1:00pm PDT

Curating Inclusive Horror Anthologies

How can horror anthologies authentically represent diverse voices? We'll examine the social and cultural significance of diverse anthologies in fostering empathy and understanding, and how they work to break stereotypes. The discussion will include tips for promoting submissions calls to diverse markets in order to ensure the broadest number of applications and gaining submissions from marginalized groups. We also examine strategies to correct the path when your project has not met your intended diversity standards.

This panel will be live-streamed.

Moderators

Kenya Moss-Dyme

Author/Nightmare Vendor

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

Speakers

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 →

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.

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 →

Shane Hawk

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

SHANE HAWK (enrolled Cheyenne-Arapaho, Hidatsa and Citizen Potawatomi descent) is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. Hawk's literary contributions include his debut story collection Anoka, alongside short fiction featured in numerous anthologies. He recently co-edited... Read More →

Richard Thomas

BIO: Richard Thomas is the award-winning author of eight books—Disintegration and Breaker (Penguin Random House Alibi), Transubstantiate, Herniated Roots, Staring Into the Abyss, Tribulations, Spontaneous Human Combustion (Turner Publishing), and The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

1:00pm PDT

Podcasting Your Fiction 101

Vengeful spirits, spectral warnings and entities with unfinished business... ghost story tropes have a powerful grip. Learn how authors reach deeper to craft hauntings with a more profound impact.

Moderators

Scott Sigler

Speakers

Tony Sarrecchia

Tony is a writer who creates audio dramas, including the award-winning, HARRY STRANGE RADIO DRAMA, and SCARLETT HOOD ADVENTURES. His LADY SHERLOCK HOLMES Episode, ‘The Lady in Red’, performed at DragonCon and the National Audio Theatre Festival won the NATF’s Platinum Festival... Read More →

Alex Hofelich

co-Editor, PseudoPod

Alex Hofelich is Co-Editor of Pseudopod, a weekly horror podcast magazine. It is part of the pro-paying Escape Artists network, which has been delivering weekly short fiction in multiple genres since 2005. He has been involved with PseudoPod since 2009, and edited the anthology... Read More →

Jeremy Billingsley

Editor-in-chief, Sley House Publishing

Jeff C. Carter

Host, We Bleed Orange & Black

Jeff C. Carter’s stories have been featured in dozens of anthologies, translated for international markets and adapted for podcasts.His love of science and Halloween inspires his Sci-Fi and horror writing. He lives in New Mexico with a cat, a dog and a human.He is a contributor... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT

Writing and Publishing

1:00pm PDT

The Terrifying Trio: Short Fiction Vs Novellas Vs. Novels

You may think you're writing a short story, but it's beginning to be a novel. You may think you are starting a novel but it's actually a novella!
Five writers who've written successfully across varying forms discuss the advantages, foibles, flexibility, and markets of assorted lengths of fiction.

Moderators

Kate Maruyama

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

Speakers

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

Lone Star College University Park

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 →

Douglas Ford

Ai Jiang

Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, Ignyte Award winner, Hugo, Astounding, Nebula, Locus, Bram Stoker, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist, and an immigrant from Fujian currently residing in Ontario, Canada. Her work can be found in F&SF, The Dark, The Masters Review, among others... Read More →

Lisa Wood

Vice President, Horror Writers Association

Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries is a Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award nominated, and Ditmar, Australian Shadows and Aurealis Award-winning author based in Canberra, Australia. His novels include HOUSE OF SIGHS, THE FALLEN BOYS, A PLACE FOR SINNERS, WHERE THE DEAD GO TO DIE (with Mark Allan Gunnells... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

2:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Valerie B. Williams

Writer, reader, dog lover.Valerie B. Williams' short fiction has been published by Flame Tree Press and Dark Recesses Press, among others. Her most recent publications, the short stories “Inheritance” and "The Wages of Sin," appeared in the Spring Issue of The Sirens Call e-zine... Read More →

Donna J. W. Munro

Luke Dumas

Author

Luke Dumas is the USA Today bestselling author of The Paleontologist, A History of Fear, and two forthcoming novels from Atria Books. His nonfiction has appeared in CrimeReads, Literary Hub, and Hobart, and his work has been nominated for an ITW Thriller Award and optioned for film and TV. Luke received his master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Edin... Read More →

Keith Rosson

Friday May 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

2:00pm PDT

Haunted by the Trope: Reimagining Ghost Stories

Vengeful spirits, spectral warnings and entities with unfinished business... ghost story tropes have a powerful grip. Learn how authors reach deeper to craft hauntings with a more profound impact.

Moderators

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum, The Midnight Zone

As amazing as it was to have StokerCon in my beloved home city of Weird Pittsburgh last year, I am super excited to be spending time in San Diego for the first time, for StokerCon '24, and for all the mind-blowing people and content!You can find me at the big signing on Friday at... Read More →

Speakers

Tim Waggoner

Lisa Morton

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

Ai Jiang

J.A.W. McCarthy

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

Kristin Lord

K.L. Lord is a queer American author of horror and dark fantasy. She loves to explore twisted themes and dark realities, often delving into the dark side of relationships. Growing up, she devoured novels by Anne Rice, Mary Shelley, Stephen King, and anyone else she could get her... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Salon C

Genre and Subgenre, Livestreamed Session

2:00pm PDT

The Rising Popularity of Folklore and Fairytales in Modern Horror, Moderated by Ben Rubin

Not to be confused with folk horror, the use of cultural stories of folklore and fairytales continue to serve as a storytelling device in modern horror. It is something than can attract new readers by making the genre feel familiar and accessible, while also highlighting the diversity of horror by drawing on cultural traditions from across the globe. Thus, it is a subgenre that is a must on all library shelves! Featuring, Gwendolyn Kriste, Yaika Sabat, Cina Pelayo and Lee Murray.

Moderators

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Library System

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

Speakers

Tanya Pell

Lee Murray

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 →

Gwendolyn Kiste

Yaika Sabat

Manager of Reader Services, NoveList

Friday May 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

2:00pm PDT

How to Write Horror Comics and Graphic Novels

From working with an artist, to deciding where to place your horrific reveals working in the comics medium presents a unique set of challenges for the horror author. Learn the tips and the tricks of the trade from those that keep the fright on the page.

Moderators

David Blake Lucarelli

Writer/Sound Engineer, Alterna Comics

Father, husband, writer, musician, sound engineer. Writer of Tinseltown from Alterna Comics and The Children's Vampire Hunting Brigade. Writer/Producer of the award winning play, Doctor Zomba's Ghost Show of Terror! and Writer/Director of the award winning play, Crude.

Speakers

Clay McLeod Chapman

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

Francesca Maria

Black Cat Publishing

Francesca Maria is an award winning, bestselling author of dark fiction. Her collection, They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark from Brigids Gate Press, debuted at #1 in Amazon’s Horror Short Stories. She is also the creator of the Black Cat Chronicles comic book series... Read More →

Bob Cabeen

Kevin Glover

Mort Castle

I've been writing and teaching writing since the 1960s. I'm a founding member of the HWA. I don't claim wisdom, but I do have a lot of experience in the business. If my humor is often dated, so am I.

Friday May 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

3:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Jennifer Brody

Author

larry hinkle

The least famous author you've never heard of, Larry Hinkle writes horror comedy, pulp, and cosmic horror, tinged with a touch of weird. His short stories made the Preliminary Stoker Awards ballot in 2020 and 2022. His debut collection "The Space Between" was released in February... Read More →

L.C. Marino

Author

Author of thrills, suspense, and horror fiction and host of The Suspense is Killing Me Podcast. Author of The Haunting of the Whispering House series, including titles BURY THE CHILD and BURN THE GIRLS. Publishes serial fiction on Substack at https://lucasmarinofiction.substack.com... Read More →

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.

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

3:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Jewelle Gomez

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum, The Midnight Zone

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 →

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon H

Author Readings

3:00pm PDT

Exploring Queerness as "Otherness" in Horror

The “Other” is someone perceived as not belonging, as being different in some fundamental way. Many classic monsters have much in common with Otherness. Some see those in the LGBTQIA+ community as deviant, perhaps even as monsters. How does Otherness factor into how queer creators and readers experience horror? Do they identify more with the victims or the monsters (or both)?

This panel will be live-streaming.

Moderators

Gwendolyn Kiste

Speakers

Chad Stroup

Chad Stroup is the creator of the novels Secrets of the Weird and Sexy Leper, as well as the short story collection Teeth Where They Shouldn’t Be. When not writing, he is also the vocalist for the band Icepield and a fierce drag queen by the name of Jenn X. No, he doesn’t sleep... Read More →

Norman Prentiss

Sofia Ajram

Fine jeweller, horror writer and editor. My novella “Coup De Grâce” (Titan Books) coming Oct 1, 2024. “Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror” (Ghoulish Books) 03/24

Lindsay King-Miller

Ridley Harker

Author, Ronchy Writing LLC

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon B

Horror History and Culture, Livestreamed Session

3:00pm PDT

Summer Scares: A Thrilling Summer Reading Program, Moderated by Yaika Sabat

Join Summer Scares current and past selected authors, spokespeople, and partners to learn more about the HWA’s popular summer reading program, how to get involved, and how to use Summer Scares resources to better serve your patrons. Featuring Clay McLeod Chapman and Justina Ireland.

Moderators

Yaika Sabat

Manager of Reader Services, NoveList

Speakers

Rachel Harrison

Stephanie Gagnon

Books in the Freezer Podcast

Erin E. Adams

Clay McLeod Chapman

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

Justina Ireland

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon D-E

Librarians' Day

3:00pm PDT

Creating Audio Stories

Learn about unique challenges and considerations when writing horror for the increasingly lucrative and common publishing format of audio short stories, audiobooks, and live story narration.

Moderators

Clay Vermulm

Speakers

Alex Hofelich

co-Editor, PseudoPod

P.L. McMillan

Author

P.L. McMillan is a Canadian expat living in the States, after having taught English for three years in Asia. With a passion for cosmic horror and sci-fi horror, P.L. McMillan sees every shadow as an entryway to a deeper look into the black heart of the world, meant to be discovered... Read More →

Trevor Williamson

L.P. Hernandez

Author

I have been writing horror stories since I was a child. Life, the Air Force, and a dash of insecurity delayed my efforts. In the past five years, though, I have become a regular contributor to The NoSleep Podcast, been featured in several anthologies from Cemetery Gates Media, Sinister... Read More →

Tony Sarrecchia

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon F

Writing and Publishing

3:00pm PDT

Don’t Sign Away Your Soul: Publishing Contracts

Uncover secrets to safeguard your rights and navigate contracts with advice from experienced authors and agents.

Moderators

Bridget D. Brave

author, lawyer, weirdo

Speakers

Lane Heymont

Paul Tremblay

John Edward Lawson

President, Horror Writers Association

Becky LeJeune

Agent, Bond Literary Agency

Lisa D Kastner

Founder, Running Wild, LLC

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT

Writing and Publishing

3:00pm PDT

Why You Need To Connect With And Build Your Audience Now: The Real AI Threat to Creatives

Join us to discuss the inevitable use of AI-generated fiction by Amazon, Big Five publishing, Indies, and more. When AI fiction becomes good enough, publishers will flood the market with books that are low- or zero-cost to them. If you don't have an audience that knows you by then, you will be at a huge competitive disadvantage. Explore why it’s essential to connect and build your audience now.

Moderators

Scott Sigler

Speakers

Barbara Cottrell

Ace Antonio-Hall

Omnium Gatherum

Brian Asman

Chuck Tingle

Friday May 31, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

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 →

Tim Waggoner

Francesca Maria

Black Cat Publishing

Elizabeth Suggs

Elizabeth Suggs is the co-owner of the indie publisher Collective Tales Publishing, owner of Editing Mee, and is the author of a growing number of award-winning published stories, one of which was part of an Amazon Bestseller collection. She is also a book reviewer (EditingMee.com... Read More →

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

4:00pm PDT

Interview: Justina Ireland Interviewed by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.

Moderators

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Speakers

Justina Ireland

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon C

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm PDT

Mort Castle Interviewed by Robert Payne Cabeen

Moderators

Bob Cabeen

Speakers

Mort Castle

I've been writing and teaching writing since the 1960s. I'm a founding member of the HWA. I don't claim wisdom, but I do have a lot of experience in the business. If my humor is often dated, so am I.

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Convention Keynotes

4:00pm PDT

Author Branding Roadmap

Uncover strategies for connecting with your audience, establishing a distinct online presence, and leveraging your personal story to build a lasting legacy.

This panel will be live-streamed.

Moderators

Chelsea Mueller

Chelsea Mueller is a fantasy and horror author. Her YA slasher Prom House was a 2022 YALSA Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her domestic horror novel The Farmhouse (written as Chelsea Conradt) is forthcoming from Sourcebooks. Chelsea's short fiction was most recently published in The Sunday... Read More →

Speakers

Scott Edelman

Author

Caleb Stephens

Caleb Stephens is an award-winning author writing from Denver, Colorado. His novels include The Girls in the Cabin, a psychological thriller available through Joffe Books and Feeders, a speculative horror thriller available through Timber Ghost Press. His fiction collection If Only... Read More →

Michael Dolan

Editorial Director, Winding Road Stories

Michael Dolan is a writer and editor with over 25 years of experience at the highest levels of publishing. In addition to being the author of several books, he has served as executive editor for many publishing companies, including Condé Nast. As the founder of Winding Road Stories... Read More →

Noelle Ihli

Chuck Tingle

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm PDT

Connect & Improve: The Benefits of Critique Groups

Delve into the invaluable support, feedback, and camaraderie critique groups offer as we discuss how they can help you refine your writing skills and foster growth through constructive criticism and collaborative brainstorming. At the end of the discussion, we’ll facilitate on-the-spot formation of critique groups for interested attendees.

Moderators

Janine Cross

Author

Janine Cross's dark fantasy trilogy The Dragon Temple Saga was published with Random House USA and with Heyne in Germany. Publishers Weekly called the trilogy a “bold debut in a richly detailed, well-imagined world”, and Library Journal voted Touched by Venom (Book One in the... Read More →

Speakers

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.

Christi Nogle

Christi Nogle is the author of the Bram Stoker Award® winning and Shirley Jackson Award nominated novel Beulah (Cemetery Gates Media, 2022) and the Bram Stoker Award® nominated short story collection The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future.She is co-editor with Willow Dawn... Read More →

James Chambers

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

TJ Price

Christopher Ochs

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon A

Writing and Publishing

4:00pm PDT

The Horrors of Hollywood

It’s been a tumultuous year in Hollywood. We’ll recap the key developments and discuss where the industry stands now for scribes. Topics will include practical business, like development deals and options, as well as creative tips on writing across different media and adaptation.

Moderators

Brian McAuley

Speakers

Clay McLeod Chapman

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

Jamie Flanagan

Jamie Flanagan writes television shows. Credits include The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, The Fall of the House of Usher. Theatre nerd. Avid gamer (tabletop and video).

Philip Fracassi

Friday May 31, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon H

Writing and Publishing

5:15pm PDT

Mass Author Signing

Join us for our annual mass author signing event! Participation requires pre-approval. Once the participants have been finalized, their names will appear on the StokerCon website.

Due to hotel capacity issues and the fact this event is open to the public, the ice cream social has been cancelled. The ice cream catering has been moved to the Final Frame Afterparty.

NOTE: Those attendees selected to participate will be notified via email no later than May 10th.

People participating in the mass author signing"
A.C. Wise
Ai Jiang
Alexander James
Amaya Tenshi
Andrew F. Sullivan
Andrew S. Fuller
Andy Davidson
Angela Sylvaine
Barbara Cottrell
Bitter Karella
Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
C.S. Humble
Caleb Stephens
Carol Gyzander
Carson Winter
Chad Stroup
Chelsea Mueller
Chloe Spencer
Chris Panatier
Christa Carmen
Christi Nogle
Christopher D. Ochs
CJ Leede
Clay McLeod Chapman
David Agranoff
David Sandner
David Scott Hay
Denise Dumars
Denise N Tapscott
Donna J. W. Munro
Douglas Ford
Douglas Gwilym
Duane Swierczynski
Elizabeth Broadbent
Ellen Datlow
Emily Ruth Verona
Eric J. Guignard
Eric LaRocca
Erika Wurth
Erin E. Adams
Frances Pai Ippolito
Francesca Maria
G. O. Clark
Gabrielle Faust
Gordon B. White
Heather Hein
Henry Herz
J.A.W. McCarthy
J.W. Donley
James Chambers
Jeff C. Carter
Jenny Kiefer
Jessi Ann York
Jewelle Still Water Gomez
John Palisano
Jon Cohn
Jonathan Fortin
Jonathan Louis
Duckworth
Jonathan Maberry
Josh Winning
Justin C. Key
Justina Ireland
K.A. Schultz
Keith Rosson
Kenya Moss-Dyme
Kiersten White
L.C. Marino
L.P. Hernandez
L.S. Johnson
Larry Hinkle
Lindsay King-Miller
Lisa Diane Kastner
Lisa Kröger
Lisa Morton
Liz Kerin
Luke Dumas
M. Kate Allen
Marc L Abbott
Marissa Yarrow
Maxwell I. Gold
Meghan Arcuri
Michael Arnzen
Mo Moshaty
Mort Castle
Nat Cassidy
Nathan Carson
Norman Prentiss
P.L. McMillan
Patrick Barb
Paul Tremblay
Paula D. Ashe
Philip Fracassi
Preston Fassel
R.W. Goldsmith
Rachel A. Brune
Rae Wilde
Randee Dawn
Rebecca Rowland
Rebekah L. Webb
RJ Joseph
Robin Morris
Ronald Malfi
Royce Buckingham
Ryan C. Bradley
Ryan Marie Ketterer
Sam Rebelein
Sarah Langan
Sarah Read
Scott Edelman
Scott Sigler
Shane Hawk
Sheldon Higdon
Stephen Graham Jones
Steve Rasnic Tem
Sumiko Saulson
Tamika Thompson
Tiffany Michelle Brown
Tim McGregor
Tim Waggoner
TJ Price
Tom Deady
Tonia Thompson
V. Castro
Vaughn A. Jackson
Vera Strange

With more to be announced
soon!

Friday May 31, 2024 5:15pm - 6:30pm PDT
West Lawn

Parties!

8:00pm PDT

Final Frame Film Competition

Come watch the screening of the Final Frame Short Film Competition entries. Judges include Izzy Lee and two-time Final Frame Finalist and director of HOST and THE BOOGEYMAN, Rob Savage.

Moderators

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

Jamal Hodge

CEO, Hodge Cinema

JAMAL HODGE is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and writer from Queens NYC who has won over 80 awards with screenings at Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance, Cannes, and others. He directed the first season of Investigation Discovery Channel’s ‘Primal Instinct’ and is a Producer... Read More →

Tananarive Due

Philip Fracassi

Rob Savage

Lisa Morton

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

Friday May 31, 2024 8:00pm - 10:00pm PDT
Rio Vista Ballroom

Convention Keynotes

10:00pm PDT

Final Frame Film Competition Reception

Join us to celebrate the winners of our short film competition. Catering and a cash bar will be available.

Friday May 31, 2024 10:00pm - 11:00pm PDT
Rio Vista Foyer

Parties!

8:00am PDT

Boardroom

This room is reserved for convention chairs, HWA board members, and staff.

Saturday June 1, 2024 8:00am - 7:00pm PDT
Salon G-F

Official HWA Business

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Denise Dumars

Denise Dumars is the author of several books of poetry, nonfiction, short stories and tons of stuff in journals and magazines. She is a retired college professor, retired librarian, and retired literary agent...which means that she is a fulltime writer now. Scary! As Rev. Dee, a pagan... Read More →

Jessica Peter

Jessica Peter writes dark, haunted, and sometimes absurd short stories, novels, and poems. A social worker and health researcher, she lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Her writing can be found in venues such as Apparition Literary, The NoSleep Podcast, Haven Speculative, and Cosmic... Read More →

Aaron Dries

Emmett Nahil

LET ME OUT (Oni Press, 2023) // FROM THE BELLY (Tenebrous Press) releases May 30th 2024. Writing featured in THE BOOK OF QUEER SAINTS, VOLUME II, Laura Kate Dale's GENDER EUPHORIA anthology, and elsewhere. Favoring the historic, the strange, and the gory, in his other life Emmett... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon H

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Laura Blackwell

Laura Blackwell is a copy editor and a Pushcart-nominated writer of speculative fiction. Her stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies including Nightmare, PseudoPod, Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic, and Chiral Mad 5. With Daniel Marcus, she cohosts the online reading series... Read More →

Emily Ruth Verona

Emily Ruth Verona is the author of the novel Midnight on Beacon Street, published by Harper Perennial in 2024. She is a Pinch Literary Award winner and a Bram Stoker Awards® nominee with work featured in magazines and anthologies that include Under Her Eye, Under Her Skin, Mystery... Read More →

Alexander Neuse

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon H

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Richard Goldsmith

R W Goldsmith is the clever pen name of Richard W Goldsmith. He began writing back in the 90s when he was part of a wild-west re-enactor and stunt competition team in Southern California. As the team was in need of original western scripts, Richard gave writing a shot as well as directing... Read More →

Sheldon Higdon

Author/Screenwriter

Sheldon Higdon’s work has appeared in nearly 50 publications. He is also an award-winning screenwriter and currently has a short screenplay being produced in London. He earned an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is a member of the Horror Writers Association... Read More →

Randee Dawn

Randee Dawn is the author of the Amazon bestselling novel "Tune in Tomorrow," which was a finalist in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Awards. Her latest story, "The Fifth Horseman," appears in the new anthology "The Four ???? of the Apocalypse." She has contributed terrifying tales... Read More →

Rachel Unger

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon A

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Justina Ireland

Chad Stroup

Sofia Ajram

Fine jeweller, horror writer and editor. My novella “Coup De Grâce” (Titan Books) coming Oct 1, 2024. “Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror” (Ghoulish Books) 03/24

Gordon B. White

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

9:00am PDT

High-heeled Horror: Feminism and Womanhood in the Horror Genre

What does it mean to be a woman? How do we define it, and which people are included? From The Haunting of Hill House to Her Body and Other Parties and The Queen of the Cicadas, this panel will discuss strong female protagonists (and antagonists) and explore themes that advance our understanding of gender within the framework of horror fiction.

Moderators

Tamika Thompson

Author

Speakers

Sumiko Saulson

Social Media Manager, Horror Writers Association

Tiffany Michelle Brown

Catlyn Ladd

Writer

Kenya Moss-Dyme

Author/Nightmare Vendor

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon B

Horror History and Culture, Livestreamed Session

9:00am PDT

Breaking in and Breaking Out: Navigating Traditional Publishing

Join us for a deep dive into the essentials of breaking into traditional publishing and rising above the crowd. Discover practical tips for attracting publishers, negotiating contracts, and building a strong reader base.

This panel will be live-streamed.

Moderators

Ashley Santana

Writer, Editor

I write under the name of A.E. Santana and am a Southern California native who grew up in a farming community surrounded by the Sonoran Desert. My works can be found in Demonic Carnival III, Weird Ales Vol. II, and other horror anthologies. I am the paranormal/true horror editor for... Read More →

Speakers

Sarah Langan

Novels: The Keeper (2007), The Missing (2007), Audrey's Door (2009), Good Neighbors (2021), Mom's Night Out (2023)

Luke Dumas

Author

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 →

Jennifer McMahon

Award-Winning Author

Jennifer McMahon is the author of The Children on the Hill and ten other novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Promise Not to Tell and The Winter People. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella. Visit her at Jennifer-McMahon.com or connect... Read More →

Chuck Tingle

Paul Tremblay

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

9:00am PDT

Blending Genres: Wave of the Future?

Give readers something they’ve never seen before. Join us for a discussion about blending horror with elements of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, romance and more.

Moderators

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Speakers

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum, The Midnight Zone

Teel James Glenn

writer, self

Teel James Glenn has killed hundreds and been killed more times-- on stage and screen as he has traveled the world for forty plus years as a stuntman, fight choreographer, swordmaster, jouster, illustrator, storyteller, bodyguard, actor and haunted house barker.His stories have been... Read More →

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor

V. Castro

Elizabeth Suggs

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:55am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Genre and Subgenre

9:00am PDT

Stranger Than Fiction: Crafting Compelling Non-Fiction for Horror Lovers

Whether you’re documenting true crime or the darker aspects of history or researching the macabre, learn techniques for transforming facts into captivating non-fiction.

Moderators

Sadie Hartmann

Co-Owner, Night Worms

Speakers

Andy Boyle

Loren Rhoads

Author, Automatism Press

Loren Rhoads is the author of the coffee table book 222 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel, a memoir called This Morbid Life, and a collection of short stories called Unsafe Words, along with five novels and a planner for writers. She... Read More →

Sarah Faxon

Ann Heyward

Ann O’Mara Heyward is a horror fiction and non-fiction writer in Cleveland, Ohio. Her short story “The Carny” recently received the Supernatural Fiction Award from The Ghost Story (theghoststory.com). Her short fiction will be adapted by the NoSleep Podcast (air date TBA... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 9:55am PDT
Santa Fe 3

Writing and Publishing

9:00am PDT

Dealer Room

Saturday June 1, 2024 9:00am - 6:00pm PDT
Cabrillo

Dealer Room

10:00am PDT

Pitch Session Panel

This is the pre-pitch panel and a chance to meet the pitch takers and ask questions before the pitch sessions. You don't have to be scheduled for a pitch to attend this panel. If you are thinking of pitching a work in the future, it's a good idea to come by and learn about the process.

Moderators

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

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Jolene Haley

Becky LeJeune

Agent, Bond Literary Agency

Cherry Weiner

Michael Dolan

Editorial Director, Winding Road Stories

Christoph Paul

Christoph Paul is the singer/songwriter of Goth Rock band The Dionysus Effect, he is the EIC of CLASH Books, and an award-winning author represented by Inkwell.

Rachel Brune

Lane Heymont

Stephanie Pearre

Stephanie Pearre is hearing pitches for Raw Dog Screaming Press. She is the co-chair of the HWA Maryland Chapter and is an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. While she is currently working on her first novella, she also enjoys writing short stories and poetry. She... Read More →

Jake Lovell

With over 100 authors based around the world, Sandra Dijkstra is “regarded by many as the most powerful literary agent on the West Coast” according to a Los Angeles Times Profile, and Newsweek has proclaimed her “the best agent in the West.” Esquire, Publishers Weekly and... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:45am PDT
Salon A

Writing and Publishing

10:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Kayla Woods

Dr. David Sandner

Writer, Raw Dog Screaming Press

Charlene Elsby

Writer, Clash Books / Apocalypse Party

Charlene Elsby wrote Hexis, Psychros, Musos, Bedlam, The Devil Thinks I’m Pretty, and Violent Faculties. Her stories have appeared in Vastarien, Ligeia, and many anthologies.

Taylor Grothe

Taylor is a neurodivergent (ASD) NB writer passionate about voice-driven narratives centering on strong, compelling femmes and enbies. They are 2024 MFA Candidate in Fairfield University’s Creative Writing Program. Their shorts can be found in Coffin Bell, Bag of Bones Press, Haven... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Salon H

Author Readings

10:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Barbara Cottrell

Seth Humble

Kevin Glover

Mort Castle

I've been writing and teaching writing since the 1960s. I'm a founding member of the HWA. I don't claim wisdom, but I do have a lot of experience in the business. If my humor is often dated, so am I.

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

10:00am PDT

Interview: Nisi Shawl Interviewed by Eric Guignard

Moderators

Eric J. Guignard

Gentleman Extraordinaire, Dark Moon Books

Speakers

Nisi Shawl

Author

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Salon C

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

10:00am PDT

Borderlands, Night Lands, and Ghost Pirates: The Liminal Horror of William Hope Hodgson

Join us as we explore the stories and themes in William Hope Hodgson's work. Hodgson wrote The House on the Borderland, The Night Land, The Ghost Pirates, the benCarnacki the Ghost Finder stories, The Boats of the Glenn Carrig, and many other works of horror, weird fiction, and nautical adventure. His work resonates today and seems to preface more directly the current weird fiction movement than other prominent authors of the time. 2024 will mark the 120th anniversary of the publication of his first story, "The Goddess of Death," in 1904.

Moderators

James Chambers

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

Speakers

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

Michael Cisco

Michael Cisco is an American writer, Deleuzian academic, teacher, and translator living in New York City. He is best known for his first novel, TheDivinity Student, whichwon the International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel of 1999. His novel TheGreat Lover was nominated for the 2011 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel of the... Read More →

Tim Waggoner

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 →

Linda D. Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Aaron Dries

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

Steve Rasnic Tem

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Horror History and Culture

10:00am PDT

The Intersection Of Mental Health And Horror

Trauma. Anxiety. Depression. Psychosis—the Venn Diagram where horror and mental illness meet at times seems a perfect circle. This panel will examine the role that horror can play, both in its consumption and creation, in providing a relief from mental health stressors and the implications for writers.

Moderators

Mark Matthews

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

Speakers

Justin C. Key

Author

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Editor, Author, Poet, HWA Wellness Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NYX Horror Collective

Mercedes M. Yardley

Senior Fiction Editor, House of Gamut

They call me Miss Murder. I'm a two-time Bram Stoker Award Winner in Long Fiction and Short Fiction, and a finalist for editing the anthology Arterial Bloom. I bake voodoo doll cookies and make darling little quilts with skulls on them. I work as the Senior Fiction Editor for Gamut... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Santa Fe 3

Horror History and Culture

10:00am PDT

Horror at the PTA

Join us as we discuss writing horror while parenting. From finding space in which to write while working jobs and raising kids, to the pressures put on parents to be vanilla even when they are writing the dark stuff. We’ll discuss whether to involve spouses or children in the creative process. And what to do when your family doesn’t share your love of horror.

Moderators

Patrick Barb

Speakers

Elizabeth Broadbent

Elizabeth Broadbent (she/her) left the South Carolina swamps for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she lives with her three sons and husband. She’s theauthor of Ink Vine (Undertaker Books, 2024), Ninety-Eight Sabers (Undertaker Books, 2024), Blood Cypress (Raw Dog Screaming Press... Read More →

Christa Carmen

writer

Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island and is the two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Daughters of Block Island, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, and the forthcoming Beneath the Poet’s House. She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Boston... Read More →

Kate Maruyama

Todd Keisling

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

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

Lisa Wood

Vice President, Horror Writers Association

Sarah Langan

Novels: The Keeper (2007), The Missing (2007), Audrey's Door (2009), Good Neighbors (2021), Mom's Night Out (2023)

Saturday June 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

11:00am PDT

Author Reading

Speakers

Steve Rasnic Tem

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher

Lindsay King-Miller

Denise Dumars

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

11:00am PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Patrick Barb

Jeff C. Carter

Host, We Bleed Orange & Black

P.L. McMillan

Author

Christoph Paul

Christoph Paul is the singer/songwriter of Goth Rock band The Dionysus Effect, he is the EIC of CLASH Books, and an award-winning author represented by Inkwell.

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

11:00am PDT

Interview: Rob Savage Interviewed by Philip Fracassi

Moderators

Philip Fracassi

Speakers

Rob Savage

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon C

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

11:00am PDT

Modern Young Adult Horror

Discover what's driving modern YA horror and how to write YA that appeals to both teens and adults.

Moderators

Angela Sylvaine

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

Speakers

Tom Deady

Shanna Heath

Taylor Grothe

Vanessa Lanang

Editor, Winding Road Stories

Hi! I'm the YA and Romance Editor at Winding Road Stories. Some of my favorite horror authors are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice. I grew up reading all books by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. As an author myself (I write dark YA fantasy - Fireheart, Fall '22 & YA Horror... Read More →

Sally Bosco

Justina Ireland

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon B

Genre and Subgenre, Livestreamed Session

11:00am PDT

A Century of Weird Tales

Weird Tales Magazine is now 101 years old and still going strong. Still creepy, strange and…well…weird. This panel explores the history of the magazine, the birth of cosmic horror, swords & sorcery, and other enduring sub-genres. We’ll discuss how to break into Weird Tales and explore the brand new Weird Tales Presents imprint at Blackstone Publishing. And this StokerCon will feature a Stoker Awards special issue of the magazine. Come join us and share in the weird fun.

Moderators

Lisa Morton

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

Speakers

Scott Sigler

Henry Herz

author, editor, Self-Employed

Henry Herz wrote the traditionally published picture books: MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican, Best Picture Book at SoCal SCBWI Editor’s Day), WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican), MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer, Finalist, Foreword Indies Best Picture Book), LITTLE... Read More →

Lisa D Kastner

Founder, Running Wild, LLC

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Horror History and Culture

11:00am PDT

Purrfect Terrors: Cats in Horror

Authors discuss the history of cats in horror and their contributions to the genre, cats as a feminine horror archetype, why we love (or are scared of) cats, present-day representations in literature and film, and what we see (or what we want to see) going forward with cats in horror.

This panel will be live streamed.

Moderators

Michael Arnzen

Asst Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

Speakers

Sara Tantlinger

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 →

John Palisano

Independent

Writer.

Sarah Faxon

Ashley Santana

Writer, Editor

Gwendolyn Kiste

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Sierra 5-6

Horror History and Culture

11:00am PDT

The Books Unbanned Initiative

Libraries play an important role in the battle to preserve intellectual freedom. Join us as we discuss banning challenges particularly how 4,240 books were banned in the US last year alone. Learn how authors can support their local libraries in the fight against censorship and banning.

Moderators

Misty Jones

Director, San Diego Public Library

Speakers

Paula D. Ashe

Paula D. Ashe (she/her) is an author of dark fiction. Her debut collection We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (Nictitating Books) was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection, and won the Shirley Jackson Award for Single Author Collection. She was... Read More →

Lila Denning

HWA-Volunteer Coordinator, St Petersburg Library System

Sarah Read

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Library System

James Sabata

CoHost, TheNecronomi.Com

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Salon A

Horror History and Culture

11:00am PDT

The Novella: Breathing Life into Short Narratives

Delve into the unique craft of novella writing. We’ll explore strategies for impactful storytelling within the concise format, from character development to plot structuring.

Moderators

Elizabeth Broadbent

Speakers

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

Lone Star College University Park

L.S. Johnson

Attendee

L.S. Johnson writes about the past to better understand the present, and about monsters to better understand ourselves. She is the author of the Chase and Daniels quartet of queer gothic novellas and over 40 short stories. Her first collection, Vacui Magia, won the North Street Book... Read More →

V. Castro

L.P. Hernandez

Author

Zachary Ashford

Hi folks, I'm Zac Ashford. I'm an Australian horror writer with a big love of creature features and psychological horror.My debut novel Polyphemus was released last year and is a finalist in the Australian Shadows Awards' best novel category and the Imadjinn Awards' best horror novel... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Santa Fe 3

Writing and Publishing

12:00pm PDT

Horror RPG — James A. Moore’s Dangerous Toys

Come watch your fellow StokerCon guests play the KIDS ON BIKES rpg in remembrance of James A. Moore! Jim contributed many horrors to White Wolf’s World of Darkness game lines, including a number of gruesome creations for Werewolf: the Apocalypse. In this live-play game, our players will encounter a few of the sinister children’s toys from Jim’s imagination, as brought to you by the geniuses at the Pentex Corporation. It’s 1993, there are no cell phones, grunge rock is on the radio, and school’s out — time to ride bikes and investigate the strange goings-on in your neighborhood.

Moderators

Bill Bridges

Writer, game designer, sagacious fool. FADING SUNS, the WORLD OF DARKNESS.

Speakers

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 →

S. Alessandro Martinez

Jamie Flanagan

Jamie Flanagan writes television shows. Credits include The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, The Fall of the House of Usher. Theatre nerd. Avid gamer (tabletop and video).

Craig DiLouie

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Saturday June 1, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm PDT
Salon B

Special Event, Livestreamed Session

12:00pm PDT

Pitch Sessions

The annual StokerCon Pitch Sessions. This is not a complete list of pitch takers. Expect more to be added soon. We will announce the sign up process a few weeks before StokerCon.

Advanced Registration is required.

Moderators

Chris Marrs

Rena Mason

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

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Jolene Haley

Lane Heymont

Jake Lovell

Stephanie Pearre

Rachel Brune

Michael Dolan

Editorial Director, Winding Road Stories

Becky LeJeune

Agent, Bond Literary Agency

Christoph Paul

Christoph Paul is the singer/songwriter of Goth Rock band The Dionysus Effect, he is the EIC of CLASH Books, and an award-winning author represented by Inkwell.

Cherry Weiner

Saturday June 1, 2024 12:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Rio Vista Ballroom

Writing and Publishing

1:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Holley Cornetto

Lover of coming-of-age horror, folk horror, southern gothic, and wiener dogs. Librarian and creative writing professor. I write the weekly newsletter for The Horror Tree.

Sarah Langan

Novels: The Keeper (2007), The Missing (2007), Audrey's Door (2009), Good Neighbors (2021), Mom's Night Out (2023)

Andrew S. Fuller

Writer, Editor

Andrew S. Fuller writes dark and strange stories. His fiction appears in magazines, anthologies, short films, and the new collection Constellations of Ruin (2023, Trepidatio/JournalStone). Since 1999, he’s been editor-in-chief of Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine. He resides in Pacific... Read More →

Agatha Andrews

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

1:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Christa Carmen

writer

Catlyn Ladd

Writer

Nat Cassidy

Zachary Ashford

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

1:00pm PDT

Interview: Steve Rasnic Tem Interviewed by Kate Maruyama

Moderators

Kate Maruyama

Speakers

Steve Rasnic Tem

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 3

Convention Keynotes

1:00pm PDT

Stop the Killer Presents Sudden Acts of Horror

Join our guests of honor in a game of Sudden Acts of Horror as they act out made-up horror novel titles to score points and win a mini-Bram Stoker Award!

This panel will be live-streamed.

Moderators

JONATHAN COHN

Speakers

Justina Ireland

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Rob Savage

Nisi Shawl

Author

Paul Tremblay

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon B

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

1:00pm PDT

Manifesting Mythos

Cosmic horror often showcases the return of lost knowledge, cultures, and civilization. Esoteric cults, afflicted dreamscapes, mutation, and alien gods generate fear seeded in the archaic and ancient. How do modern writers draw upon the ancient for new stories with an atavistic but fresh mythos?

Moderators

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher

Speakers

P.L. McMillan

Author

S. Alessandro Martinez

Garrett Cook

Vaughn A. Jackson

Panicked Writer #2

Carson Winter

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Genre and Subgenre

1:00pm PDT

The Horror Boom: 80s and 90s Influence on Contemporary Horror

Revisit the golden era of horror and explore how the groundbreaking works of the 80s and 90s forged the path for today's horror genre. Learn about the lasting legacy of these influential decades on current trends and narratives.

Moderators

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Speakers

Marc Abbott

Author/Storyteller

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 →

Angela Sylvaine

Josh Winning

Brian McAuley

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon A

Horror History and Culture

1:00pm PDT

Short Story Writing: The Craft

Discover the secrets of captivating short fiction. Short story authors from the newly published to veteran Bram Stoker Award® winners share tips, techniques, and insights into the form.

Moderators

Nathan McCullough

Journalist, Author, Editor

Nathan McCullough is a veteran journalist, editor and writer who has worked in the Atlanta area for more than 20 years. His first fiction story appeared in the Mini Anthology from Alban Lake Publishing in 2019, and his novella/short story collection, Drag You Down, debuted in 2020... Read More →

Speakers

Tim Waggoner

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.

larry hinkle

J.A.W. McCarthy

Ananda Lima

Author

ANANDA LIMA is a poet, translator, and fiction writer born in Brasília, Brazil, now living in Chicago, IL. She's the author of the poetry collection Mother/land, winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Kenyon Review Online, Gulf... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Salon C

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

2:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Christi Nogle

Jo Kaplan

Misty Jones

Director, San Diego Public Library

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

2:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Scott Edelman

Author

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."

Saytchyn Maddux-Creech

I write horror and mystery with a literary bent.

Richard Thomas

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

2:00pm PDT

Scripting Fear: The Alchemy of Adapting Horror for the Screen

Gain insight into translating horror from the page to film. Learn how authors navigate the challenges of writing for cinema.

This panel will be live-streamed.

Moderators

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

Philip Fracassi

Jewelle Gomez

Rob Savage

Lisa Wood

Vice President, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

about 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.

2:00pm PDT

Story Capsules: Pellets of Poison

Can we extrapolate from poems to create stories? Explore the story elements in poems and how they may be captured to inspire works of longer fiction. Panelists will bring poems to read as examples of story “pellets”. We will also touch on breaking ground for new concepts in poetry or prose poetry.

Moderators

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

Terrie Leigh Relf

Contest judge, content provider, writer, editor, and special projects, Hiraeth Pubishing

Colleen Anderson

Steve Rasnic Tem

Foinah Jameson

Author

Foinah lives in the Pacific Northwest and spends her days with a fabulous husband, two Norse gods disguised as her children, and a menagerie of used animals. At night Foinah sneaks out to her office on the back deck where she writes feverishly on a battered Mac laptop, typing away... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 3

Writing and Publishing

2:00pm PDT

Writer's Guide to Kickstarter: From Concept to Launch

Learn the essential steps to turn your writing project into a reality. Discover how to craft a compelling pitch, set achievable goals, and build a community of passionate backers.We’ll also address the pitfalls encountered the first time.

Moderators

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Speakers

David Blake Lucarelli

Writer/Sound Engineer, Alterna Comics

Jessica Peter

Francesca Maria

Black Cat Publishing

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

2:00pm PDT

Writing Middle Grade Horror

The author's gloves come off when writing horror for adults - no theme too dark, no villain too evil, no attack too gory. We'll discuss the challenging constraints authors of MG (8- to 12-year-old readers) horror face, and how to overcome them to write engaging, appropriate tales of woe.

Moderators

Henry Herz

author, editor, Self-Employed

Speakers

Refe Tuma

Meghan Arcuri

ROYCE BUCKINGHAM

Author--Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet)

Jennifer Brody

Author

Lora Senf

Saturday June 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Salon A

Writing and Publishing

3:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Paul Tremblay

Rebekah L Webb

Rebekah L Webb is an author living in California. She writes horror with help from her bearded dragon, Leap. She wrote the novel Burrows of Blood and Shadow, a surreal horror combining short stories into an interconnected narrative.

Brian Asman

Ai Jiang

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

3:00pm PDT

Interview: Jonathan Maberry Interviewed by Scott Sigler

Moderators

Scott Sigler

Speakers

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon C

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

3:00pm PDT

Dangerous Waters: Aquatic Origins Of Weird And Cosmic Terror

The fear of dark water, otherworldly creatures that lurk within, and the mutation or change that water affects are pre-Lovecraftian concepts used by Lovecraft in his stories. How do modern writers bend the ancient fear of water into new stories?

Moderators

Sumiko Saulson

Social Media Manager, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

Denise Dumars

Emily Flummox

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher

Carol Gyzander

I love quiet horror, weird fiction, and cosmic horror.

Emmett Nahil

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon A

Genre and Subgenre

3:00pm PDT

Redefining Fear: Voices of Black Horror Fiction

Explore the distinctive elements and themes that make up the unique landscape of Black horror fiction.

Moderators

Dennis Crosby

Speakers

Denise Tapscott

I'm the author of Gypsy Kisses and Voodoo Wishes. I play a spicy vampire named Tasha on the YouTube show The Vamps Next Door and I'm proud to be a member of the podcast Beef Wine and Shenanigans

Marc Abbott

Author/Storyteller

Justin C. Key

Author

Erin E. Adams

Nisi Shawl

Author

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Horror History and Culture

3:00pm PDT

It’s Not Witchcraft: Practical Methods Of Marketing Your Book

Writing an entire book is hard enough--and then comes the dreaded marketing so that people actually read it. But don't worry! It's not witchcraft! Join us for a panel with publishers and authors giving concrete advice attendees can use to market their book.

We'll discuss the pros and cons of various methods, what to avoid, how to manage marketing tasks without feeling burnout, and more!

Moderators

Jenny Kiefer

Owner, Butcher Cabin Books

Author of THIS WRETCHED VALLEY and owner of Butcher Cabin Books

Speakers

L.C. Marino

Author

Chelsea Mueller

Kasey Lansdale

Marie Whittaker

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing

3:00pm PDT

Take a Stanza: The Poetry of Culture and Causes

Exploration of how horror poetry expands discussions about cultural tension, social change, conflict, and more. Poets may share a single stanza from a work which speaks to this theme.

Moderators

Geneve Flynn

Editor and author

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

Speakers

Linda D. Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Lee Murray

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor

G. O. Clark

self

Published poet and short story writer, going on 35 years now, specializing in horror, SF, fantasy, and just plain weird.

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Editor, Author, Poet, HWA Wellness Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 1, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 3

Writing and Publishing

4:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Kate Maruyama

Chris Panatier

Writer

Sam Rebelein

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

4:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam’s fiction and poetry has appeared in over 90 publications such as Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Lightspeed, and LeVar Burton Reads, as well as in six languages. By night, she has been a finalist for the Nebula Award. By day, she works as a Narrative... Read More →

Christopher Hawkins

Co-chair, Chicagoland Chapter

Philip Fracassi

Bitter Karella

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

4:00pm PDT

Interview: Paul Tremblay Interviewed by Dennis Crosby

Moderators

Dennis Crosby

Speakers

Paul Tremblay

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon C

Convention Keynotes, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm PDT

A Little Bit Traditional, a Little Bit Indie

Traditional, small press, and self-publishing offer benefits and drawbacks. We'll compare their strengths so authors can make informed decisions regarding their work.

Moderators

Johnny Worthen

Award-Winning Author

Speakers

E.S. Magill

Writer/Editor, Wily Writers

Writer, editor

V. Castro

Tim McGregor

Author of EYNHALLOW, WASPS IN THE ICE CREAM (Raw Dog Screaming Press), TABOO IN FOUR COLORS (Cemetery Gates), LURE (Tenebrous Press, HEARTS STRANGE AND DREADFUL (Off Limits Press)

Andrew F Sullivan

Author of The Marigold and The Handyman Method

Nate Birt

Founder, WonderDread Publishing

Keith Rosson

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 3

Writing and Publishing

4:00pm PDT

Ancestry as Source: Writing with Deep Authenticity

Horror is a potent way to give voice to those in our ancestry who may have been silenced and to perpetuate the wisdom we've found there that needs to be shared. Explore how writers are tuning into their lineage to grapple with deeply resonant themes.

Moderators

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Editor, Author, Poet, HWA Wellness Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Speakers

Douglas Gwilym

author, co-editor of Novus Monstrum, The Midnight Zone

Kristy Park Kulski (K.P. Kulski)

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

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

Lone Star College University Park

Shane Hawk

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

Geneve Flynn

Editor and author

Katherine Quevedo

Writer

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm PDT

Partners in Print: Collaborating Successfully with Publishers

Learn the keys to successful author/publisher collaborations. From initial pitches to post-publication support, discover the tools you need to thrive in the publishing world.

Moderators

Lisa D Kastner

Founder, Running Wild, LLC

Speakers

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 →

Kelly Lonesome

Executive Editor, Tor Nightfire

I am a Hugo Award nominated editor of novels and novellas. I joined Tor Publishing Group in 2019, and I haven't had a good night's sleep since then from all the nightmare fuel I get to read at Nightfire! I have the privilege of working with terrifyingly talented authors like Catriona... Read More →

Jeremy Billingsley

Editor-in-chief, Sley House Publishing

Sadie Hartmann

Co-Owner, Night Worms

Michelle River

Eerie River Publishing

Christoph Paul

Christoph Paul is the singer/songwriter of Goth Rock band The Dionysus Effect, he is the EIC of CLASH Books, and an award-winning author represented by Inkwell.

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Salon A

Writing and Publishing

4:00pm PDT

Sticking The Landing: How to Craft the Perfect Ending

Transform your endings from adequate to unforgettable. Explore strategies for crafting powerful conclusions that resonate with readers.

Moderators

Rachel Brune

Speakers

N.R. (Nancy) Lambert

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Victoria Nations

Ryan Marie Ketterer

Author & Editor

Jonathan Fortin

Saturday June 1, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Writing and Publishing

5:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Bridget D. Brave

author, lawyer, weirdo

Jonathan Louis Duckworth

David Scott Hay

Novelist/Associate Pub, Whisk(e)y Tit Books

DSH makes a mean old fashioned and the best ribs on the block. He is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. As a novelist he is a two-time Kirkus Prize Nominee for the literary satire The Fountain and techno horror/romance [NSFW]. Both are in multiple printings and have been... Read More →

Nisi Shawl

Author

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Santa Fe 4

Author Readings

5:00pm PDT

Author Readings

Speakers

Brian McAuley

Darren Floyd

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Salon F

Author Readings

5:00pm PDT

Scream Queens

Scream queens are so much more than the shrieking victim of the hatchet-wielding madman. They’ve been a part of the genre since its inception, and they are ever-evolving. On this panel, we’ll look at the history of our favorite scream queens in both film and novels as well discuss ways to write the perfect scream queen in the twenty-first century.

Moderators

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.

Speakers

SGJ

Stephen Graham Jones

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NYX Horror Collective

Rachel Harrison

Melody Cooper

Co-Founder, Writer, Director, Producer, Nyx Horror Collective

Melody is a fiction and comic book horror and sci fi writer as well as a TV and film writer, director and producer. She loves developing horror projects across multiple mediums. Her short story "Sundown" appears in African Ghost Short Stories published by Flame Tree Publishing. She’s... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Salon C

Genre and Subgenre, Livestreamed Session

5:00pm PDT

Witchcraft And Spiritualism In Horror

Join us as we examine arcane practices and ethereal beliefs in horror narratives. We'll explore their impact on tension and atmosphere, and uncover the magic of the supernatural in horror fiction.

Moderators

Sarah Read

Speakers

Christa Carmen

writer

Johnny Worthen

Award-Winning Author

Gwendolyn Kiste

Marie Whittaker

Todd Keisling

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

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Genre and Subgenre

5:00pm PDT

Supernatural Experiences: True Stories from Horror Writers

Chilling inspiration meets unsettling reality. Horror writers reveal the true supernatural experiences that haunt their nightmares – and their work. Followed by Q&A.

Moderators

Shane Hawk

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

Speakers

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Bryan Prince

Author/Screenwriter

B.D. Prince was born in Michigan - a dark fiction and comedy writer who credits these proclivities to growing up near a cemetery and being endowed with a freakishly long funny bone. The author moved to California to pursue screenwriting and get a tan. Prince has written everything... Read More →

Sapphire Lazuli

she/they

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian, Eastham Public Library

Pedro Iniguez

Pedro Iniguez is a horror and science-fiction writer from Los Angeles, California. He is a Rhysling Award finalist and a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee.His fiction and poetry has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Never Wake: An Anthology of Dream Horror, Shadows Over Main... Read More →

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Salon A

Horror History and Culture

5:00pm PDT

The History of Horror From its Gothic Roots to the Present Day

From castles cloaked in mist to unseen horrors of the mind, authors discuss how the genre has evolved.

Moderators

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

Speakers

Neil McRobert

John Palisano

Independent

Writer.

Jo Kaplan

Josh Winning

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Sierra 5-6

Horror History and Culture

5:00pm PDT

Short Story Success: Submission to Publication

Do you have amazing short stories but are unsure where to send them? This panel demystifies the submission process and helps you find the perfect home for your work.

Moderators

Laura Nettles

Speakers

Valerie B. Williams

Andy Davidson

Alex Hofelich

co-Editor, PseudoPod

Donna J. W. Munro

Richard Thomas

Saturday June 1, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Salon B

Writing and Publishing, Livestreamed Session

6:00pm PDT

Bram Stoker Awards® Cocktail Reception

Join friends old and new for a cocktail reception before the Bram Stoker Awards® banquet and awards show.

Cash bar available.

In case of rain, this even will be moved indoors.

Saturday June 1, 2024 6:00pm - 6:45pm PDT
West Lawn

Parties!

7:00pm PDT

Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet

The Bram Stoker Awards® banquet.

This event requires a separate ticket purchase.

Saturday June 1, 2024 7:00pm - 7:45pm PDT
Rio Vista Ballroom

Convention Keynotes

8:00pm PDT

Bram Stoker Awards® Presentation

Join our emcee, multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, Kevin Wetmore, Jr., as we find out who are the Bram Stoker Award® winners. HWA Director Maxwell Ian Gold will give the keynote speech.

This event is open to all registered attendees.

Moderators