STOKER CON 2019

Stoker Con 2019 was a very bookish high for me! I’ve been dying to share about my experience with this amazing event on my blog.  It is an event that I have highly anticipated ever since I received my ticket as a gift. It was one of the coolest gifts I have received (coming second to the engagement ring that my husband gave me).  For those of you who don’t know what Stoker Con is I would explain it as being a con for writers and readers of horror fiction. For me it felt like a really awesome bookish party where I was able to have face to face conversations with other people who love horror fiction just as much as I do.

One of the unique features of this event was the way readers and writers of horror fiction were just hanging out together throughout the weekend. I did not shy away from sharing many of my experiences on Twitter.  When I first arrived to the hotel Ellen Datlow was standing right in front of me and Brian Kirk cut in front of me to give her a hug.  Josh Malerman was one of the featured writers and at one of the events he spoke at he mentioned that his significant other often played tricks on him to try to scare him. So when I had the opportunity to get my book signed I shared one of the tricks that my husband had played on me to provoke a scare. Then we posed for a silly picture together.

But I was doing more than being a fan-girl at this event. I also was learning things that were interesting me at the panel sessions that I was able to attend. While they were all really excellent I had  my favorites. Ambiguously Haunted Houses Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of the Hill House and Henry James’ Turn of the Screw were discussed in depth. Haunting of the Hill House is one of my all time favorite novels and I have a weakness for haunted house tropes so I was psyched to be in a room of people who took this topic very seriously. I also loved Fairy Tales as Horror Fiction where there was a lot of discussion on the oral transmission of fairy tales and how negatively women were depicted in fairy tales.  I took a lot of interest in gender depictions in media decades ago in my undergraduate degree in sociology so this tapped into my academic interests. In the same vein of being concerned about the way minority groups are depicted Inclusion In Horror Fiction was not only important but engaging. At that particular panel, Linda Addision said, “Diversity is being invited to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance.” This quote really stuck with me, not only for an approach to horror literature but also in an approach to diversity in all aspects of life.  

Why Horror Matters was addressed things like how horror literature tends to be more popular in politically turbulent times and that there are components of it that make it more fun than just watching a drama.  The example that was given was your dad getting in a fight with your uncle can be a heart wrenching family drama but if your dad got into a fight with a vampire can outline similar dynamics but in a more escapist, fun way.  This particular panel was moderated Ladies of the Fright Podcast Hosts since listen to that podcast I just HAD to get a picture with the ladies!

I loved how the breakout sessions were great ways to have conversations with people regarding  different aspects of the horror genre that are of high interest to me.

There were numerous opportunities to purchase horror novels. Most notably there was particularly a really fun ice cream social with roomfuls of horror writers autographing books. There were numerous authors who were there whose work I read who I did not get autographs from because I borrowed their books from my public library or found copies of their books on my Kindle.  However I was still able to connect with some major authors.  I already mentioned my experience with Josh Malerman, but major authors who I was aware of before Stoker Con and made a point to get autographs from were Tony Tremblay, Jonathan Janz and Jonathan Maberry. Then there were authors I discovered simply by having quality conversations with: V. Castro, Peggie Christie, Marty Thornley, Chris Ringler and Andrew Lee Forman. There were also numerous authors who were there whose work I read who I did not get autographs from because I borrowed their books from my public library or found copies of their books on my Kindle.   However, now that the excitement of the event is over a great way to keep  Stoker Con spirit going is reading the books that I obtained and tweeting at the authors as I read their work.  If I had more time on my hands I would be reviewing every single book I obtained at Stoker Con on my blog but I started a new full time day job the same week that I left for this event, so the pace of life is going to force me to be a little selective in what I choose to review.

There were also some major events that I was psyched to attend as part of my Stoker Con ticket. The 4^th Annual Frame Horror Short 4th Annual FINALFRAME Horror Short Film Competition showcased high quality entertainment and it was really fun to be able to hear the results. And the huge event was the Stoker Awards. You can read more about the results of the awards ceremony here. As someone who has been reading a lot of horror literature I was on a serious emotional high just being able to be there as the awards were being presented. With the extent that I take reading horror novels these days I felt fancy and in the know, as though I were attending the Tony Awards or the Oscar Awards.

This is by far my absolute favorite literary event that I ever attended. I liked how everyone wanted to be in community with everyone there and that I was able to be around other people who loved horror. I heard it multiple times over the course of the weekend that the horror community is the most inclusive kind community there is and I have to jump on that bandwagon echoing that sentiment. I lament that the event is in the UK next year because international travel is out of my reach financially at this point in time.  However I have been working on some short stories in the horror genre and this event gave me a lot of energy to finish, polish and query my own work. It also gives me an even longer TBR list. I definitely have a lot more books I am excited to read!