Stoker Con 2021

 

This weekend I attended  Stoker Con 2021 virtually! The original plan entailed working at my day job in the mornings and attending Stoker Con in the afternoons and evenings. But one of the perks in starting a new day job this coming Monday was being able to clear my schedule for the entire duration of Stoker Con!

I enjoyed the perks of having the conference going digital!   On demand breakout sessions allowed me to attend MORE breakout sessions.  When I attended Stoker Con 2019 some of the panels I wanted to attend took place at the same time so I would split my time between sessions. With the on-demand approach, I did not have to miss ANY high interest sessions such as Mental Health and Mental Illness in Horror, Women in Gothic Fiction and Female Villians.

 There were also great live stream sessions as well. My absolute favorite had to be Gothic as Folklore as Silvia Moreno Garcia’s insights seemed to make many people, including myself, equally fascinated and impressed.

I could not help but geek out when I was able to hear Mother Horror discuss book reviews or hearing Grady Hendrix participate in a discussion on book covers.  These were just some of my highlights---every session I attended had insightful professionals!

On a very pragmatic level, I had just gotten off crutches from a knee injury the day before Stoker Con started. If I was navigating needing to walk around a hotel, I probably would have needed to take a few breaks to go rest in my hotel room.  But being in comforts of my own apartment with my leg propped up and iced I did not miss any of the conference at all!

Since I tend to be a big note taker, I also liked the ease of having a Google document open in a different tab on my computer.  It was VERY easy to go into Bookshop.org or Better World Books when people mentioned books that I did not own but wanted to read.

Still, I really missed the aspect of being able to be around people in person. My current mobility issues aside, I really missed walking around the vendor rooms.  During Stoker Con 2019 I had a lot of wonderful conversations and discovered very talented lesser-known authors when I would stretch my legs.  Now I have a lot of book mail that I am excited for but certainly miss getting my books signed and having in person interaction with authors!

Even though I was sitting at home alone, I had to get dressed for the occasion!  

I also enjoyed doing some color in my horror author coloring book while listening to author readings.

Then of course, as a tea snob I was able to enjoy a lot of excellent iced tea this weekend!

My only scheduling conflict throughout the entire weekend was that the  Final Frame Short Horror Film competition took place the same time that Shudder’s The Last Drive In had its live stream. But since I can  watch Last Drive In on demand, I put headphones on to watch the film competition while my husband was watching Shudder!

Before this weekend, I never attended an award ceremony in a nightgown. To keep the occasion festive, I had a glass of wine while watching Stoker Awards! This was the part of the weekend that is entirely free and by clicking on the you tube link, anyone can watch the awards at any time! However it was live streamed during the conference.

I know that the online bars were highlights for some people, however I did not participate in them. I kept plenty busy with all of the programming and streaming sessions. It is so much easier for me to talk with people in person, so I hope that I am able to make it to Colorado for Stoker Con next year!

With that being said, I really hope that they do have online options in the future.  One of the silver linings of COVID is the accessibility of online events.   Not needing to worry about coordinating transportation or the cost of a meal is a huge benefit to virtual programming.  For those who may not be able to take time away from day jobs or who can’t afford a plane ticket virtual options allow to for participation.  In economically trying times $75 may be difficult for some people to justify, however is an incredibly good deal for a conference of its caliber. 

But I do know that it did take a lot of amazing work by the people who did make this virtual event possible!  I am so grateful that I was able to participate in this experience!   I had a great stay-cation weekend attending Stoker Con in the comforts of my own home!

Then I was thrilled to receive my souvinear anthology in the mail after the weekend was over....it helped me with the withdrawal I felt after having such an amazing weekend coming to a close!