Stoker Con 2022

I was pumped when I heard that Stoker Con 2022 was going to be in Colorado this year…but I wound up getting laid off of from my day job back in January. While I was only out of work for 1 month, that was still 1 month too long to justify the costs of travelling.  What I was able to do was buy  a virtual ticket and take a long weekend to enjoy the event.

However, my first day was met with frustration: apparently there was some kind of internet issue at the hotel. The result was that I lost access to a session that I was looking forward to and was not able to access any of the live stream events for most of that evening…and went to bed with tears of frustration.

There were more technical difficulties with a hybrid model than when the con was 100% virtual.  I felt torn between knowing that everyone was trying their best and a lot of disappointment from missing some of the initial programming. Fortunately, the people running the conference worked hard to fix the issue. But it did trigger my frustration with my inability to travel to be at the con in person.

The programming was being video taped and everything would be available later on demand. While this was good to know, one of the things that I appreciate about the con format over simply streaming videos online is the ongoing interaction that I was able to have with other virtual con attendees. I might take advantage of this feature for parts of the con that I missed, however, as I try to cram a lot into life this was the time I had set aside to for this event.

There were some other parts of the con that were available on demand I watched at that point in time, as well as between the live panels that I saw.  

The rest of the event went so much better for me. One of the things I enjoyed about doing the con from home was being able to drink my own tea (I am a huge tea snob)

Also being able to hear things like medical professionals talking about their impressions about the inaccuracies that are often displayed in fiction in general and some of their own horrific experiences. I enjoyed hearing Michael McBride and EV Knight discuss how being horror writers effected their medical practice on that panel.  Hearing the realities of how censorship is effecting libraries on the Banned books was heart breaking, but unfortunately important to be aware of.

However, it was hearing the discussions on gothic literature, ghost stories and demon possession in horror that really made me feel like I was in my element. While I enjoy reading all types of horror, supernatural horror and gothic literature are my favorite subgenres—so I loved hearing other writers discuss these topics in depth. I could have  happily listened to Heather Graham, AC Wise, Stephanie Feldman and Karley Pardue talk about ghosts all day!

One of the advantages to doing the conference virtually is how easy it is to order books online…and my reading list definitely expanded! However it was also fun to be right next to my personal library and find books that I own and hadn’t read yet being discussed as well.

(a few books I own that were referenced during Stoker Con)

 I also enjoyed the convenience of following people on Twitter and looking up websites mentioned right away (like The Writers Police Academy and Script Medic). For the Psychology and Horror panel, I even got more out of the side discussion with the virtual participants than I did with the panel that was presenting. Online attendance also gave me the opportunity to share my bibliography of Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched in the folk horror panel which one of the panelists was excited to share. So there are things I read enjoyed about doing Stoker Con online.

Yet the biggest downfalls was that EVERYTHING was online. I've addressed faulty technology but there are things I really missed about being in person. Walking around the expo rooms and the author signature party are not only great opportunities to obtain autographs but also opportunities to walk around a little bit. Going from conference room to conference room not only provides a chance to have informal interactions with people but also the ability to stretch.  After my last Saturday session and before the Stoker Awards, I NEEDED to go for a walk for my sanity.

(The photo is from my walk by the Mississippi River)

Yet while I would have really enjoyed the opportunity to get dolled up to attend the Stoker Awards in person, I must admit that there was something fun about being able to put on my PJS and pour a glass of iced tea and watching the event from the comfort of my bed.

(Me all ready to watch the Stoker Awards)

My verdict on Stoker Con this year is that I would have preferred to attend in person, however having the virtual access made it economically feasible to enjoy the event.  Time like this not only refreshes my own enthusiasm for reading and writing horror, it also gives me fresh perspectives to approach my literary life. Also, writing and reading are solitary tasks so even connecting with people virtually is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other people that love the same kind of dark and macabre stories that I do.