StokerCon 2026: Full Schedule

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4:00pm EDT

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Welcome to StokerCon! Now what? If you’re a first-time attendee, new to the horror community, or simply seeking a better handle on how to keep up with everything happening at StokerCon, this is the panel for you. A group of StokerCon veterans and organizers will help you know what to expect, how to plan your time, what our different programming options offer, and how to meet your favorite horror writers without scaring them. Drop into for a crash course on navigating the ins and outs of the HWA’s annual convention.

Moderators

Lila Denning

HWA-Volunteer Coordinator, St Petersburg Library System

Speakers

Marc Abbott

Author/Teacher/Storyteller/Vice President Horror Writers Association

I’m the author of Sinister Ascension, 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 Blackened Roots, The Chaos Clock, Under Twin Suns, Even in the Grave, New York State... Read More →

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

academic and creative writer/editor/professor, RJ Joseph, Writer/Speaker

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 →

Kevin Kennel

Hello, I am a writer currently editing a novella titled Ever Present about a woman who is grieving her mother while her sister tries to possess her. I have been published in Infernal Ink and the anthology: Satan Rides Your Daughter Again and have had some poetry published in See Spot... Read More →

Jonathan Lees

Event Director: Final Frame Film Competition

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 currently at the Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition at StokerCon.
He has recently produced arcane texts such as "We Have (Never) Been Here Before" in The Rack (Vol. II) and “To What Do We Owe This Pleasure” from the Bram Stoker Award nominated, Long Division: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse and Bad Manners. Other stories in print... Read More →

Sarah Read

Lisa Wood

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... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Cambria

HWA Spotlight

5:00pm EDT

No One Wants to Publish Mr. Hyde: Professional Etiquette for Horror Writers

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT

Cambria

The horror writing community is a small world, and you never know where a new publishing opportunity might come from. It’s important to be professional and to maintain good relationships and practices as a working horror writer. But what does that mean? What are “best practices” when it comes to engaging with agents and editors, with publishers, fellow authors, and even in social media? Where is the line between personal and professional interactions? Our panelists will discuss these questions and more.

Moderators

Hildy Silverman

Author and editor. Former publisher and Space and Time Magazine.

Speakers

Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Author, Editor, Publisher, eSpec Books

Award-winning author, editor, and publisher Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked in publishing for over thirty-five years, been a published author for twenty-five years, and a publisher for eleven years. She is also a book and cover designer, having worked on hundreds of books in... Read More →

Meghan Arcuri

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 →

Dennis K. Crosby

Dennis K. Crosby is an author, editor, speaker, and workshop leader with an MFA in Creative Writing. Since 2020 he has published three urban fantasy novels in his award-winning Kassidy Simmons series, and nineteen short stories found in multiple anthologies. He is the co-editor of... 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 →

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

4:00pm EDT

5:00pm EDT

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