StokerCon 2026: Full Schedule

10:00am EDT

Boardroom

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 10:00pm EDT

Crawford

The HWA Boardroom. HWA Officers, Trustees, and StokerCon volunteers only.

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 10:00pm EDT
Crawford

Con Ops

7:00am EDT

Boardroom

Thursday June 4, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT

Crawford

The HWA Boardroom. HWA Officers, Trustees, and StokerCon volunteers only.

Thursday June 4, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT
Crawford

Con Ops

12:00pm EDT

Registration

Thursday June 4, 2026 12:00pm - 7:00pm EDT

Third Floor Coat Check

Check-in for StokerCon 2026! Receive your name badge and your swag bag.

This is also a good place to find someone who can answer your questions about the Con.

Thursday June 4, 2026 12:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Third Floor Coat Check

Con Ops

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Curtis Schlak

Founder, Escribo Studio Writing Software

Curtis Schlak is an Author Accelerator certified Book Coach, as well as a novelist and screenwriter. He was recently shortlisted for the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Mentorship. Jackson Ford (THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND) has commented that Curtis’ debut novel... Read More →

Celina Thompson

Celina Thompson is basically a vampire. She is a disabled author with multiple invisible illnesses which cause sunlight to be painful, require blood transfusions, and even make garlic off limits. This served as inspiration for her debut novel, Sanctuary (a #1 Amazon Best Seller in... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Jacques Mersereau

Author, Day and Night Media, LLC

Fellow Halloween People,

My name is Jacques Mersereau. I've made my living as an artist and video director for over forty years. I am an Emmy winning movie-maker and ran the University of Michigan's Video Studio for the last twenty years. I started my career in one of the USA's first ska bands opening for... Read More →

Kathleen Palm

Jes Malitoris

I am a trans-nonbinary horror and dark fantasy author from North Carolina with a PhD in history and a day job in books marketing. My work has been featured in horror magazines and speculative fiction anthologies, shortlisted for Brave New Weird: Volume 3, and included on the Stoker award reading list... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Edward J. Flora

Author, Gravesend Books

Ed is a horror author and audiobook narrator. His most recent book, In The Shadow of a Broken Spire, is a small-town folk horror story. He is a fan of cosmic horror, ghost stories and discovering new indie authors.

Matthew Mercier

Stacie Herrington

Author | Screenwriter | Film Journalist

Stacie writes funny-scary-feminist horror for page and screen. She is the author of Dead Husband Energy: A Comedy-Horror Novelette. You can find her poetry in HWA Poetry Showcase XI (2024) and XII (2025), and the StokerCon Souvenir Anthology 2025. Stacie is the film columnist... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Tiffany Michelle Brown

Author of How Lovely to Be a Woman: Stories and Poems. Co-host of the Horror in the Margins podcast.

Sarah Faxon

Sydney Bollinger

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Charles Barouch

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 →

Raymonde Chira

Author

Raymonde Chira (she/they) is a writer, illustrator and librarian based in New York City. She is the author of multiple dark short stories and comics, having been published in Ghost Parachute, Dark Matter Presents: The Off-Season, Let Her Be Evil, and Bump in the Night (forthcoming... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Don’t Forget to Like and Subscribe: How to Work with Horror Influencers

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Lauded as the modern way to reach readers, book influencers have seen great success with places like BookTok and Bookstagram, where they frequently drive trends. Some influencers have even been able to become acquiring editors in their own right. But is engaging with an influencer the best choice for an author? What kind of etiquette should be expected between authors and influencers? Further, how...
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Moderators

Emily Hughes

Author, critic, listmaker, Darker Times

Speakers

Agatha Andrews

Lorin Dearing

Michelle Delgado

Hi! I'm Michelle, a horror fan, journalist, and constant reader based on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. For the past decade, I've covered arts and culture for national publications including Smithsonian, Wired, The Atlantic, Vox, LitHub, and Catapult, among others.

But my relationship to writing transformed (for the better) in 2025 when I began covering horror. Over the past year, I've written somewhere in the neighborhood of 90,000 words for my weekly newsletter, Scare Me! From interviews with Nat Cassidy, Neil McRobert, Night Worms' Sadie... Read More →

Stephanie Gagnon

Host, Books in the Freezer Podcast

Christina Persaud

Writer, Articles of Horror

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

3:00pm EDT

Welcome to the Darkive

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Somerset

Rare books and literary archival collections can be fertile ground for academic research, creative inspiration, and documentation of the writing process and publishing industry. Join us for a panel that uncovers how primary source research in the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s horror studies collections has been used to generate and inspire both academic and creative works, the...
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Moderators

Kathy Haines

Librarian/Archivist, University of Pittsburgh

Speakers

Bridget Keown

Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Bridget Keown is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and is the head of the Gender and Science Initiative. She earned her PhD in history at Northeastern University, where her research focused on the... Read More →

Ariana Marien

Dave V. Riser

Writer & Researcher

Victoria Timpanaro

Graduate Student/Educator/Film Scholar, Rutgers University

Educator and film scholar. PhD candidate with focus on women in genre film.

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 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Somerset

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

3:00pm EDT

HU: Medusa's Children Writing Horror from the Bones of Myth and Fairy Tale

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Washington

In this two-hour workshop, writers will excavate the ancient narratives found in fairy tale and myth to discover the dark truths hidden inside these familiar forms. Trace the evolution of oral storytelling to traditional tale types, utilize folkloric tools to unearth literary legacies and mythic motifs, and crack the bones of contemporary stories to expose unexpected connections in both the...
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Speakers

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

3:00pm EDT

Dealers Room

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom I

OFFICIAL BOOKSELLERWhite Whale BookstoreVENDORSArwyn Sherman Black Cat PublishingCLASH BooksCreature PublishingFalstaff BooksThe George A. Romero FoundationGrendel PressJeff DeckJoe BelcastroKent PrioreKenya Moss-DymeLanternfish PressLeanna Renee HieberNate HoffelderRaw Dog Screaming PressRoyce BuckinghamRuadan BooksSeton Hill UniversitySHP ComicsStudio HibernaculaSuperstars Writing...
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Thursday June 4, 2026 3:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom I

Dealers Room

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Fayette

Speakers

Heather Hein

Writing Heights Writers Association

Heather Hein is a Rocky Mountain Wordsmith who lives in Colorado with a menagerie of people, pets, and plants. Though her heart belongs in the west, she spent her high school years living in Iowa City where she (really!) worked at Hy-Vee Food Store before moving on to bigger and better... Read More →

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

academic HWA member | library advisory council member | pgh chapter co-chair | phd student of literature | author of STUFFED (unveiling nightmares) and THE THINGS WE DO FOR BLOOD (alien buddha press)

Daniel Carpenter

Commissioning Editor, Titan Books

Horror commissioning editor at Titan Books, author of Hunting by the River (Black Shuck Books, 2024)

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

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Lawrence

Speakers

Peter Rosch

Author

Peter Rosch is the author of What The Dead Can Do, Future Skinny, But I Love You, and My Dead Friend Sarah, and other dark fictions, many born from the addictions he chased while living in New York City. He’s sober now but remains an addict’s addict: he can turn anything fun into a serious problem... Read More →

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 →

Andrew Robertson

Founder, Great Lakes Horror Company

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

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Armstrong

Speakers

Teel James Glenn

writer

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... Read More →

D. Matthew Urban

Author

D. Matthew Urban hails from Texas and lives in Queens, NY, where he reads weird books, watches weird movies, and writes weird fiction. A collection of his stories, Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces, was published in 2025 by Cursed Morsels Press, and his work has appeared in such v... Read More →

Ananda Lima

Author

Ananda Lima is the author of the linked short story collection Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil (Tor Books, 2024) and the poetry collection Mother/land (Black Lawrence Press, 2021), winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Ke... Read More →

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

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Something in the Water: Aquatic Horror

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

Somerset

Aquatic horror goes way beyond Jaws. Our fear of what might lurk in the dark water is almost primordial—maybe humanity’s first fear. This panel explores the history of aquatic horror in literature and film—and offers a glimpse into what the future may hold.

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

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. His short stories have appeared online and in print journals, as well as numerous anthologies. Born and raised in Arkansas, Andy makes his home in Georgia, where he teaches creative writing at Middle Georgia State University. He lives with his wife, Crys... Read More →

Alma Katsu

Alma Katsu is the author of historical horror novels such asThe Hunger and The Fervor, as well as the Red Widow spy series. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, been featured in the NY Times and Washington Post, been nominated for multiple prestigious awards (and won a few), and appeared on numerous Best Books lists including NPR, the Observer, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Goodreads, and Amazon... Read More →

Nick Cutter

Real name: Craig Davidson. I write horror under the name Nick Cutter.

Hazel Zorn

I'm an oil painter and SFF/ Horror writer-- REEF MIND is out now from Tenebrous Press!

Nicole M. Wolverton

Horror Writer, Editor, & Academic, Professionally Unsettling Fear Enthusiast

Nicole M. Wolverton is the author of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters (2024, CamCat Books/Marble Press) and the upcoming Meat Sweats (March 2027, Horrorsmith Publishing) and Mother Mort's Carnival Phantasmagoria (October 2027, Ethereal Visions Publishing). She served as Editor of th... Read More →

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

Horror Genre and Media

4:00pm EDT

How to Get the Best Out of StokerCon

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

Cambria

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...
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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 fiction writer with many writing projects in various forms of development. I have recently been published in the anthology: Satan Rides Your Daughter Again and have had some poetry published online at misfitsmiscellany.com Some of my favorite writers are: Grady Hendrix... Read More →

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 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

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

HWA Spotlight

4:00pm EDT

Meet Your HWA Chapter Chairs

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

Westmoreland

Moderators

Douglas Ford

Speakers

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

James Chambers is the Bram Stoker Award® and Scribe Award-winning editor and author of A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World, On the Night Border, On the Hierophant Road, the graphic novel, Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe, and editor of Under Twin... Read More →

KC (Kristina) Grifant

Author, Editor, San Diego HWA co-chair

A previous StokerCon chair, KC Grifant is an award-winning writer based in Southern California who creates internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction, and weird west stories. Dozens of her short stories have appeared in podcasts, magazines, games, and Stoker-nominated... Read More →

Francesca Maria

SF Bay Area HWA Co-Chair, Black Cat Publishing

Francesca Maria writes dark fiction surrounded by cats near the Pacific Ocean. She is the award-winning, bestselling author of They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark from Brigids Gate Press, the co-editor of Black Cat Tales: An Anthology of Black Cats which debuted as a... Read More →

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Writer and Teacher

Christopher Hawkins

Co-chair, Chicagoland Chapter

Christopher Hawkins (he/him) is the multi-award-winning author of Downpour and Suburban Monsters. His latest novel is I Contain Multitudes.

Rami Ungar

I am a novelist from Columbus, Ohio specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I have published six books and several short stories.

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

HWA Spotlight

4:00pm EDT

Open Mic Poetry Reading

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Butler

Our annual Open Mic Poetry Readings hosted by Linda D. Addison!

Open Mic is a great place to read your poetry to a supportive audience and to be inspired by hearing the poetry of others.

Each poet reads for 5 minutes or less.

The host will loop around the room until we run out of time. All poets are welcome.

Note that this session is schedule for 90 minutes.

Moderators

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Butler

Horror Genre and Media

5:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Lawrence

Speakers

Ryan Marie Ketterer

Norman Prentiss

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

Author Readings

5:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Armstrong

Speakers

Katrina Carruth

Luke Dumas

Author

Luke Dumas is the USA Today bestselling author of Nothing Tastes as Good, The Paleontologist, and A History of Fear. He is the winner of an ITW Thriller Award and his work has been optioned for film and TV. He received his master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Edinburgh and has worked in nonprofit philanthropy for more than a decade. Luke was born and raised in San Diego, Calif... Read More →

Jaq Evans

I'm a speculative fiction and horror author based out of Richmond, VA. My debut novel, WHAT GROWS IN THE DARK, was published in 2024 by MIRA / HarperCollins, and my short fiction appears in Fusion Fragment, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, and elsewhere. My pronouns are none/she/they.

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

Author Readings

5:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Fayette

Speakers

Jack LaRoche

QAA

Book reviewer. Wildlife/Exotic animal rehabber. Werewolf enthusiast.

K.A. Schultz

author illustrator, Dakeha Taunus LLC

Kimann (K.A.) Schultz is the author of three horror short story collections NEITHERIUM, GÖTHIQUE, and KHRYSTMASS; PÔËTÍQUE Dark Poems & Lyric Poetry, JACOB A Denouement in One Act, and A LETTER FROM KRAMPUS
She was an independent blogger at Huffington Post 2013-2018, was also... Read More →

John Collins

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

Author Readings

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?...
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Moderators

Hildy Silverman

Speakers

Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Author, Editor, Publisher, eSpec Books

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

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

5:00pm EDT

Monster Evolutions

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

Westmoreland

The portrayal of creatures in horror has continuously changed to fit styles and tastes of the time. Through the lens of classic film monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and zombies, we will explore how they evolve to fit different times and attitudes. This discussion will further examine how these portrayals have been reinvented in film and on the page as well as what new creatures are on the...
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Moderators

Victoria Dalpe

Victoria Dalpe is a Providence-based horror writer and painter. To date, her short fiction has appeared in over sixty anthologies. She has put out the collection Les Femmes Grotesques and the horror fantasy trilogy Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire with CLASH Books. Book 2 Selene... Read More →

Speakers

Bill Bridges

Author, Game Designer

Erik Hanson

Cradle to the Grave podcast

I'm Erik, host of the horror movie podcast Cradle to the Grave. I've been making my way through horror movies, starting in 1971 and working my way up to modern-day. In addition to podcasting, I am an author; my first novel, Death Machine, was self-published. I am currently working... Read More →

Amanda Headlee

Amanda Headlee is the author of Till We Become Monsters, This is How a Villain is Made, Madness and Greatness Can Share the Same Face, and several short stories. A devoted connoisseur of cosmic and psychological horror, Amanda can often be found unraveling the universe’s darkest... Read More →

Lisa Morton

Co-Chair, StokerCon 2026

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association, and 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Alan Orloff

Writer. Thirteen books, 60+ short stories, most crime fiction. Won an Anthony, an Agatha, a Derringer, and two Thriller Awards. Have two horror novels coming out in 2027.

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

Horror History

5:00pm EDT

Demystifying the Stoker Awards

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

Somerset

Moderators

Laura Blackwell

Writer, copy editor, Story Hour cohost

Laura Blackwell is a Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer of speculative fiction. Her stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies including Nightmare, PseudoPod, CatsCast, and Shirley Jackson Award-winner Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic. She is copy editor for The Deadlands... Read More →

Speakers

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Alex Hofelich

co-Editor, PseudoPod

Becky Spratford

Readers' Advisory Specialist and Reviewer, RA for All

Benjamin Thomas

Writer

Multi-genre writer from New England that loves spooky things.

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

HWA Spotlight

8:00pm EDT

Opening Ceremony

Thursday June 4, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II-III

Come join the celebration of the start of StokerCon 2026! Meet our Guests of Honor, HWA officers and trustees, StokerCon Governing Board co-chairs, and friends old and new.

This event is catered with a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Moderators

Lisa Wood

President, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

Ann VanderMeer

editor/anthologist/writer, VanderMeer Creative, Inc.

Ann VanderMeer is an award-winning editor & anthologist. She currently serves as an acquiring editor for Reactormag.com. She was the editor-in-chief for Weird Tales, during which time she won the Hugo Award. Along with multiple other nominations, she has won a World Fantasy Award... Read More →

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Rachel Harrison

Rachel Harrison is the New York Times Bestselling author of PLAY NICE, SO THIRSTY, BLACK SHEEP, SUCH SHARP TEETH, CACKLE, and THE RETURN. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and in her debut story collection BAD DOLLS.

Her next novel, KISS SLAY REPLAY, is out this September from Berkley in the US and Titan in the UK... Read More →

John Shirley

Decades of experience in horror, television, science fiction,thriller writing, movie scripting. Strong opinions on AI, the future of our civilization, esoteric spirituality. Weird poetry.The book I won the Bram Stoker for: Black Butterflies. My new horror novel (written with Ma... Read More →

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

James Tynion IV

James Tynion IV is the writer of the New York Times Best-Selling BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES cross-over for DC Comics and IDW Publishing, as well as the bi-weekly DETECTIVE COMICS, a key title in DC Comics' Rebirth initiative.He is best known for his work on the Batman titles... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II-III

HWA Spotlight

10:00pm EDT

A Decade of StokerCon

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Join us for a special late night panel to celebrate StokerCon’s 10th anniversary!Learn the history of the HWA’s annual conference from the people who pioneered it and carried the torch forward-a milestone assembly of con chairs from years past and present. Why did the HWA start StokerCon? What has it come to mean to the HWA and the horror community? Join in the discussion for memorable...
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Moderators

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Speakers

Lisa Morton

Co-Chair, StokerCon 2026

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association, and 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Rena Mason

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator; Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Author, financial planner, former psychologist, husband, and father. Trustee for the Horror Writers Association, as well a National Co-Chair for StokerCon. I also run the Pitch Sessions and act as the Bram Stoker Awards Show Coordinator. That pretty much sums it up.

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Michael Arnzen

Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

Michael Arnzen holds four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his disturbing (and often funny) fiction, poetry and literary experiments. He has been teaching as a Professor of English in the MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University sin... Read More →

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator; Co-Chair StokerCon Governing Committee, 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 the horror genre and serving as subject area expert for reference... Read More →

Sara Tantlinger

Sara Tantlinger is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, as well as other works like To Be Devoured, Cradleland of Parasites, and her recent fiction collection, Cyanide Constellations. She embraces all things macab... Read More →

Dennis K. Crosby

Sarah Faxon

KC (Kristina) Grifant

Author, Editor, San Diego HWA co-chair

Logan Alexander Johnson

Logan Alexander Johnson is a writer, designer, and researcher who uses words as a vehicle for activism, inclusion, and empowerment. He brings a designer’s empathy to the page, shaped by over a decade of experience in human-centered design. Logan writes stories that highlight the... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror History

11:00pm EDT

Monster Mash

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:00pm - 11:59pm EDT

Westmoreland

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...
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Moderators

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:00pm - 11:59pm EDT
Westmoreland

HWA Spotlight

7:00am EDT

Boardroom

Friday June 5, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT

Crawford

The HWA Boardroom. HWA Officers, Trustees, and StokerCon volunteers only.

Friday June 5, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT
Crawford

Con Ops

8:00am EDT

Welcome To Librarians' Day!

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00am - 8:25am EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

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.

Moderators

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator; Co-Chair StokerCon Governing Committee, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Becky Spratford

Readers' Advisory Specialist and Reviewer, RA for All

Emily Vinci

Librarian, Horror Reviewer

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00am - 8:25am EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

8:00am EDT

Registration

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00am - 6:00pm EDT

Third Floor Coat Check

Check-in for StokerCon 2026! Receive your name badge and your swag bag.

This is also a good place to find someone who can answer your questions about the Con.

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00am - 6:00pm EDT
Third Floor Coat Check

Con Ops

8:15am EDT

Panel A: Conspicuous Consumption

Friday June 5, 2026 8:15am - 9:30am EDT

Butler

"Cannibal Horror in Italy"
Spencer Stoller

"“Everything is for Sale”: Commensurability and the Horror of Capitalist Forms in Stephen King’s Needful Things"
Eric Otto

"Occult Wars in the Age of Aquarius: The Battle on the Bookshelf"
Katherine Kerestman

Speakers

Spencer Stoller

English major at Scripps College and aspiring writer.

Eric Otto

Professor and Chair, Department of Integrated Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University

Eric Otto is Professor of Humanities and Chair of the Department of Integrated Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Katherine Kerestman

Author & Independent Scholar

Katherine Kerestman is the author of Lethal (PsychoToxin Press, 2023), Creepy Cat's Macabre Travels: Prowling around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards (WordCrafts Press, 2020), and Haunted House and Other Strange Tales (Hippocampus Press, 2024), and a... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 8:15am - 9:30am EDT
Butler

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference

8:30am EDT

Brains! Brains! Brainstorming Ways to Engage Your Community

Friday June 5, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

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

Jocelyn Codner

Reference & Outreach Librarian, Chatham University

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

academic HWA member | library advisory council member | pgh chapter co-chair | phd student of literature | author of STUFFED (unveiling nightmares) and THE THINGS WE DO FOR BLOOD (alien buddha press)

Friday June 5, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

9:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Rachel Dempsey

Author

Rachel Dempsey is a writer of horror, mystery and thrillers living in Denver. Her short fiction has been published by Shacklebound Books, Brigids Gate Press, Timber Ghost Press and Twenty Bellows (Pushcart nominated, 2023). She holds a BFA in Drama and English from NYU'S Tisch, a... Read More →

Christopher Hawkins

Co-chair, Chicagoland Chapter

Christopher Hawkins (he/him) is the multi-award-winning author of Downpour and Suburban Monsters. His latest novel is I Contain Multitudes.

Peter OKeefe

Peter O'Keefe is a writer and filmmaker, born and raised in Detroit, now living in Racine, Wisconsin. His first novel Counted With the Dead—a reimagining of Frankenstein set in late-90s Detroit—was released by Grendel Press in 2024. Peter's second novel White Flight was relea... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

9:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Kenya Moss-Dyme

Author/Nightmare Vendor

As a child, I realized that my entertainment choices leaned more toward ghosts and goblins than princesses and fairy godmothers. My favorite authors were Stephen King and Jack Ketchum, as I wasn't aware of any BIack women - or Black men - who wrote horror, so I began writing short-form hor... Read More →

Erin Louis

Author, Winding Roads Stories

Erin is a former exotic dancer with a love of books, writing and humor. She spent twenty five years as a stripper on and off and started writing as a way to shed light on a misunderstood industry and profession. But also, to destigmatize and humanize those who choose to work in the... Read More →

Alex Gonzalez

Wrote "rekt" and "The Man of Wind and Moss" for Erewhon. Happy to be here! Cheeky pint, king?

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

9:00am EDT

Adolescent Terrors: Writing Young Adult Horror

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Somerset

Teens have been a staple in the horror genre for its whole existence, but their role as victims vs heroes vs monsters themselves has evolved, creating a breadth of teen portrayals in horror. How do writers go about writing stories about young people? How do Young Adult horror novels differ from Adult horror novels looking back? Join panelists as they discuss the potential of YA horror, its growth...
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Moderators

Ann Fraistat

Author

Ann Fraistat is an author, playwright, and narrative designer. Her debut novel, What We Harvest, is a 2022 Bram Stoker finalist, a 2026 HWA Summer Scares selection, and an ABA Indies Introduce and Kids' Indie Next Pick. A Place For Vanishing, her second book, is a 2024 Bram Stok... Read More →

Speakers

Rebekah Faubion

Angela Sylvaine

Angela Sylvaine is a Bram Stoker Award nominated author and self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes speculative fiction and poetry. Her novel, Frost Bite, a ‘90s sci-fi horror comedy, and her retro ‘80s YA mall slasher novella, Chopping Spree, embody her cheerful side. Her s... Read More →

Robert Ottone

Robert P. Ottone is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winning author from Long Island. He is the author of the novels AMITYVILLE AWAKENS, THE VILE THING WE CREATED, THE TRIANGLE, THERE'S SOMETHING SINISTER IN CENTERFIELD and the collections TEAR ME OPEN: FEARS UNWRAPPED and HER INFERNAL... Read More →

Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Young Adult Author

Diana Rodriguez Wallach is a multi-published author of young adult novels, most recently YA horror novels. Her next book, THE SILENCED, described as Girl Interrupted meets Poltergeist, comes out in September 2025 through Random House/Delacorte. In October 2023, she released HATCHET GIRLS, a modern twist on the legend of Lizzie Borden, and in 2021, she published SMALL TOWN MONSTERS, named one of the “13 Scariest Books of 2021” by Kirkus Reviews (both through... Read More →

Carlyn Greenwald

Author

I’m a YA and Adult horror and thriller author and screenwriter, most famous for MURDER LAND, out with Sourcebooks Fire. I have another YA horror-thriller coming out in summer 2026 called WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE GIRLS with more YA and adult titles to be announced. I’m an LA native... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

9:00am EDT

Are We Rehearsing for the Fall of Civilization?

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Cambria

Why do we see so much post-apocalypse writing, cinema, television now? Why are these stories so popular? Are we unconsciously rehearsing for apocalypse? What do the many visions of the fall of civilization mean to you? This panel will discuss the current state of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, its place in the horror genre, and what insights it provides into contemporary society.

Moderators

Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner’s first novel came out in 2001, and since then he’s published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He’s written tie-in fiction based on Supernatural, Conan the Barbarian... Read More →

Speakers

Ai Jiang

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

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 →

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 children. More can be found at keithrosson.com... Read More →

John Shirley

John F. D. Taff

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

9:00am EDT

Out of the Shadows: the Evolution of Horror into Everyday Life

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Westmoreland

In the 20th century, horror moved out of the realm of antiquarians, mad scientists, old dark houses, and forgotten villages–and into the modern world! Richard Matheson pioneered the idea of the common man as a horror protagonist in I Am Legend and The Shrinking Man and decades later, Stephen King made the everyman central to the genre with characters such as Carrie White, Jack Torrance, Johnny...
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Moderators

Tom Deady

Speakers

Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy is a bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-nominated author whose acclaimed works include Mary ("One of the Best Horror Novels of All Time" - Audible), Nestlings, and Rest Stop. Esquire described him as one "of the best horror writers of this generation" and among the writers "shaping horror's next golden age." His award-winning plays have been produced across the country, including Off-Broadway and the Kennedy Center. You've also maybe seen Nat guest-starring... Read More →

Gillian Daniels

Gillian Daniels' poetry and short fiction have appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies, among more than thirty other publications. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, grew up in Greater Cleveland, Ohio, and she now writes, works, and haunts the... Read More →

Sephera Giron

Writer/screenwriter/trustee

John G. Hartness

Author, Podcaster, Editor, Publisher, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Playboy, Falstaff Books

John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies’ virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love. He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles, the Bubba the Monster Hunter... Read More →

Kevin Lucia

Kevin Lucia’s short fiction has been published in many venues, most notably with Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, David Morell, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, and Robert McCammon. His first novel, The Horror at Pleasant Brook, was released from Crystal Lake Publishing, October 2023... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Horror History

9:00am EDT

HU: Understanding Tone and Word Placement in Poetry

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 10:50am EDT

Washington

As a poet, words are like gold. With so many lines, or so few, a poet must understand the weight each word has on every line. The goal of this workshop is to examine word choice, tone, and rhythm by looking at both classic and modern examples from Milton to Shelley to Lovecraft to Ginsberg. This is a separately ticketed workshop. For more information on Horror University and registration...
See More →

Speakers

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 10:50am EDT
Washington

Horror University

9:30am EDT

How to Feature Horror at Your Library

Friday June 5, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

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 / Writer, Eastham Public Library

Speakers

Perla X. Caballero

HWA Seattle Chapter Member. Host and Curator of The Seattle Horror Book Club, Undertaker of the Morbidly Curious Book Club, West Seattle Chapter.

Matt McCleland

Senior Librarian, Prince William County

Hi, my name is Matt and I am a public librarian from Northern VA. I enjoy reading scary books, watching scary movies, and playing (and streaming) scary video games. Join my scary book club!

Allison Nellis

Trevor Oakley

Head of Access and Outreach Services, Saratoga Springs Public Library

Horror in libraries, including/featuring horror in book festivals/community reads, horror RA, horror programming

Marguerite Turley

Bookseller, Lahaska/Doylestown Bookshop

I’m a bookseller in Bucks County Pa and the horror section is all mine! I love horror more than any other genre. I also love to go outside and take nature photos, it’s my other passion!

Friday June 5, 2026 9:30am - 10:20am EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

9:45am EDT

Panel B: "Strangely are Our Souls Constructed": On Frankenstein

Friday June 5, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Butler

“Creation, Grief, Ambition, and the Divine in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)” Cynthia Pelayo"Created by Misogyny: The Bride Archetype in James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)"Stephanie Wytovich"“I Am Fearless and Therefore Powerful”: Bisexuality, Belonging, and Reanimated Revenge in Frankenstein"Gwendolyn Kiste"Frankenstein and his Creature:...
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Speakers

Cynthia Pelayo

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 sta... Read More →

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Gwendolyn Kiste

George Hagman

Friday June 5, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Butler

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Scott Edelman

Author

SCOTT EDELMAN has published 135+ short stories in magazines such as Lightspeed, Analog, Apex, and The Twilight Zone, and in anthologies such as Why New Yorkers Smoke, Crossroads: Southern Tales of the Fantastic, and MetaHorror. He began his professional writing career in the comics... Read More →

John Kachuba

Author

Shapeshifters! Ghosts! Middle Grade horror! Author of 15 books, including the historical fantasy trilogy, “The Bottle Conjuror,” and the middle/grade novel, “Haycorn Smith and the Castle Ghost.”Several of my nonfiction books are about ghosts and the paranormal and I am a... Read More →

Jo Kaplan

Author, HWA LA co-chair

Jo Kaplan is a Shirley Jackson Award nominated author whose work has been described as “immersive, chilling, and compelling” by Library Journal and “delightfully creepy” by Booklist. She is the author of It Will Just Be Us, When the Night Bells Ring, and The Midnight Muse... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Ann Fraistat

Author

Russ Colchamiro

Craig Brownlie

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Jay Bechtol

The Alaskan Delegation

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Clare Castleberry

Clare Castleberry is an author, artist, and narrator from Louisiana. For updates, follow https://femmebionic.substack.com/

barbara barnett

Author/Editor

Barbara Barnett is the author of The Apothecary's Curse and Alchemy of Glass, both published by Pyr Books. The Apothecary's Curse was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award (2017). She is also the author of Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House M.D., published in five langua... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Better the Devil You Know: A Panel on the Value of Queer Villians

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Somerset

The Bury Your Gays trope is a great example of how the queer community has been used to advance a plot while being punished for who they are, even when their actions are heroic. Often we feel forced to only represent our queer characters as tokenized heroes. So why not claim our birthright to become a villain? This panel explores why queer creators should present both positive and negative...
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Moderators

Andrew Robertson

Founder, Great Lakes Horror Company

Speakers

Sephera Giron

Writer/screenwriter/trustee

Jonathan Lees

Emma Murray

Author of Crushing Snails, When the Devil, and Shoot Me in the Face on a Beautiful Day

Hailey Piper

Hailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, A Game in Yellow, A Light Most Hateful, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, The Worm and His Kings, and other books of horror. She is also the author of over 120 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod... Read More →

James Tynion IV

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

10:00am EDT

Nevertheless We Persist: Resilient Souls Share Their Journeys

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Writers with lived experience and who face mental health challenges, yet continue to write, will share their journey. How do these challenges present themselves? How do writers deal with these challenges while typically playing multiple other roles (parents, caregivers, employees) yet persist to write and publish and stay engaged with the Horror Writing community? In a supportive, non-stigmatizing...
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Moderators

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Author/Editor, HWA Mental Health Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Speakers

Douglas Gwilym

Bram Stoker Award nominated short story author, querying novelist, editor of NOVUS MONSTRUM

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Geneve Flynn

Author, editor, poet. HWA Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

Mark Matthews

Mark Matthews is a Shirley Jackson Award Finalist, a graduate of the University of Michigan, and a licensed professional counselor. He is the author of On the Lips of Children, All Smoke Rises, Milk-Blood, and The Hobgoblin of Little Minds. He also edited, published, and contributed... Read More →

Tim Waggoner

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Westmoreland

HWA Spotlight

about

10:00am EDT

Pitch Session Panel

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Cambria

Meet the Pitch Session Pitch Takers as they discuss what they are looking for in pitches, what to do during a pitch, and what not to do. The panel will include time for Q&A from the audience. You do not have to be scheduled for a pitch to attend this panel. If you are thinking of pitching a work in the future, you are encourage to attend this panel and learn about the process.

Moderators

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator; Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

Lauren Bajek

Literary agent at Liza Dawson Associates

Daniel Carpenter

Commissioning Editor, Titan Books

Horror commissioning editor at Titan Books, author of Hunting by the River (Black Shuck Books, 2024)

Rachel Gilmer

Editor, Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press

I acquire for Poisoned Pen Press at Sourcebooks, and my books are primarily in Mystery, Thriller, Horror, and Contemporary Fantasy. I especially enjoy character-driven projects and am eagerly looking for diverse voices and stories.

Becky LeJeune

John G. Hartness

Author, Podcaster, Editor, Publisher, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Playboy, Falstaff Books

Arley Sorg

associate literary agent, senior editor, kt literary agency, Locus Magazine

Christoph Paul

CLASH Books

Theresa Glover

Associate Publisher, editor and author, Falstaff Books

Author of the Caitlin Kelley Monster Hunter series, a founding partner of Authors Essentials and an editor and convention coordinator for Falstaff Books.

www.falstaffbooks.com

Looking for novel-length work in horror, dark fantasy, dark romantasy, fantasy, science fiction, or mystery. Not looking for short story collections or anthology pitches, and we prefer books at least 75K in length. No splatter punk or extreme horror, no erotica or erotic horror, no... Read More →

Cherry Weiner

Born and raised in Australia. Came to American when I married a Brooklyn boy. I worked for one of the biggest Literary Agents in NY until he fired me and then his clients took two years to convince me to open my own agency by sending me authors and their manuscripts. I handle all... Read More →

Emma Cole

Editor; Author, MIRA Books

Editor at MIRA Books. Writer of Love Never Dies: Romance in Horror Movies.

R. B. Wood

Alec Shane

Agent, Writers House

Alexandra Murphy

Editor, Page Street Publishing

Alexandra Murphy is an editor at Page Street Publishing where she works on nonfiction and adult horror. Her first acquired title, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered, won the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement in Long Nonfiction. She is currently leading her... Read More →

Rena Mason

Sarah Read

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Cambria

HWA Spotlight

10:00am EDT

Dealers Room

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 7:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom I

OFFICIAL BOOKSELLERWhite Whale BookstoreVENDORSArwyn ShermanBlack Cat PublishingCLASH BooksCreature PublishingFalstaff BooksThe George A. Romero Foundation Grendel PressJeff DeckJoe BelcastroKent PrioreKenya Moss-DymeLanternfish PressLeanna Renee HieberNate HoffelderRaw Dog Screaming PressRoyce BuckinghamRuadan BooksSeton Hill UniversitySHP ComicsStudio...
See More →

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00am - 7:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom I

Dealers Room

10:30am EDT

Buzzing About Horror Books

Friday June 5, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

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

Moderators

Emily Vinci

Librarian, Horror Reviewer

Speakers

Anna Dupre

Lauren Komer

Emily Hughes

Author, critic, listmaker, Darker Times

Kate Federiconi

Stephanie Gagnon

Host, Books in the Freezer Podcast

Friday June 5, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Hildy Silverman

Ann Dávila Cardinal

Author

Ann Dávila Cardinal is a Nuyorican poly-genre author. Her young adult horror novels include Five Midnights (winner of an International Latino Book Award and a Bram Stoker finalist), Category Five, Breakup from Hell, and You’ve Awoken Her. Ann lives in a little house in Vermon... Read More →

Shane Hawk

Writer-Editor, PRH-Counterpoint

Shane Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma) is a horror writer and editor. As a contributing editor at Counterpoint Press, he exclusively works with North American Indigenous writers. In 2020, he released his debut short story collection ANOKA. Hawk is the coeditor of the... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Victoria Dalpe

C.S. Humble

Diane Sismour

Producer/Screenwriter/Author, Author / Screenwriter

Diane Sismour keeps her fans up at night with grounded horror, thrillers, and psychological suspense. Her characters and audiences never know what perils await them or the predicaments they must resolve. She’s a member of national and local writing and screenplay groups.

Her scr... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Tom Deady

Meg Ripley

Writer of horror and dark fantasy, designer, and drawer. Her debut novel, NECROLOGY, (Book #1 of the Dirty) is a Foreword INDIES Bronze Medalist in Fantasy (2024).

Book 2 of the Dirty, WOODFEAST, due Fall 2026, Creature Publishing.

Grace Daly

Author

Grace Daly (she/her) is a disabled author with multiple invisible chronic illnesses. She lives near Chicago and spends most of her free time with her dog, who is a very good boy. Her debut horror comedy novel, “The Scald-Crow”, is currently available and her fantasy novella, “The... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Bloodsplatters: Art, Storytelling, and Horror

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Somerset

It’s more important than ever to support visual art made by humans. Join artists, book designers, cover artists and other creators in horror to learn more about their process and inspiration, and also to discuss actionable ways to continue the support of art created by people.

Moderators

Chris Panatier

Writer

Speakers

Grey Cross

Lynne Hansen

Artist, Lynne Hansen Art

Lynne Hansen is a horror artist who specializes in book covers. She loves creating art that tells a story and that helps connect publishers, authors and readers. Her art has appeared on the cover of the legendary Weird Tales Magazine, and she was selected by Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew... Read More →

Christi Nogle

Author of BEULAH and three short fiction collections

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 Daw... Read More →

May Walker

Hazel Zorn

I'm an oil painter and SFF/ Horror writer-- REEF MIND is out now from Tenebrous Press!

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Somerset

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

11:00am EDT

Working with Big 5 Publishers

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Cambria

Is it everything it's cracked up to be, and how do you know if it's the route you want to go? What realistic expectations and highlights do Big 5 authors have to share, and what can new and established indie writers learn from them?

Moderators

Jessi Ann York

Debut Author

Jessi Ann York’s debut novel, TALONS AND NIGHTSHADE, is forthcoming March 2027 from Wednesday Books, an imprint of Macmillan. Her first two published short stories, “Phases of the Shadow” and “Women of the Mere,” were mentioned as standouts in the Summation section of The... Read More →

Speakers

ROYCE BUCKINGHAM

Author--Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet)

Royce is an author of 14 novels with Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet) in Germany and with Putnam's and St. Martin's Press in North America. He is a member of the HWA and WGAw. Royce grew up with Stephen King and D&D and has been publishing horror and fantasy as a grown-up since 2006... Read More →

Andy Davidson

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

JONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, poet, and comic book writer. He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and action, for adults, teens... Read More →

Jennifer McMahon

Author

Jennifer McMahon is the author of My Darling Girl and twelve other novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Promise Not to Tell and The Winter People. She lives in Florida with her partner, Drea. Visit her at jennifer-mcmahon.com or connect with her on Instagram @jennifer... Read More →

Mar Romasco-Moore

Author of queer YA multimedia horror novel Deadstream (VIking, 2025) and several other books.

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

11:00am EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: Speculative Musings: the influence of Linda D. Addison

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Guest of Honor Linda D. Addison is one of the most esteemed (and beloved) speculative poets of our time. Join Linda and fellow panelists as we honor her influence, share advice about working collaboratively on projects, discuss the growth of dark poetry, and reflect on the importance of community within horror.

Moderators

Sara Tantlinger

Speakers

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

Jamal Hodge

Founder, Hodge Cinema

Jamal Hodge is a 2x Bram Stoker Award-nominated writer and an award-winning director. He has directed for Investigation Discovery’s Primal Instinct and PBS’s Southern Storytellers, while producing credits include the Academy Award–nominated documentary Armed Only With a Cam... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

11:00am EDT

HU: The Human Touch: Outwriting AI

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT

Washington

This workshop will present techniques to take your horror writing to a higher level, so readers choose your stories over those “written” by AI. Topics covered include recognizing and avoiding horror clichés, reworking familiar tropes, mining everyday life for ideas, writing with a deep point of view, and developing a distinctive writer’s voice.This is a separately ticketed workshop....
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Speakers

Tim Waggoner

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Chloe Spencer

Minnesota native Chloe Spencer is an award winning writer, indie gamedev, and filmmaker. She is the author of multiple sapphic horror novellas, novels, and short stories. In her spare time she enjoys playing video games, trying her best at Pilates, and cuddling with her cats. She... Read More →

Jamal Hodge

Founder, Hodge Cinema

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Cynthia Pelayo

Francesca Maria

SF Bay Area HWA Co-Chair, Black Cat Publishing

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Tommy B. Smith

Tommy B. Smith is a writer of dark fiction, award-winning author of The Mourner’s Cradle, Poisonous, and the short story collection Pieces of Chaos, as well as the coming of age novel, Anybody Want to Play WAR? His latest venture into cosmic and psychological horror, the Blac... Read More →

Darius Jones

Darius Jones’s stories and poems have appeared in Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast, Space and Time Magazine, and Star*Line Magazine. His first book, The Books of Hours, a collection of 24 Dark Cosmic poems, was published in 2025.

Darius is a member of the HWA, the SFWA, t... Read More →

CJ Dotson

Author

C. J. Dotson possesses the statistically average number of body parts for a human being to have. She and her husband, stepson, and children (all of whom also appear human) share a cabin in the woods with more bugs than she would ever like to see. She is the author of THE CUT (4/8/25... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Publishing and Promoting on a Shoestring Budget

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Cambria

Indie presses have gotten slammed the last few years as funding for arts has been pulled in all directions, but we're a scrappy bunch and where there is a will, there is a way. Join panelists as they discuss what resources authors and publishers use to market, publish, promote, and more without a large marketing budget. Together, they’ll suggest strategies, actions, and practical tips to keep...
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Moderators

LC Allingham

Author / Editor / Artist / Publisher, Speculation Publications

Speakers

KC (Kristina) Grifant

Author, Editor, San Diego HWA co-chair

Michael Dolan

Editorial Director, Winding Road Stories

Ananda Lima

Author

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob

Author

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob writes horror and weird fiction. Her books include Pyramidia, Dropshipped, Hearsepower, and Singing All the Way Up. She loves murderous and mystical cowboys, satirical stories, and Furbys. She is the editor-in-chief of Squirm Books, the YA imprint of Slashic Horror Press... Read More →

Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Author, Editor, Publisher, eSpec Books

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

12:00pm EDT

Lifetime Achievement Award Spotlight: Creating and Developing Compelling Characters and Worlds with Jonathan Maberry

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Join LAA recipient Jonathan Maberry, Justina Ireland, Alma Katsu, and moderator Dennis Crosby for a discussion of what makes characters fascinating and memorable, especially over time in a series. Explore ideas and techniques for building worlds that readers want to visit again and again, and characters they love to spend time with. How can authors grow characters and keep them interesting over...
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Moderators

Dennis K. Crosby

Speakers

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Justina Ireland

Author and Literary Agent, Handspun Literary Agency

Justina Ireland is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous short stories and books including Vengeance Bound, Promise of Shadows, Dread Nation and its sequel Deathless Divide, Rust in the Root, and the middle-grade novel Ophie's Ghosts, which won the Scott O'Dell award... Read More →

Alma Katsu

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

12:00pm EDT

Female Asian Gothic: Fury and Metamorphosis

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Somerset

Every Gothic fiction wave reflects the anxieties of its time and its cohort. What fears, furies, and transformations have emerged in the recent groundswell of Asian female horror? Join authors and editors as they discuss the influences that have shaped their works, how the female Asian Gothic converges and diverges from other Gothic literature, share recommendations, and explore what’s...
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Moderators

Geneve Flynn

Author, editor, poet. HWA Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

Speakers

Kylie Lee Baker

Ai Jiang

Kristy Park Kulski

Rena Mason

J.A.W. McCarthy

J.A.W. McCarthy is a two-time Bram Stoker Award and two-time Shirley Jackson Award finalist and author of Sometimes We’re Cruel and Other Stories and Sleep Alone. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Vastarien, PseudoPod, Split Scream Vol. 3, The D... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

12:30pm EDT

Panel C: "Hell with the Lid Taken Off": Steeltown and the USA

Friday June 5, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

Butler

"Pittsburgh as Embodiment of Zombie Culture in Four Snapshots"
Kevin Wetmore

"Female Representation in the Living Dead Films of George A. Romero"
Victoria Timpanaro

"George A. Romero's Martin and Mental Health in Postindustrial Communities"
Ande Thomas

"Nihilism, Gun Violence, and The Long Walk (2025)"
Emma Johnson-Rivard

Speakers

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Victoria Timpanaro

Graduate Student/Educator/Film Scholar, Rutgers University

Educator and film scholar. PhD candidate with focus on women in genre film.

Ande Thomas

Editor in Chief, What Sleeps Beneath

Ande Thomas is a life-long horror fan, supporting member of the Horror Writers Association and a founding member of What Sleeps Beneath. His work centers on original academic research that links narrative and plot to current political and social discourse. As a standing judge of the Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival, Ande looks for independently made films that disrupt and challenge the definition of the horror genre... Read More →

Emma Johnson-Rivard

Friday June 5, 2026 12:30pm - 1:45pm EDT
Butler

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Ai Jiang

Rebecca Cuthbert

Writer, Undertaker Books

Cynthia Gómez

Attendee

Cynthia Gómez writes horror and other types of speculative fiction. She has a particular love for themes of revenge, retribution, and resistance to oppression. The Nightmare Box and Other Stories, her first collection, was released from Cursed Morsels Press in July 2024. Her novella... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Armstrong

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 →

Christi Nogle

Author of BEULAH and three short fiction collections

Chelsea Conradt

Chelsea Conradt is the USA Today bestselling author of The Farmhouse and The Secret Attic. She writes twisty speculative thrillers and psychological horror. Her short fiction has been featured in The Sunday Morning Transport and the Fractured Reveries anthology. Her stories are packed with both murder and kindness because we can be more than one thing. When not writing stories that make you question what’s real, she is likely watching a baking show or a true-crime documentary. She is nothing if not on brand. Chelsea lives in... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Sarah Langan

Sarah Langan is the three-time Bram Stoker Award Winning author of the novels Trad Wife (2026) A Better World (2024), Good Neighbors (2021), Audrey's Door (2009), The Missing (2007), and The Keeper (2006). She works in prose and film and lives in Los Angeles.

Mikayla Randolph

writer

Mikayla Randolph (she/her) is the author of Not Your Final Girl. Her short fiction has been published in The Chamber Magazine, Watershed Review, and Coffin Bell. She lives in Monterey, California with her husband, two dogs, and an overwhelming pile of books to be read.

... Read More →

Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Young Adult Author

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Hooked on Horror (Again): Middle Grade Books

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Cambria

Horror has long captivated young readers, from those first spine-chilling stories around campfires to stories read with flashlights under the covers. Panelists will discuss their experiences with horror as young readers, how they craft engaging yet age-appropriate stories, and the unique challenges of writing for children. Topics will include what’s “too scary,” representation, and...
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Moderators

Sarah Faxon

Speakers

Meghan Arcuri

Ann Dávila Cardinal

Author

S. Alessandro Martinez

Writer

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 writings have appeared in several magazines and anthologies such... Read More →

Kathleen Palm

Ally Russell

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

1:00pm EDT

Sell Your Books! Tips and Tricks for Hand-Selling Books

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Somerset

Authors are stereotypically quiet and insular people, working alone most of the time. How can an author best shift focus to meet people at signings, conventions, and events, and more importantly, sell their books? This panel will give authors a solid foundation on tactics and strategies on picking events to sell at, the nuts and bolts of pitching your books to strangers, and pitfalls to avoid for...
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Moderators

Joshua Ginsberg

Author

Speakers

Russ Colchamiro

Robbie Dorman

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 have had the privilege of working with terrifyingly talented authors for our Nightfire imprint. I acquire adult fiction across TPG and while I am always searching for unique stories... Read More →

Kenya Moss-Dyme

Author/Nightmare Vendor

Sonora Taylor

Author

Sonora Taylor (she/her) is the award-winning author of several books and short stories. Her books include Someone to Share My Nightmares: Stories, Seeing Things, Little Paranoias: Stories, Without Condition, The Crow’s Gift and Other Tales, and Wither and Other Stories. She a... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Somerset

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

1:00pm EDT

Bizarro Fiction: The Wrecking Ball of Weird vs. the Boundaries of Genre

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

In the early 2000s, a new subgenre peeled itself off of horror and slithered forward, picking up the detritus of other genres on its way. Bizarro fiction is the genre for people who don't like to color inside the lines. Too funny, too weird, too off-beat for traditional horror publishers, the bizarro community coalesced around the same purity of storytelling as children: no boundaries, no limits,...
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Moderators

Michael Allen Rose

Bizarro Writers Association President, RoShamBo Publishing

Speakers

Jennifer Barnes

Managing Editor, Raw Dog Screaming Press

Bridget D. Brave

author, lawyer, weirdo

Jessica McHugh

Jessica McHugh is a 3x Bram Stoker Award-nominated poet, a multi-genre novelist, & an internationally-produced playwright who spends her days surrounded by artistic inspiration at a Maryland tattoo shop. She’s had thirty-two books published in seventeen years, including her Elgin... Read More →

Danger Slater

Writer guy. Good time party dude.

I'm an author and a performer and a good time party dude. I eat a lot of soup. I am soup.

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror History

1:00pm EDT

What Horror Means to Me

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

Join StokerCon 2026’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.

Moderators

Lila Denning

HWA-Volunteer Coordinator, St Petersburg Library System

Speakers

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Rachel Harrison

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

John Shirley

James Tynion IV

Ann VanderMeer

editor/anthologist/writer, VanderMeer Creative, Inc.

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

1:00pm EDT

HU: Little Monsters: Writing the Unsettling Child in Horror

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Washington

We instinctively view children as innocent, vulnerable, and deserving of protection. Horror becomes especially disturbing when that perception collapses; this workshop explores how writers can create unsettling children in horror fiction by disrupting the psychology of innocence. Drawing on examples from literature and film, the class examines how distorted morality, emotional detachment,...
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Speakers

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NightTide Magazine/Mourning Manor Media

Mo Moshaty is a multi-award-winning horror writer, producer, and international lecturer whose work explores trauma, folklore, and the boundaries of fear through a diverse and inclusive lens. She is the author of Maddalena – 206 Word Stories (2022), Henry – A Quaint and Curious... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 1:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Douglas Gwilym

Bram Stoker Award nominated short story author, querying novelist, editor of NOVUS MONSTRUM

Nicole Willson

Stoker-nominated author of TIDEPOOL (2021), THE SHADOW DANCERS OF BRIXTON HILL (2023) and THE KEEPER OF THE KEY (2024). Find out more about me at http://www.nicolewillson.com

Dave V. Riser

Writer & Researcher

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Ace Antonio-Hall

Omnium Gatherum

Amanda Headlee

Dacia M Arnold

AMS/ AMG Marketing Account Manager, Liquid Mind Marketing, Dacia M Arnold LLC

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Brandon Ketchum

LCSW, Local Recovery Coordinator, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Author/Editor, HWA Mental Health Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

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 →

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Artificial Intelligence: How to Identify Who's Using It ; How to Avoid It; How to Fight Back Against It

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Cambria

Everyone is talking about AI and for good reason. This informative and proactive focused panel will discuss the state of AI in the publishing industry, including strategies on how to identify and avoid it. Further examination will include what is being done to protect creators by organizations like the HWA and the Author’s Guild, the state of legal action, and what obstacles the creative...
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Moderators

Pauline Chow

Pauline Chow is a writer, coach, and ancestral magic practitioner, crafting alternative histories and optimistic futures. She is a Pushcart Prize nominated author with words in Cosmic Monthly Horror, Space and Time Magazine, Apocalypse Confidential, and more. Not your average data... Read More →

Speakers

John Edward Lawson

Author

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. For his work as an editor John received the 2018 HWA Specialty Press Award. He is a former President of the Horror Writers... Read More →

Rebecca Cuthbert

Writer, Undertaker Books

Patrick Barb

Author & HWA Treasurer

Patrick Barb is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of weird, dark, and horrifying tales, currently living in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. His published works include the short-story collections The Children's Horror and Pre-Approved for Haunting; novellas The Big One, The Nu... Read More →

Alec Shane

Agent, Writers House

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

2:00pm EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: The Writing Life and Building a Career with James Tynion

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Join Guest of Honor James Tynion, Clay McLeod Chapman, Hailey Piper, and moderator Erika T. Wurth for a discussion of the writing life, balancing creative and commercial goals, how to connect with readers, and build a successful writing career while realizing your creative visions. Explore how to market your work, protect your copyrights and intellectual properties, and build strong collaborative...
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Moderators

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Speakers

James Tynion IV

Clay McLeod Chapman

Author of Devil Inside, Bodies of Work, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, Acquired Taste, Shiny Happy People, Kill Your Darling, Stay on the Line, What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters, Whisper Down the Lane, The Remaking, and others.

Hailey Piper

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

2:00pm EDT

Digital Campfires: How Internet Built a New Generation of Readers and Writers

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Somerset

Internet horror has evolved from anonymous forum posts and copy-paste folklore into one of the most powerful pipelines in modern genre storytelling. This panel explores the history of online horror, its roots in urban legend and campfire storytelling, and how digital platforms reshaped craft, readership, and publishing paths. Panelists will discuss what makes internet horror distinct on the page,...
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Moderators

DR Forge

Speakers

Alex Gonzalez

Wrote "rekt" and "The Man of Wind and Moss" for Erewhon. Happy to be here! Cheeky pint, king?

Jonathan Lees

Gray O'Reilly

Mar Romasco-Moore

Author of queer YA multimedia horror novel Deadstream (VIking, 2025) and several other books.

Ande Thomas

Editor in Chief, What Sleeps Beneath

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror History

2:00pm EDT

The Past is Undead: Exploring an American Vampire Canon

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

The vampire lurks throughout the history of horror storytelling and serves as a powerful allegory for understanding history, culture, and social forces. Vampire stories frequently evoke imagery from their 19th century European literary texts of old castles, aristocracy, and Victorian moral strictures. But once we remove these stories from their European settings and examine the stories...
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Moderators

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator; Co-Chair StokerCon Governing Committee, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Speakers

Liz Kerin

LIZ KERIN is the author of the critically acclaimed NIGHT’S EDGE duology, YA horror THE PHANTOM FOREST, and the forthcoming HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY from Sourcebooks in February 2027. She’s also a playwright and screenwriter, who graduated from NYU Tisch, where she majored... Read More →

Gwendolyn Kiste

Michelle Renee Lane

Writer

Michelle Renee Lane holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is an instructor for Speculative Fiction Academy. She writes dark speculative fiction about identity politics and women of color battling their inner demons while fighting/falling in love with... Read More →

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

Sarah Read

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

2:00pm EDT

Panel D: Worlds of Horror

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

Butler

"The Egg-Shaped Universe: Séances, Channelings & Hilma af Klint’s Transcendent Paintings"
Shannon Kearns

"Becoming the Apocalypse: The Indigipoetics of Horror"
Naomi Simone Borwein

"Haunted Tongues: Multilingualism and Gothic Elements in Gambian Literature"
Modou Lamin Age-Almusaf Sowe

"Generic Rhetorical Violations and Reconfiguration of Fear in Dead by Daylight"
Janice Day

Speakers

Shannon Kearns

Naomi Simone Borwein

Janice Day

Friday June 5, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
Butler

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

DIane Corso

Barbara Cottrell

Vanishing Edge Press

Barbara Cottrell is a former professor who gave up her career to pursue her true passion: writing weird fiction. The first book in her series of supernatural thrillers, Darkness Below, won a gold medal at the Book Fest, was named best first novel by Indie Reader and was an editor... Read More →

Sawney Hatton

Sawney Hatton is an author, editor, and screenwriter who has long loved taking trips to the dark side. Weaned on a steady diet of paranormal horror and creature features, he quickly developed an appetite for all things macabre. With early influences as tonally disparate as Stephen... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Brittany Cekus (B.S. Miller)

Leticia A Urieta

Leticia Urieta (she/her/hers) is a Tejana writer from Austin, TX. She works as a teaching artist and freelance writer and editor. She is the author of Las Criaturas, published in 2021 by Flowersong Press and was a finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fic... Read More →

Valerie Williams

Writer, reader, dog lover.

Valerie B. Williams' short fiction has been published by Flame Tree Press, Dark Recesses Press, and Crystal Lake Publishing, among others. Her debut novel, "The Vanishing Twin" was released by Crossroad Press in October 2024.Her first collection of dark tales, "Penfold's Menu of Ma... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

ROYCE BUCKINGHAM

Author--Penguin/Random House (Blanvalet)

Christa Carmen

writer

Christa Carmen is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Daughters of Block Island and Beneath the Poet’s House, coming fall 2024 from Thomas & Mercer.
Additional work can be found in Vastarien, Nightmare, Orphans of Bliss, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, and the Stoker... Read More →

Sara Tantlinger

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Creative Resilience: Overcoming Disappointment

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Cambria

How do we cope with disappointment? How can we arm our creative spirits with resilience, and craft enough sustainability for the long game? Sensitivity to rejection can provoke profound emotional turmoil that can prevent us from pursuing publication. Once we’re established, anxiety can derail our submissions to more prestigious publishers along our journey. Let these panelists share with you how...
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Moderators

Ace Antonio-Hall

Omnium Gatherum

Speakers

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Maria Alexander

Maria Alexander is a produced screenwriter, games writer, virtual world designer, award-winning copywriter, prolific fiction writer, and poet. Since 1999, her stories have appeared in acclaimed publications and anthologies.

Her debut novel, Mr. Wicker, won the 2014 Bram Stoker Awa... Read More →

Monique Asher

Author

Monique Asher is the American author of Don’t Eat the Pie and The Red Knot. She is a member of the HWA. When she isn't writing you will find her talking to ghosts and chasing her pets through the garden.

Zoje Stage

Author

Zoje Stage is both an international and a USA Today bestselling author whose books have been named “Best of the Year” by Library Journal, Forbes, PopSugar, Bloody Disgusting, and more. Her debut novel, Baby Teeth, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. Other critically-acc... Read More →

Tim Waggoner

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

3:00pm EDT

Editing as an Art Form

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Most authors know—and many quickly learn—that an editor is more than a simple curator of stories. A good editor can be the difference between a flawed gem and a brilliant masterpiece. What can we gain from viewing the work of editing as an art in its own right? How does the craft of editing vary from place to place? What happens when authors push back on certain edits?

Moderators

Emma Cole

Editor; Author, MIRA Books

Editor at MIRA Books. Writer of Love Never Dies: Romance in Horror Movies.

Speakers

Ardyce Alspach

Senior Editor, Union Square / Hachette

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 her work. Her most recent original anthology is Night and Day published by Saga Press. She has won the Karl Edward Wagner (special) award given by the British Fantasy Convention, and Life Achievement Awards given by the Horror Writers Association... Read More →

Arley Sorg

associate literary agent, senior editor, kt literary agency, Locus Magazine

Kristin Temple

Associate Editor, Tor Nightfire

Kristin Temple has been at Tor Publishing Group since 2016 and has been editing nightmares for Nightfire since its inception. She acquires novels and novellas, and has had the honor of working with many of the twistedly talented authors in the Nightfire coven. She's always on the... Read More →

Ann VanderMeer

editor/anthologist/writer, VanderMeer Creative, Inc.

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

3:00pm EDT

Making Modern Spaces Scary

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Somerset

Dilapidated castles and decrepit asylums? Easy-peasy-horror-trope-squeezy. Many of us love abandoned places for all the scary opportunities they offer, but what about contemporary office high-rises, new-build subdivisions, and corporate pressboard landscapes? They may lack gothic atmosphere, but they're awash in their own beige nightmares. Panelists would discuss the narrative opportunities of...
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Moderators

Rebecca Cuthbert

Writer, Undertaker Books

Speakers

Grace Daly

Author

Jamal Hodge

Founder, Hodge Cinema

Allison Mick

Writer

Allison Mick is a Los Angeles-based horror-comedy writer, originally from the Great Lakes. She is the author of Humboldt Cut (Erewhon Books) out January 2026, and DIVE (Tenebrous Press) out November 2026.

Mick’s humor writing appears in Trailer Park Boys: Big A$$ Comic Collectio... Read More →

Sarah Read

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 →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

3:00pm EDT

Summer Scares: A Thrilling Summer Reading Program

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Pennsylvania Ballroom

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 Jennifer McMahon with more panelists to be announced soon!

Moderators

Yaika Sabat

Speakers

Ann Fraistat

Author

Shane Hawk

Writer-Editor, PRH-Counterpoint

Grady Hendrix

I own too many paperbacks and write too many books. I apologize for both of these sins.

CJ Leede

Ally Malinenko

Ally Malinenko is the author of several poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl and the Stoker nominated This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins

Jennifer McMahon

Author

Ally Russell

Ted Van Alst

Writer, Vintage/PRH

Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. is the author of Chicago-set award-winning story collections Sacred Smokes, Sacred City; and Sacred Folks as well as Pour One for the Devil. He is the co-editor of the bestselling Never Whistle at Night from Vintage/Penguin Random House. His debut novel... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Pennsylvania Ballroom

Librarians' Day

3:00pm EDT

HU: The Five Senses of Dread

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Washington

In this workshop, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Michael Arnzen takes you on a tour of the "five senses of dread" -- exploring how fear operates on your nerve endings, from the tips of your fingers all the way up to your brain. Learn how words work to paint haunting portraits of fear and generate anxiety, and how characters express their darkest fears from a whisper to a scream. Recommended for...
See More →

Speakers

Michael Arnzen

Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

Friday June 5, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

3:30pm EDT

Panel E: Gendered Tensions and Feminist Rebellions

Friday June 5, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

Butler

"Locking the Door from the Inside: marriage, surveillance, and institutional power in horror cinema"
Mo Moshaty

"Dracula's Monstrous Femininity"
Rachel Allison

"What's in a Name? Cassandra in horror: resilience through tragedy"
Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar

Speakers

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NightTide Magazine/Mourning Manor Media

Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar

Professor of English/Author

Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar is a Pennsylvania writer, editor, and English professor who teaches creative writing, composition, and composition theory classes. A former secondary English teacher in Delaware public schools , she received her Doctorate of Education with a Literacy... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
Butler

Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Fayette

Speakers

Meghan Arcuri

Scotty Milder

Sonora Taylor

Author

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Lawrence

Speakers

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 Jac... Read More →

Jessica McHugh

Jason A. Wyckoff

Jason A. Wyckoff is the author of two short story collections published by Tartarus Press, Black Horse and other Strange Stories (2012) and The Hidden Back Room (2016). HIs short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. His debut novel, IXIXIKLIS was published in 2025 by Grendel Press. Lives in Columbus, Ohio. Married, with cats... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

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

Armstrong

Speakers

Jessi Ann York

Debut Author

Emma Murray

Author of Crushing Snails, When the Devil, and Shoot Me in the Face on a Beautiful Day

Grace R. Reynolds

Author

GRACE R. REYNOLDS is an American speculative fiction writer. She was raised in New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University. Having lived in seven states, she currently calls Maryland “home,” where she writes dark fiction and poetry. In addition to her short fiction, she is... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Navigating the Horror of the Parasocial

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

Cambria

In an era where authors often engage with their audience directly via social media, the lines between friends, fans, and strangers can become blurry. How can authors be accessible without opening themselves up to unpleasant interactions? How can we encourage fans to be more mindful when interacting with creators?

Moderators

Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Young Adult Author

Speakers

Christopher Golden

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Carry Me to My Grave, The House of Last Resort, All Hallows, Road of Bones, and Ararat, among many others. He has also written and cowritten screenplays, comic books, and audio dramas. His work has won the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Audie Award, and been nominated for the British Fantasy and Eisner Awards, among others... Read More →

Clay McLeod Chapman

Jonathan Fortin

Jonathan Fortin is the author of the LILITU series from Crystal Lake Publishing, specializing in Gothic Horror and Dark Fantasy. He attended the Clarion Writing Program in 2012, one year after graduating summa cum laude from San Francisco State University's Creative Writing program... Read More →

Rachel Harrison

Rae Wilde

Rae Wilde (she/her) is a queer woman and author of dark fiction who has published numerous works under the pen name Rae Knowles. Her collection, I Do Not Apologize for My Position on Men, will re-release in July 2026 from Shortwave Publishing and her commercial fiction debut, ... Read More →

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

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

4:00pm EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: John Shirley, The Nature of Death in Horror Fiction

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

Westmoreland

Join Guest of Honor John Shirley to explore horror writers’ relationship to death, as a fact, an anticipation, and beyond. Is death a release or a harvesting? Does the contemplation of death improve the writing of horror? Does horror fiction help readers cope with fear of death?

Moderators

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

John Shirley

Sarah Langan

Jennifer McMahon

Author

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

4:00pm EDT

The Ghost in the Margins: Queerness in Gothic Horror

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

Somerset

With queer authors such as Mary Shelley and Oscar Wilde at the forefront of the genre, the gothic has long been a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ writers, characters, and readers. From Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray to The Haunting of Hill House and The Gilda Stories, the genre abounds with tales that are at once transcendent and terrifying. Join our panelists as we discuss our love of the queer...
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Moderators

Gwendolyn Kiste

Speakers

J.A.W. McCarthy

Corey Niles

Andrew Robertson

Founder, Great Lakes Horror Company

Mae Murray

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

8:00pm EDT

Final Frame Film Competition

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II

The Final Frame Film Competition is one of StokerCon's most popular events. Catch what's new and terrifying in the world of horror short films.

Moderators

Jonathan Lees

Friday June 5, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II

HWA Spotlight

10:00pm EDT

Final Frame Reception

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00pm - 11:45pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom Foyer II

Enjoy some refreshments while you wait for the results of the Final Frame Film Competition.

This event is catered with a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Friday June 5, 2026 10:00pm - 11:45pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom Foyer II

HWA Spotlight

11:00pm EDT

Special Screening of "Mourning Meal"

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00pm - 11:50pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II

Attend a special screening of the short film "Mourning Meal" (2020) directed by Jamal Hodge and adapted from the poem of the same name by Linda D. Addison from her Bram Stoker Award winning poetry collection How to Recognize a Demon has Become Your Friend (2011). Synopsis:After the tragic loss of her son, Cheryl, a grieving mother, adopts a new philosophy, one that changes her outlook...
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Speakers

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Jamal Hodge

Founder, Hodge Cinema

Friday June 5, 2026 11:00pm - 11:50pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II

HWA Spotlight

7:00am EDT

Boardroom

Saturday June 6, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT

Crawford

The HWA Boardroom. HWA Officers, Trustees, and StokerCon volunteers only.

Saturday June 6, 2026 7:00am - 10:00pm EDT
Crawford

Con Ops

8:00am EDT

Registration

Saturday June 6, 2026 8:00am - 5:00pm EDT

Third Floor Coat Check

Check-in for StokerCon 2026! Receive your name badge and your swag bag.

This is also a good place to find someone who can answer your questions about the Con.

Saturday June 6, 2026 8:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Third Floor Coat Check

Con Ops

9:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian / Writer, Eastham Public Library

Mark Matthews

Christoph Paul

CLASH Books

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

9:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Jonathan Fortin

Robert Ottone

Michael Allen Rose

Bizarro Writers Association President, RoShamBo Publishing

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

9:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Lawrence C. Connolly

Writer

Lawrence C. Connolly’s books include the collections This Way to Egress, whose titular tale of psychological horror was adapted for the Mick Garris film Nightmare Cinema; and the Bram-Stoker-nominated Voices, which features Connolly’s best stories from The Magazine of Fantasy... Read More →

larry hinkle

The least famous author you've never heard of, Larry Hinkle writes cosmic horror, pulp, and horror comedy, tinged with a touch of weird. His short stories made the Preliminary Stoker Awards ballot in 2020 and 2022. Books include The Space Between (collection, 2024), The Eris Ridge... Read More →

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Author, Award-winning publisher, Mocha Memoirs Press

Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called “a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and science fiction and fantasy (Book Riot).” They’ve named her as one of the 6 Black SFF Indie Writers You Should be Reading, 30 Must-Read SFF Books by Black Authors, and The Best of the West: 8 Alternative... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

9:00am EDT

Survival Guide for Horror Writers in an Age of Censorship and AI

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Butler

With the rise of censorship of creative work and scholarship, as well as online harassment and now the infiltration of AI, how can creatives protect themselves and fight back? Panelists discuss how to find hope, take care of their mental health, as well as strategies for protection and self-preservation in the current political climate.

Moderators

Jack LaRoche

QAA

Book reviewer. Wildlife/Exotic animal rehabber. Werewolf enthusiast.

Speakers

Scott Edelman

Author

Alma Katsu

Brandon Ketchum

LCSW, Local Recovery Coordinator, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

David Simms

Writer. Psychologist. Musician. Reviewer.

6 published novels (Crossroad Books)
A few dozen short story sales
Psychologist, therapist, musician (The Slushpile band was awful but played all over the country with other writers)
Reviewer for 3 magazines
Teacher
Ghost tour guide

(2nd submission) 5 published novels (6 or 7 by the ti... Read More →

Nicole M. Wolverton

Horror Writer, Editor, & Academic, Professionally Unsettling Fear Enthusiast

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Butler

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

about

9:00am EDT

Uncanny Educators: Learning Horror, Writing Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Is it any wonder that the works of authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson are popular with students and can catch the imagination of potential authors at an early age? This panel explores how horror fiction can help turn readers into writers--and how teachers and well-meaning family can encourage the process. Horror fiction helps introduce us to techniques of atmosphere, suspense, and...
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Moderators

Norman Prentiss

Speakers

Douglas Ford

Alice Garcia

2nd generation (at least) horror aficionado (Thanks,Mom!) with deep, gnarled roots in horror fiction/literature. I am especially interested in horror by or about underrepresented groups in the U.S. and am eager to see more growth in the Latinae horror community.

Kosoko Jackson

Jonathan

Author & Artist

Jonathan Kincade is a writer and photographer interested in mining the uncanny. His fiction and art appear or are forthcoming in FIYAH, Clarkesworld, and The Sun Magazine. When he's not investigating the hidden world, you'll find him gardening, playing guitar, or spending time with... Read More →

Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar

Professor of English/Author

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

9:00am EDT

From Grimms to Goosebumps: Horror for Young People

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Cambria

Horror isn’t just for adults, but has long captivated young readers drawing them in with those first spine-chilling stories and keeps them coming back for more. Panelists will discuss the long history of horror stories for children, how they encourage literacy among young readers, and why kids continue to be entranced by the genre. Additional discussion will look at the struggle to ensure young...
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Moderators

Melissa Bobe

Author, Librarian

Melissa Bobe is the author of The Illustrated Woman, Season of the Witch, Sibyls, and the Millennial Witch Series, which includes Nascent Witch and its sequel Familiar Territory. Her collection Electric Trees won the 2023 New York Author Project, after which Melissa went on to win the Indie Author Project’s 2024 Indie Author of the Year Award. She has published shorter works with Flame Tree Fiction, Whisper House Press, Intrepidus Ink, Bards and Sages, Urhi Publishing, Wyldblood Pr... Read More →

Speakers

Patrick Freivald

Clare Withers

Curator, Liaison Librarian, University of Pittsburgh

I'm interested in horror, the macabre, and agency in children's and YA literature. My background is in children's literature, storytelling, and librarianship (public and academic). In my Archives & Special Collections capacity, I'm also focused on book history, curating and collaborating... Read More →

Ally Malinenko

Ally Malinenko is the author of several poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl and the Stoker nominated This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins

Justina Ireland

Author and Literary Agent, Handspun Literary Agency

Natalie C. Parker

Natalie C. Parker is the acclaimed author and editor of several books for young readers including the award-winning Seafire series and the Indie Bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old. Her debut horror novel, Come Out, Come Out, is a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for S... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Cambria

Horror History

9:00am EDT

HWA Open Member Board Meeting

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT

Somerset

Annual HWA Board Meeting open to the public. Come meet members of the Executive Board and the Board of Trustees. There will be a Q&A section during the meeting.

Moderators

Becky Spratford

Readers' Advisory Specialist and Reviewer, RA for All

Speakers

Andrew Wolter

Author/Columnist/HWA Trustee

Marc Abbott

Author/Teacher/Storyteller/Vice President Horror Writers Association

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Patrick Barb

Author & HWA Treasurer

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas

Sephera Giron

Writer/screenwriter/trustee

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association

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.

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator; Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Lisa Wood

President, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Somerset

HWA Spotlight

9:00am EDT

HU: Terror by Design: Building Setpieces that Haunt the Reader

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 10:50am EDT

Washington

Horror lives and dies in the scene. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to construct unforgettable horror setpieces—those iconic, slow-build moments that leave readers breathless. Using techniques drawn from classic and contemporary horror (like The Troop, The Only Good Indians, and The Cabin at the End of the World), we’ll examine how structure, detail, rhythm, and misdirection work...
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Moderators

John Peragine

Ghostwriter/Author, Loste Vineyard Press

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 10:50am EDT
Washington

Horror University

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Jonathan Frater

Publisher, Desperate Measures Press

I'm a librarian, people should ask me any question they can think of...

Sarah Read

Tim Waggoner

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

TJ Price

mask

TJ Price’s corporeal being is currently located in Raleigh, NC, where he lives with his handsome partner of many years, but his ghosts can be found in northeastern Connecticut, southern Maine, and north Brooklyn. He is the author of The Disappearance of Tom Nero, a mixed-media... Read More →

Chris Panatier

Writer

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 Halloween inspires his horror writing. He lives in New Mexico with a cat, a dog and a human.

He co-hosts We Bleed Orange & Black, the... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Keith Rosson

Hazel Zorn

I'm an oil painter and SFF/ Horror writer-- REEF MIND is out now from Tenebrous Press!

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Marketing Nightmares: Can Horror Become Too Commercial?

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Butler

The rise of trendy terms like “sporror,” “weird girl lit,” “pink horror,” and others have taken over Booktok, Bookstagram, and endcap displays in bookstores. Do these descriptors help sell books? What are the benefits or drawbacks of falling into what is currently trending within horror? Is there a risk of horror becoming too commercial? Join panelists as they discuss marketing...
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Moderators

Dacia M Arnold

AMS/ AMG Marketing Account Manager, Liquid Mind Marketing, Dacia M Arnold LLC

Speakers

Mary Berman

Author, UNTIL DEATH (Little, Brown 2026)

Mary Berman is a Philadelphia-based novelist. Her debut, UNTIL DEATH, a horror novel about wedding planning, is coming May 19, 2026 from Little, Brown.

Ace Antonio-Hall

Omnium Gatherum

Christi Nogle

Author of BEULAH and three short fiction collections

Susan Russell

Editor in Chief, Grendel Press

Susan Russell is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Grendel Press, an independent publisher devoted to dark fantasy, horror, and dark romance. Guided by the belief that in the heart of every monster is a truth waiting to be told, she built Grendel Press to champion stories that explore... Read More →

Chelsea Conradt

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Butler

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

10:00am EDT

Researching and Writing Horror Nonfiction

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Cambria

This panel explores techniques and practices for researching horror, interviewing, and resources for writing about horror. Join panelists to discuss the challenges of nonfiction, how it is similar and different from writing other modes, and markets and publications in which one can place nonfiction.

Moderators

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Speakers

Leanna Renee Hieber

Actress, Ghost Tour Guide and Author with, Kensington, Tor and Union Square Books

An actress, playwright, ghost tour guide and award-winning, bestselling author of ghost-filled fiction and non-fiction for Kensington, Tor, Sourcebooks and Union Square, Leanna’s A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts, co-authored with Andrea J... Read More →

John Kachuba

Author

Kendall Phillips

Naomi Simone Borwein

Becky Spratford

Readers' Advisory Specialist and Reviewer, RA for All

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

10:00am EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: Rachel Harrison's Character Driven Narratives

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Join Rachel Harrison, Nat Cassidy, CJ Leede, and Agatha Andrews as they discuss Rachel’s craft of character driven narratives. They will deep dive into her voice, vulnerability, courage, and the appeal of her characters to fans from all genres, as well as the space she has carved for herself as a woman in Horror.

Moderators

Agatha Andrews

Speakers

Rachel Harrison

Nat Cassidy

CJ Leede

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

10:00am EDT

The Legacy of Dell Abyss

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Somerset

The acclaimed Abyss Books line of the early-mid 1990s brought underground experimentalism and literary existentialism into mass market horror, generating a half-decade of award-winning books and influential stories. The publisher launched the careers of writers like Poppy Z. Brite, Kathe Koja, and Robert Devereaux, while expanding the canon of the genre by featuring women and LGBTQ authors, as...
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Moderators

Grady Hendrix

I own too many paperbacks and write too many books. I apologize for both of these sins.

Speakers

Michael Arnzen

Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

Ben Rubin

Horror Studies Collection Coordinator; Co-Chair StokerCon Governing Committee, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Somerset

Horror History

10:00am EDT

Dealers Room

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 6:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom I

OFFICIAL BOOKSELLERWhite Whale BookstoreVENDORSArwyn ShermanBlack Cat PublishingCLASH BooksCreature PublishingFalstaff BooksThe George A. Romero Foundation Grendel PressJeff DeckJoe BelcastroKent PrioreKenya Moss-DymeLanternfish PressLeanna Renee HieberNate HoffelderRaw Dog Screaming PressRoyce BuckinghamRuadan BooksSeton Hill UniversitySHP ComicsStudio...
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Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 6:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom I

Dealers Room

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Clay McLeod Chapman

Caitlin Starling

Caitlin Starling is the nationally bestselling author of The Starving Saints, the Bram Stoker-nominated The Luminous Dead, and the upcoming Milkteeth, among others. Her work showcases her love of genre-hopping horror; her bibliography spans besieged castles, alien caves, and haunted... Read More →

John F. D. Taff

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NightTide Magazine/Mourning Manor Media

Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar

Professor of English/Author

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Maria Alexander

Patrick Freivald

Alex Sterling

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Lifetime Achievement Award Spotlight: The Devil's in the Details: writing to a theme with Lisa Morton

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Is it possible to write to the theme for a submission call, but maintain your own voice? In this panel, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Lisa Morton, Kate Maruyama, Jo Kaplan, and Rena Mason explore the art and nuance of crafting prose to a theme, whether in fiction or non-fiction, short story or essay, whether it be for a themed anthology or a full-length work-for-hire book.

Moderators

Kate Maruyama

Speakers

Lisa Morton

Co-Chair, StokerCon 2026

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association, and 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Jo Kaplan

Author, HWA LA co-chair

Rena Mason

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

11:00am EDT

Fatal Foliage: Botanical and Ecological Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Cambria

Ecological horror provides an outlet for writers to express their fear and admiration of the natural world. From predatory plants and strange insects to devastating weather events and more, there is endless horror inspiration to be found in nature’s varied settings. Join panelists as they offer insight into the evolution of botanical horror as it reacts to modern-day issues.

Moderators

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Speakers

Sydney Bollinger

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian / Writer, Eastham Public Library

Erica Ferencik

Author

I am the author of three survival thrillers published by Simon & Schuster. I'm diving deep into horror with my upcoming novel, THE BLOOMING: In order to save her child, herself and the world as we know it, a single mother must battle a sentient fungal entity that has come to possess... Read More →

Tanya Pell

author

Tanya Pell is a narcoleptic horror author who drinks bougie coffee and lives in the American South. She is the Bram Stoker nominated-author of Her Wicked Roots, Cicada, and the upcoming This B Just Won't Die! Her short fiction can be found in Fever Dreams, Mother Knows Best, ... Read More →

Sara Tantlinger

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

11:00am EDT

One of the Greats: the Folk Horror of Florence + the Machine

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Butler

Werewolves and Witches, Krakens and Choreomania, with each new album, Florence + the Machine leans harder into horror. The marketing itself for the Everybody Scream album includes clips of horror classics such as Carrie and Rosemary's Baby. In her live performances, she is accompanied by a coven of witches singing back-up by her side. Her lyrics are filled with evocative imagery of beauty and...
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Moderators

Mark Matthews

Speakers

Christa Carmen

writer

Eric LaRocca

Eric LaRocca (he/they) is a 3x Bram Stoker Award® finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. He was named by Esquire as one of the “Writers Shaping Horror’s Next Golden Age” and praised by Locus as “one of the strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fict... Read More →

Dacia M Arnold

AMS/ AMG Marketing Account Manager, Liquid Mind Marketing, Dacia M Arnold LLC

Rae Wilde

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Butler

Horror Genre and Media

about

11:00am EDT

The Black Gothic in America

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Somerset

With an eye towards the gothic as a literary genre, “The Black Gothic in America” will explore recent growth in popularity and readership for gothic works written by Black authors, particularly of the Black Southern gothic in the vein of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which smashed 2025 box office records. This panel will discuss both classic and contemporary Black gothic works, their importance in...
See More →

Moderators

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

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

Speakers

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Author, Award-winning publisher, Mocha Memoirs Press

Denise Tapscott

Enchanted Flower Productions

I'm the author of Gypsy Kisses and Voodoo Wishes as well as the sequel, Enlightening of the Damned. Not only do I play a spicy vampire named Tasha on the YouTube show The Vamps Next Door, I am proud to be a member of the podcast Beef, Wine, and Shenanigans

Johnny Compton

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer/ Stage Manager, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Brooklyn native Steven Van Patten is the author of the critically acclaimed Brookwater’s Curse trilogy that features an 1860s Georgia plantation slave who becomes law enforcement within the vampire community. In contrast, the titular character in his Killer Genius series is a m... Read More →

Tamika Thompson

Author

Tamika is author of THE CURSE OF HESTER GARDENS (Erewhon/Kensington, 2026) and Next Generation Indie Book Awards Horror WINNER, UNSHOD, CACKLING, and NAKED (Unnerving Books), which Publishers Weekly calls “powerful,” “unsettling,” and “terrifying.” She is also the author... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

about

11:00am EDT

HU: Pitch and Sell Your Work

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT

Washington

The publishing world changes constantly, and writers who want to make sales and make $$ need to change with it. Luckily, that process can be fun and very rewarding! This class will show you how to prep and pitch any kind of writing, and how to start racking up the sales that will bring in cash and build your career. We’ll cover a lot of ground, including the query letter, the verbal pitch,...
See More →

Speakers

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Kristy Park Kulski

Ally Malinenko

Ally Malinenko is the author of several poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl and the Stoker nominated This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins

Brian McAuley

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

J.R. Blanes

Author, Ruadan Books

J.R. Blanes is the author of the novel, Portraits of Decay, forthcoming October 21, 2025, from Ruadán Books. His short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from, Allegory, Tales to Terrify, The No Sleep Podcast, Creepy, among others. He lives in Chicago with his wife, their neurotic dog, and a three-legged cat. He plays bass guitar a... Read More →

Pauline Chow

Gillian Daniels

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Patrick Barb

Author & HWA Treasurer

Taylor Grothe

Taylor Grothe (AKA T.G. Laine) is a writer of adult and young adult horror, horror romance, and dark fantasy. They hold a nonfiction MFA from Fairfield University, acted as the graduate Assistant Managing Editor of Brevity, and their short works can be found in esteemed publications... Read More →

Vaughn A. Jackson

Author

Vaughn A. Jackson is an Horror Writers Association affiliated author, editor, and sometimes poet of dark speculative fiction. His work generally focuses one one of three categories: Creatures, Kaiju, or Cosmic Horror. Often blending elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Bookhouse of Leaves: Authors and the Library

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Cambria

This author facing panel will discuss the connection between those who write and those who bring books to communities. It is no surprise the books librarians champion, receive greater traction and attract more readers. Lists like the New York Public Library’s Best of Horror have significant influence in the horror world. How can authors foster professional relationships with their library and...
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Moderators

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

academic HWA member | library advisory council member | pgh chapter co-chair | phd student of literature | author of STUFFED (unveiling nightmares) and THE THINGS WE DO FOR BLOOD (alien buddha press)

Speakers

Perla X. Caballero

HWA Seattle Chapter Member. Host and Curator of The Seattle Horror Book Club, Undertaker of the Morbidly Curious Book Club, West Seattle Chapter.

Jocelyn Codner

Reference & Outreach Librarian, Chatham University

Corey Farrenkopf

Staff Librarian / Writer, Eastham Public Library

Grady Hendrix

I own too many paperbacks and write too many books. I apologize for both of these sins.

Trevor Oakley

Head of Access and Outreach Services, Saratoga Springs Public Library

Horror in libraries, including/featuring horror in book festivals/community reads, horror RA, horror programming

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

12:00pm EDT

Lend Me Your Ears! (Not Literally): Horror Podcasting

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Butler

Podcasts offer a unique way to network and connect, to promote the work of authors, and to generally strengthen bonds within the horror community. How does one grow their podcast and keep the momentum going? What are some of the dos and don’ts of podcasting that we should be more aware of? Join panelists as they share their expertise and guidance on what makes a horror podcast stand out, as well...
See More →

Moderators

Scotty Milder

Speakers

Tiffany Michelle Brown

Author of How Lovely to Be a Woman: Stories and Poems. Co-host of the Horror in the Margins podcast.

Jeff C. Carter

Host, We Bleed Orange & Black

N.J. Gallegos

ER Doc by day, horror author by night. She lives with her wife and two cats in the middle of tornado alley. She is a cohost of The Scream Kings Podcast. She has two novels, The Broken Heart and The Fatal Mind, with Winding Road Stories. Her short story collection, Time of Death: A... Read More →

Sean O'Connor

Editor - PAPER CUTS Horror Literature Column, Macabredaily.com

Creator and Editor of the PAPER CUTS Horror Literature Column at Macabredaily.com. PAPER CUTS was created to amplify and support the horror literature community. From mainstream to indie authors, this column has provided a voice for creatives to expand their audience and discuss... Read More →

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer/ Stage Manager, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Butler

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

12:00pm EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: From Sexual Decadence to Dire Loneliness: A Range of Relationship-Driven Horror with Billy Martin (Poppy Z. Brite)

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Join Guest of Honor Billy Martin, Eric Larocca, Victoria Dalpe, and moderator Eric J. Guignard as they discuss the range of relationships in emotionally-resonant horror fiction—particularly in Billy’s own work—of longing, sexual exploration, intense romantic connections, tragic trysts, and abject loneliness in absence of it all.

Moderators

Eric J. Guignard

Gentleman Extraordinaire, Dark Moon Books

Speakers

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

Eric LaRocca

Victoria Dalpe

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

12:00pm EDT

The Roots of Dark Poetry

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Somerset

This panel will explore the history of dark poetry and pay homage to the macabre voices who conjured and wrote some of our favorite verses today. From the political turmoil of Dante Alighieri to the mystical visions of W.B. Yeats, to the confessional trauma of Sylvia Plath and the surreal nightmares of Alejandra Pizarnik, panelists will discuss theme, style, and voice while comparing/contrasting...
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Moderators

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Speakers

Grace R. Reynolds

Author

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Cynthia Pelayo

Leticia A Urieta

John Shirley

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror History

12:00pm EDT

Pitch Sessions

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II-III

The StokerCon 2026 pitch sessions!

You must have an appointment scheduled in advance to attend the pitch sessions. Please arrive fifteen minutes before your pitch session is to start.

Moderators

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator; Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Speakers

Rena Mason

Sarah Read

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II-III

HWA Spotlight

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Douglas Ford

Casey Masterson

Hello!

I am the author of numerous short stories, such as "Shock," "Portrait of an Artist," and "Project Lazarus." I am also the author of Revelations of the Raven Master, which is a collection of 18 short horror stories!

Tanya Pell

author

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Paul Michael Anderson

Writer

RICHARD KADREY

I do stuff

Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir series. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film. Some of Kadrey’s other books include The Flesh King, The Grand Dark, and The Dead Take the A Train (with Cassandra Khaw). His work has been nomin... Read More →

Emily Ruth Verona

Author

Emily Ruth Verona is the author of the novel Midnight on Beacon Street, published by Harper Perennial in 2024 and the novella Shiva

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Kylie Lee Baker

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 the
author of Ink Vine (Undertaker Books, 2024), Ninety-Eight Sabers (Undertaker Books, 2024), Blood Cypress (Raw Dog Screaming P... Read More →

Nat Cassidy

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

1:00pm EDT

Be a Dear: Trad Wife Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Butler

The push to maintain gendered roles in and outside of the home is nothing new; however, in the era where Roe v. Wade has been overturned, "trad wives" are trending on TikTok, and women's roles in the traditional workforce are shrinking, we are seeing a resurgence of suburban nightmares in the Horror genre. How do current events shape these stories? How have modern narratives destabilized or...
See More →

Moderators

Grace R. Reynolds

Author

Speakers

Chloe Spencer

Sarah Langan

Catlyn Ladd

Writer

Saratoga Schaefer

author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE

(they/them) author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE, as well as the upcoming THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED and A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS.

Wendy Dalrymple

Wendy Dalrymple loves to explore the beauty in horrific things. Wendy is a Florida-based author of feminist #pinkhorror, gothic and romance novels published both independently and with small presses. She is the author of Birthday Party Demon, a nostalgic YA novella and Credenza, a... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Butler

Horror Genre and Media

about

1:00pm EDT

The Library Eats You Last: Why (Dark) Academia Makes the Perfect Monster

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Cambria

In dark academia, the institution itself is often the villain. This panel examines how schools, libraries, secret societies, and research labs become sentient forces in horror fiction--devouring students literally, or metaphorically. We’ll explore how power structures in academia map perfectly onto horror tropes, how intellectual obsession mirrors possession, and how the campus becomes a...
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Moderators

Alex Sterling

Speakers

Taylor Grothe

Marc Abbott

Author/Teacher/Storyteller/Vice President Horror Writers Association

Kosoko Jackson

Ai Jiang

Piper White

Author

Piper L. White is an author from North Carolina. She holds her BFA in creative writing from UNC Wilmington, where she also got her certificate in publishing. Her other work can be found in literary magazines such as Atlantis, Full House Literary, Carolina Muse Arts, amongst other... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

1:00pm EDT

When Horror Crosses the Line: the Rise of Genre-Blending Fear

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Horror is increasingly colliding with neighboring genres—thriller, romance, fantasy, and literary fiction—to create stories that are as emotionally intimate as they are terrifying. This panel explores why horror hybrids are dominating the current market, how writers balance multiple genre expectations, and what blending genres unlocks in terms of theme, audience, and tension. Panelists will...
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Moderators

Maddison Dawn

Author

Speakers

A.C. Wise

Keith Rosson

Caitlin Starling

Rachel Harrison

Denise Tapscott

Enchanted Flower Productions

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror Genre and Media

1:00pm EDT

Mary Shelley's Monster: the Legacy of Frankenstein

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Somerset

When Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818, she unleashed a monster onto the world that is still making its mark. The first dramatic adaptation of Frankenstein was staged only six years later in 1824. Today, with hundreds of adaptations in film, graphic novels, music, and the stage, plus many novels and short stories adding to the Monster’s legend, the story remains one of the most...
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Moderators

Crystal O’Leary-Davidson (C. O. Davidson)

Writer and Teacher

Speakers

Lawrence C. Connolly

Writer

Teel James Glenn

writer

Gwendolyn Kiste

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.

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror History

1:00pm EDT

HU: The Spine of a Story: East Meets West in Structure

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Washington

What do you do when the well-used Western narrative structures don’t quite fit your premise? Have you ever read or watched an Asian narrative and wondered why it feels unpredictable yet satisfying? Want a glimpse at the bones that made Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners so powerful? Join Geneve Flynn and L. E. Daniels to explore Eastern and Western storytelling conventions across structure,...
See More →

Speakers

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Author/Editor, HWA Mental Health Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Geneve Flynn

Author, editor, poet. HWA Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

Saturday June 6, 2026 1:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Rachel Bolton

Rachel Bolton is a Bram Stoker Award nominated writer working on more projects than she has time for. Her stories and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming from Cosmic Horror Monthly, Apex Magazine, Women Write About Comics, Strange Girls, and more. Rachel lives with her partner... Read More →

Carlyn Greenwald

Author

Carol Gyzander

I love quiet horror, weird fiction, and cosmic horror!
More about me:
Bram Stoker Award® recipient and World Fantasy Award finalist Carol Gyzander writes and edits horror, weird fiction, and science fiction—with strong women in twisted tales that touch your heart. She has a stor... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Linda Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association

Billy Martin

Stephen King, John Kennedy Toole, cats, birds (wild ones, not pets), New Orleans, Jaws, Goodfellas, international food, travel, old music (mainly 1960s - 1980s)

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Leanna Renee Hieber

Actress, Ghost Tour Guide and Author with, Kensington, Tor and Union Square Books

Liz Kerin

CJ Leede

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

2:00pm EDT

Adaptable Terrors: writing for page and screen

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Butler

In today's constantly evolving multimedia landscape, a writer must learn how to adapt across both classical and emerging storytelling platforms. This panel brings together fiction writers and screenwriters to delve into the processes that got their work published and produced in various mediums. How does a writer decide which medium is the most appropriate outlet for their original story idea? How...
See More →

Moderators

Brian McAuley

Speakers

Jamie Flanagan

Writer, Editor, Actor, Freelance

Jamie Flanagan (they/them) is a WGA East screenwriter, SAG actor, HWA author, and editor. Screenwriting credits include Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, The Fall of the House of Usher, AMC Shudder's CREEPSHOW, Peacock's HYSTERIA!, and Amazon's... Read More →

Lisa Morton

Co-Chair, StokerCon 2026

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association, and 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NightTide Magazine/Mourning Manor Media

John Shirley

Diane Sismour

Producer/Screenwriter/Author, Author / Screenwriter

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Butler

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

2:00pm EDT

Guest of Honor Spotlight: Herding Three-Eyed Cats: editing weird fiction with Ann Vandermeer

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Join Guest of Honor Ann VanderMeer, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ellen Datlow, and Weird Tales editor and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Jonathan Maberry, for a deep dive into the weird and what goes into editing and publishing weird fiction.

Moderators

John Langan

Author, THE FISHERMAN

Speakers

Ann VanderMeer

editor/anthologist/writer, VanderMeer Creative, Inc.

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

Ellen Datlow

Trustee, Editor of short fiction through novellas

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Guest of Honor/Lifetime Achievement Winner Spotlight

2:00pm EDT

Horror Writing as Resistance

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Cambria

Works of horror have historically brought truth to power, taking on inequality and unjust systems while also giving a good scare or two. And in recent years, readers have been offered brilliant socio-political takedowns within the genre. How are writers currently taking on fascism, isolationism, weaponized nationalism, and authoritarianism? How do we balance the social and political with the...
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Moderators

Meg Ripley

Speakers

Kylie Lee Baker

Elizabeth Broadbent

C.S. Humble

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 Spores," and “Fish Gather to Listen," among other venues. Her poetry has been nominated for an SFPA Dwarf Stars Award and appears in Magpie Messenger, two HWA Poetry Showcases, and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated... Read More →

Tamika Thompson

Author

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

about

2:00pm EDT

We are all Sinners: Southern Horror from the Mississippi Delta and Beyond

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Somerset

Using Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning film SINNERS as a spring board, this panel will explore themes of race, poverty, and religion. Moderated by a Delta native of mixed heritage who grew up four counties above the setting of the film, and featuring authors forged by the South and its landscapes, together they will explore the universal truths of a “post-colonial” society within stories...
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Moderators

Mae Murray

Speakers

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

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

Johnny Compton

P.M. Raymond

Author

P.M. Raymond is a principal consultant 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. She was named to the 160 Black Women in Horror and is a 2024 Killer Shorts Horror... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror History

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Jess Hagemann

Jess Hagemann’s recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath the Bluebonnets: Tales of Terror from Texas Women, Three Seasons of Winter, and Last Girls Club, among others. Her debut novel Headcheese (2018) won an IPPY Award in Horror. Paste Magazine named her sophomor... Read More →

Emily Hughes

Author, critic, listmaker, Darker Times

Rhonda Jackson Garcia AKA RJ Joseph

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

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Rachel Harrison

John Shirley

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Kate Maruyama

Mae Murray

Nicole M. Wolverton

Horror Writer, Editor, & Academic, Professionally Unsettling Fear Enthusiast

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

3:00pm EDT

Author to Editor and Back Again

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Cambria

Many authors dream of editing their own anthology, but what does it actually take to cross the line from author to editor? What unique challenges arise from blurring these boundaries and wearing both hats? Join panelists as they discuss navigating the potential obstacles and social barriers of being both authors and editors.

Moderators

Douglas Gwilym

Bram Stoker Award nominated short story author, querying novelist, editor of NOVUS MONSTRUM

Speakers

Shane Hawk

Writer-Editor, PRH-Counterpoint

Rebecca Rowland

Author, Editor

Rebecca Rowland is a Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-nominated author and editor; Cemetery Dance states that her work “reeks of The Twilight Zone in all the best ways.” Her cosmic horror novel Eminence Front (Clash Books) and third short fiction collection Unsettled Score... Read More →

Tom Deady

Geneve Flynn

Author, editor, poet. HWA Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

Cynthia Pelayo

Becky Spratford

Readers' Advisory Specialist and Reviewer, RA for All

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Cambria

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

3:00pm EDT

Hopeful Nihilism: How Cosmic Horror Can Inspire

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Cosmic horror is often thought of as the darkest sub-genre, of deep, existential, looming doom. However, the most dread-filled stories can serve as a vehicle for themes of love, hope, and joy. This panel will spotlight the fullest possibilities of the booming sub-genre.

Moderators

Robbie Dorman

Speakers

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Carol Gyzander

Vaughn A. Jackson

Author

Hailey Piper

Ann VanderMeer

editor/anthologist/writer, VanderMeer Creative, Inc.

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror Genre and Media

about

3:00pm EDT

Nonbinary Authors in Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Somerset

Nonbinary identities have a nuanced and complex history, especially within the world of horror where characters who don't fit into the binary are often mistreated. It's important to make space for an often marginalized and looked over corner of horror, and to discuss why nonbinary characters belong in horror. After all, horror is the best space to push boundaries and definitions. Join panelists as...
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Moderators

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

academic HWA member | library advisory council member | pgh chapter co-chair | phd student of literature | author of STUFFED (unveiling nightmares) and THE THINGS WE DO FOR BLOOD (alien buddha press)

Speakers

Eric LaRocca

Jes Malitoris

Rook Riley

Rook Riley (she/they) is a horror author, game writer, voice actor, middle school teacher, and former Army linguist who occasionally participates in the Good Morning Evildoers podcast. Their work on Edge Games' Arkham Horror RPG solidified a lifelong aversion to Lovecraft's part... Read More →

Saratoga Schaefer

author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE

(they/them) author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE, as well as the upcoming THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED and A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS.

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror Genre and Media

3:00pm EDT

The Politics of Pink Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Butler

Why are there so many wildly popular books by male authors with female protagonists, and why can’t female authors get quite the same traction for the same subject matter? Where does “Pink Horror” fit into this and how does it challenge these ideas? Our panelists will discuss how the label "Pink Horror" emerged, what it means to them, and the impact on the intersections of horror.

Moderators

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Speakers

Zoje Stage

Author

Angela Sylvaine

Mikayla Randolph

writer

Tanya Pell

author

Alyssa Alessi

Author•Spooktastic Book Fair creator/host

Alyssa Alessi is a writer of young adult and short fiction all inspired by the unsettling macabre aesthetic of New England. You can find her hiking any trail in the Northeast said to be haunted, roaming the oldest cemeteries with a camera in hand or thrift shopping anywhere antiques... Read More →

Celina Thompson

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Butler

Horror Genre and Media

3:00pm EDT

HU: Reading What You Wrote!

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Washington

This workshop designed for writers to create an engaging and exciting experience for their audience. Through a series of short, interactive exercises and discussions, writers will learn to build confidence, shed anxiety, be loud and proud, and pick the perfect piece for that special event. There will also be a segment on MCing a literary event. A few participants will be able to read a small...
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Speakers

Sephera Giron

Writer/screenwriter/trustee

Andrew Robertson

Founder, Great Lakes Horror Company

Saturday June 6, 2026 3:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

4:00pm EDT

The HWA Diversity Grant Raffle Drawing

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom Foyer I

Each year, StokerCon has a raffle to support the HWA’s Diversity Grants.What are the Diversity Grants?The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published by diverse voices. The goal of the Diversity Grants is to help remove some of the barriers and let those voices be heard.The Diversity Grant Raffle...
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Moderators

Meghan Arcuri

Brian Matthews

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Bram Stoker Awards® Show Coordinator; Pitch Session Coordinator, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom Foyer I

HWA Spotlight

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

N.J. Gallegos

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.

Rami Ungar

I am a novelist from Columbus, Ohio specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I have published six books and several short stories.

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

LC Allingham

Author / Editor / Artist / Publisher, Speculation Publications

KC (Kristina) Grifant

Author, Editor, San Diego HWA co-chair

Jamie Flanagan

Writer, Editor, Actor, Freelance

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Carina Bissett

The Storied Imaginarium

Angela Sylvaine

Tamika Thompson

Author

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

4:00pm EDT

The Calls Are Coming from Inside the Spaceship! When Horror and Science Fiction Meet

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Butler

Frankenstein. The Color Out of Space. The Body Snatchers. The Day of the Triffids. Alien. The Thing. Event Horizon. Cell. When horror and science fiction join forces the limits of fear seem infinite. Join our panelists for a discussion of the classics that have defined this popular blend of genres and why it is such an effective combination. How do the elements of these distinct genres complement...
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Moderators

Russ Colchamiro

Speakers

Deanna Sjolander

Editor, Rook Creek Press

A.C. Wise

Patrick Freivald

Darius Jones

Caitlin Starling

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Butler

Horror Genre and Media

4:00pm EDT

The Hounds of Hell: Dogs in Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Cambria

Whether a terrifying threat or man’s best friend, dogs in horror elicit strong emotions. Let’s talk about how dogs have been used in past horror works, evolving from dying early in the story, to modern evolutions of richer story arcs. This panel will celebrate some of the best loved (and terrifying) instances of dogs in horror and how these canines can be used in effective storytelling.

Moderators

Emily Smiley

Emily Smiley is a horror and dark fantasy author who encourages her readers to discover deeper truths within themselves through the exploration of fear, grief, and trauma, with a splash of dark humor and (sometimes) a little spice. She was a panelist at World Con 2025 and is slated... Read More →

Speakers

Nick Cutter

Real name: Craig Davidson. I write horror under the name Nick Cutter.

Rebekah Faubion

Jess Hagemann

larry hinkle

Emily Ruth Verona

Author

Emily Ruth Verona is the author of the novel Midnight on Beacon Street, published by Harper Perennial in 2024 and the novella Shiva

Stephanie M. Wytovich

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

about

4:00pm EDT

The Past is Now: Modern Folk and Gothic Horror

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

How do today’s writers engage with folk and gothic traditions we grew up loving, while forging our own paths? From conventional tales to transcendent modern expressions, these subgenres have created frameworks for discourse from many perspectives and experiences, including worldwide storytelling that predate categorizations. This panel will explore how these subgenres have been understood, how...
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Moderators

Kristy Park Kulski

Speakers

Cynthia Gómez

Attendee

Pauline Chow

Mo Moshaty

Writer, Lecturer, Producer and Journalist, NightTide Magazine/Mourning Manor Media

Ted Van Alst

Writer, Vintage/PRH

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror History

4:00pm EDT

Why Graphic Horror Matters: Horror Comics from E.C. Comics to Something is Killing the Children

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Somerset

No other mainstream genre of comic books has been as widely banned and panned than horror comics during the 100+ year history of the medium. From the infamous pre-code horror comics that led to a shocking incident of industry self-censorship to the boundary-pushing horror magazines of the 70s and 80s to to contemporary horror series that make horror one of the most popular comic book genres today,...
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Moderators

Scott Edelman

Author

Speakers

Christopher Golden

Justina Ireland

Author and Literary Agent, Handspun Literary Agency

Jonathan Maberry

Author, Jonathan Maberry Productions

James Tynion IV

Saturday June 6, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Somerset

Horror History

6:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards Cocktail Reception

Saturday June 6, 2026 6:00pm - 6:45pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom Foyer II

Have a drink or two and mingle with fellow attendees before the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet!

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Saturday June 6, 2026 6:00pm - 6:45pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom Foyer II

HWA Spotlight

7:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards Banquet

Saturday June 6, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II-III

Enjoy a specially prepared banquet meal before the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony begins.

You must purchase a banquet ticket to attend the event.

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Saturday June 6, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II-III

HWA Spotlight

8:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony

Saturday June 6, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom II-III

The presentation of the annual Bram Stoker Awards, emceed by by Kevin Wetmore, with the keynote speech about the 10th Anniversary of StokerCon by James Chambers.

This event is open to all attendees. A separate ticket is not required.

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Moderators

Kevin Wetmore, Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator, HWA LA

Speakers

James Chambers

Trustee; Co-Chair, StokerCon Governing Committee; Chair, Horror University, Horror Writers Association

Saturday June 6, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom II-III

HWA Spotlight

10:00pm EDT

Bram Stoker Awards Afterparty

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00pm - 11:50pm EDT

Allegheny Ballrooms 1-2-3 Foyers

Join us for the celebration and congratulate our new Bram Stoker Award winners!

This event is catered with a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00pm - 11:50pm EDT
Allegheny Ballrooms 1-2-3 Foyers

HWA Spotlight

7:00am EDT

Boardroom

Sunday June 7, 2026 7:00am - 5:00pm EDT

Crawford

The HWA Boardroom. HWA Officers, Trustees, and StokerCon volunteers only.

Sunday June 7, 2026 7:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Crawford

Con Ops

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

John G. Hartness

Author, Podcaster, Editor, Publisher, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Playboy, Falstaff Books

Brigitte Winter

Author

Brigitte Winter writes books about your favorite monster ex-girlfriends. She also writes narrative games, poetry, and short stories. The capacity of storytelling to connect, inspire, and incite is central to Brigitte’s art and her activism, and she makes art that is queer, feminist... Read More →

Mar Romasco-Moore

Author of queer YA multimedia horror novel Deadstream (VIking, 2025) and several other books.

C.R. Kellogg

C.R. Kellogg is a mom and writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest. Kellogg writes speculative fiction, horror and raves about food and books on her Substack. She is an alumnus of the Viable Paradise workshop and a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and Horror Writers... Read More →

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Rebekah Faubion

Emily Smiley

Joe Belcastro

Author, Joe Belcastro

After spending five years as an accredited film critic, Joe ditched his stash of Academy Award screeners and took the opportunity to jump behind the cameras working in the writers’ room for WWE. The following seven years he crafted storylines for millions of viewers each week and... Read More →

AJ Humphreys

Publishing Account Executive, Dark Journeys Press

AJ Humphreys is an emerging author of spooky thrillers, mysteries, and dreadful tales. The serialized four-volume, Season of The Monster saga served as his publishing debut. His newest work, TRIP: A Psychological Horror Novel, released April 4th, 2025, to overwhelmingly positive reception... Read More →

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Liam Burke

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob

Author

Mark Mellon

Mark Mellon is a novelist who writes two-fisted, hardboiled, blood and guts pulp fiction and has five novels and over a hundred short stories (many as reprints) published in the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, India, Bulgaria, and Denmark. Short fiction by Mark has recently appeared in... Read More →

Robbie Dorman

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

10:00am EDT

Abridge to Terror: The Horror Short Story

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Short stories are more than just stepping stones in an author’s journey. They allow writers to hone their craft, experiment with structure and point of view, and are a strong way to connect with editors and publishers. Short stories can also help writers achieve Active Membership in the HWA, and they build up the potential for an eventual collection. Join panelists to discuss how short stories...
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Moderators

Arley Sorg

associate literary agent, senior editor, kt literary agency, Locus Magazine

Speakers

Christa Carmen

writer

Raymonde Chira

Author

Lauren Elise (L. E.) Daniels

Author/Editor, HWA Mental Health Committee, Brisbane Writers Workshop

Julie C. Day

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Essential Dreams Press

Julie C. Day is a finalist for the Lambda and Bram Stoker awards. Her longer works include her novellaThe Rampant and her genre-bending debut collection Uncommon Miracles, which was praised by Kelly Link, John Crowley, Nathan Ballingrud, and Jeffrey Ford. She is the editor-in-ch... Read More →

S. Alessandro Martinez

Writer

Erika T. Wurth

Writer/Professor, Flatiron/Macmillan

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

10:00am EDT

We've Always Been Here: Transgender Imagery and Characters Throughout Horror History

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT

Somerset

Transgender imagery and gender nonconformity have played a significant and long-running role in horror's history, from 19th century gothic novels to Psycho and Sleepaway Camp to the glorious explosion of trans horror over the last several years. Panelists will look back on this history and consider how it has helped shape the genre, what past representations work for us, and which...
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Moderators

Dave V. Riser

Writer & Researcher

Speakers

Jamie Flanagan

Writer, Editor, Actor, Freelance

Bitter Karella

goblin, Moonflow, Split Scream 5

Bitter Karella is a genderfluid transvestite goblin, author of Moonflow, The Ballad of Horse Girl, and the upcoming Quaint Folk. She is the creator of the three time Hugo-nominated microfiction comedy account @Midnight_Pals which asks what if all your favorite horror writers were... Read More →

Lee Mandelo

Lee Mandelo (he/him) is a USA Today Bestselling writer, scholar, and editor whose work focuses on queer/trans and speculative fiction. His recent books include the original anthology Amplitudes: Stories of Queer Futurity, the contemporary gay Southern gothic novel Summer Sons, a... Read More →

Rath Mercury

Hi, I’m Rath Mercury. I write horror, fantasy, romance, and science fiction, always queer.

I’ve published in Reckoning, Small Wonders, Stance on Dance, DASH Literary Journal, Avatar Review, and Jersey Devil Press. I’m a member of Codex and SFWA.

I’ve also worked as a choreo... Read More →

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Somerset

Horror History

10:00am EDT

Dealers Room

Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT

Allegheny Ballroom I

OFFICIAL BOOKSELLERWhite Whale BookstoreVENDORSArwyn ShermanBlack Cat PublishingCLASH BooksCreature PublishingFalstaff BooksThe George A. Romero Foundation Grendel PressJeff DeckJoe BelcastroKent PrioreKenya Moss-DymeLanternfish PressLeanna Renee HieberNate HoffelderRaw Dog Screaming PressRoyce BuckinghamRuadan BooksSeton Hill UniversitySHP ComicsStudio...
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Sunday June 7, 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Allegheny Ballroom I

Dealers Room

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Mary Berman

Author, UNTIL DEATH (Little, Brown 2026)

Mary Berman is a Philadelphia-based novelist. Her debut, UNTIL DEATH, a horror novel about wedding planning, is coming May 19, 2026 from Little, Brown.

Jonathan Gensler

Author

Raised in a haunted house on the outskirts of a cursed town in West Virginia. US Army veteran and recovering entrepreneur. Words in Cosmic Horror Monthly, CreepyPod, and others. Stay in touch at jonathangensler.com

Lori D'Angelo

Writer

I write short horror fiction and am the author of The Monsters Are Here, a collection of short stories, which was published by ELJ Editions in October of 2024.

Kendall Phillips

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Libby Edwardson

Author WE SENT THEM DOWN SINGING (Page Street Horror, July 2026)

Abigail Taylor

MJ Huntsgood

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

Victoria Navarra

Victoria Navarra lives in Richmond, VA. Her fiction has been published in Analog, ParSec, and Andromeda Spaceways, and her first horror story is forthcoming in F&SF. She was a 2023 AnLab finalist, and recently she won the Emerson First Chapter Prize for the Emerson Popular Fiction MFA Program. She works at the Direction of Education Assessment and Accreditation at Randolph-Macon College. In between short stories, she is haphazardly working on... Read More →

Oliver Baer

Oliver Baer does many things. He was the editor of Cthulhu Sex Magazine and Two Backed Books. He now edits roleplaying game manuals for Burning Wheel and other companies. His epistolary novel, Letters to the Editor of Cthulhu Sex Magazine, was published in October 2019. His short... Read More →

Steven Van Patten

Writer/ Producer/ Stage Manager, Laughing Black Vampire Productions

Jeff Deck

Author & novel coach, Eternal Author Books

Jeff Deck is an indie author who lives in Maine with his wife, Jane, their dog Rippey, and the ghost of their dog Burleigh. Deck writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, dark fantasy, and other speculative fiction. He is the author of the horror story collection Survivor and Ot... Read More →

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

11:00am EDT

A Psychotropic Medium: Reanimating the Horror Novella

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Somerset

Novellas, once viewed as difficult sales, seem to be having a resurgence within horror from both indie and traditional publishers. What is it about this format that attracts horror writers? How have sales really been for novellas? Join panelists as they discuss tips for writing strong novellas, why this format fits horror so well, and more.

Moderators

Paul Michael Anderson

Writer

Speakers

Patrick Barb

Author & HWA Treasurer

Clare Castleberry

Clare Castleberry is an author, artist, and narrator from Louisiana. For updates, follow https://femmebionic.substack.com/

Sarah Langan

Andromeda Ruins

Author, Andromeda Ruins

Heyyo, I'm a dark fantasy and horror author from a small town in the midwest! I mostly focus on Greek Mythology retellings and religious horror, but I have a soft spot for just about anything folk related as well!

Kelsea Yu

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Somerset

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

11:00am EDT

Dark Designs: Let's Make a Horror Game!

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Cambria

Our panelists will design a game on the spot — using prompts and ideas from the audience. The brilliant and creative members of the audience (that’s _you_ — we’re all writers and artists here, right?) will throw out all manner of scary ideas for the panelists to mold into a horror game. Is it a video game? A one-page tabletop RPG? A board game? That’s up to our roundtable of...
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Moderators

Bill Bridges

Author, Game Designer

Speakers

Richard Dansky

Consultant, Dansky Narrative Services

Richard Dansky is a 25+ year veteran of the video game industry and is widely regarded as a leading authority on game writing and narrative. He has written and narrative designed for bestselling franchises including The Division, Assassins Creed, Far Cry, and Splinter Cell. He is... Read More →

Jonathan Frater

Publisher, Desperate Measures Press

I'm a librarian, people should ask me any question they can think of...

Brigitte Winter

Author

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Cambria

Horror Genre and Media

11:00am EDT

Sludging Through Doom: Heavy Metal and Horror History

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Westmoreland

Good horror disturbs and distorts reality with all the fuzz of a heavy metal guitar pedal. And metal music, for its part, has long drawn inspiration from the genre of the supernatural and occult. In "Sludging through Doom," panelists will explore how the horror genre has intersected with heavy metal music across time and how horror writers continue to derive inspiration from the scary music genre,...
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Moderators

Michael Arnzen

Director, MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at SHU

Speakers

John Collins

Brian Cummings

Brian is an author of occult fantasy rooted in supernatural horror. He’s a metal musician, reluctant psychic, and host of the fiction/paranormal podcast, Dark Concepts. If you want to talk about spooky, reality-blurring stuff, he’s your dude.

Edward J. Flora

Author, Gravesend Books

Gillian Daniels

Jo Kaplan

Author, HWA LA co-chair

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Westmoreland

Horror Genre and Media

11:00am EDT

HU: Vending 101; or, How to Successfully Vend at a Convention

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT

Washington

Lots of authors vend at events like conventions and expos, and lots more would like to be vendors but don't know where to start or how to do it well. This class will give attendees the tools to find events they can vend at, and what they can do to ensure they get their books in as many readers' hands as possible.This is a separately ticketed workshop. For more information on Horror...
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Speakers

Rami Ungar

I am a novelist from Columbus, Ohio specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I have published six books and several short stories.

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 12:50pm EDT
Washington

Horror University

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Armstrong

Speakers

Jonathan

Author & Artist

Piper White

Author

Rath Mercury

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Armstrong

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Fayette

Speakers

Richard Dansky

Consultant, Dansky Narrative Services

Brian Cummings

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 →

Andromeda Ruins

Author, Andromeda Ruins

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Fayette

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Author Readings

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Lawrence

Speakers

L.T. Williams

Writer and Space Scientist

L.T. Williams can’t seem to escape mountains – whether it's the mountain of his TBR list, the Appalachians where he grew up, or the Ozarks where he now resides. L.T.'s love for speculative fiction also started in the mountains, where the folk tales, urban legends, and cryptid... Read More →

Maddison Dawn

Author

Saratoga Schaefer

author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE

(they/them) author of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE, as well as the upcoming THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED and A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS.

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Lawrence

Author Readings

12:00pm EDT

Little Bookshop of Horrors: Working with Indie Booksellers

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Somerset

If you’ve ever wondered how to get your book on the shelves of a bookstore, especially your favorite local indie store, this panel is for you. Discussion will cover how to engage with booksellers, how to get an event, what to expect, proper etiquette, as well as additional do's and don'ts.

Moderators

Ryan Elizabeth Clark

Manager of Events & Marketing, Queen of Scream, Gibson’s Bookstore

Speakers

Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Writer / Industry Representative, Stark Publishing / Draft2Digital

Mark Leslie Lefebvre (who often writes under the name Mark Leslie) has been deeply involved in the book world since his first short story was published in 1992. A horror and speculative fiction writer at heart, he is the author of the Canadian Werewolf urban fantasy series, inclu... Read More →

L.C. Marino

Author, Publisher, Bookstore Owner, Sobelo Books

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, Burn the Girls, Bless the Mother, and Banish the Dead. Lucas is also cofounder of Sobelo Books publishing company, and owner of the Spineless Reads indie bookstore in Williamsburg, VA. Lucas is a retired veteran of the US Coast Guard and earned his Doctor of Engineering degree from The George Washington University. He now lives in a... Read More →

Cate Peebles

Poet

Cate Peebles is the Bram Stoker Award nominated author of The Haunting (Tupelo Press, 2025) and Thicket (Lost Roads Press, 2018), as well as five chapbooks, including Sun King (winner of the Editor's Choice/Tomaž Šalamun Prize from Factory Hollow Press, 2025) and The Woodlands... Read More →

Marguerite Turley

Bookseller, Lahaska/Doylestown Bookshop

I’m a bookseller in Bucks County Pa and the horror section is all mine! I love horror more than any other genre. I also love to go outside and take nature photos, it’s my other passion!

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Somerset

Business and Craft of Writing and Publishing

12:00pm EDT

You Can't Get There From Here: Tales of Weird Pittsburgh

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Westmoreland

Welcome to Pittsburgh! Join our panelists as they bathe our Convention city in unholy and horror-worthy light. What mysteries hide in the alleyways of the Southside? Is there real magic at the convergence of three rivers? Can you feel the pull of the Fourth River? How many cemeteries have you haunted? How many bridges and tunnels does one city need? What cryptids, legends, ghosts, or maniacs haunt...
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Moderators

Brandon Ketchum

LCSW, Local Recovery Coordinator, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Speakers

Nelson W Pyles

Nelson W. Pyles is an author, musician, podcast creator and voice actor living in Pittsburgh. He has written two novels and is currently working on his third. His second collection of short stories, essays and articles All These Steps Lead Down was released in October 2024 from Cold... Read More →

Carina Stopenski

Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

academic HWA member | library advisory council member | pgh chapter co-chair | phd student of literature | author of STUFFED (unveiling nightmares) and THE THINGS WE DO FOR BLOOD (alien buddha press)

Sunday June 7, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Westmoreland

Horror Genre and Media