Welcome to the premiere horror literary convention presented by the Horror Writers Association. Registration for StokerCon 2025 is now available! This year the convention is being hosted by the city of Stamford, Connecticut, at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Meeting Center. We’re taking over from June 12th through the 15th, 2025.
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TTRPGS and LARPs allow players to take on the roles of their characters in a truly immersive way. Yet how does that work in a horror setting, where classic heroism might be in short supply, goals are less about acquiring treasure and more about staying alive and sane, and players must lean into what their characters would do even if it isn't always the smartest thing? Let's explore how to create horror in a roleplaying setting in this panel aimed at players, game masters, and writers.
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. His book... Read More →
Bill Bridges is a writer and game designer, most known for developing White Wolf’s World of Darkness and the Fading Suns science-fiction universe. He currently serves as the project manager for Ulisses’ line of Fading Suns roleplaying-game books. Bill lives near Atlanta, GA, where... Read More →
CASSANDRA KHAW is the USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth and the Bram Stoker Award-winner, Breakable Things. Other notable works of theirs are The Salt Grows Heavy and British Fantasy Award and Locus Award finalist, Hammers on Bone. Khaw’s work can... Read More →
Oliver Baer does many things. He was the editor of Cthulhu Sex Magazine and Two Backed Books. His epistolary novel, Letters to the Editor of Cthulhu Sex Magazine, was published in October 2019. His short stories have appeared in April Grey's anthologies as well as others. His essays... Read More →
Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito (she/her) is a Chinese American judge, mom, and writer in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Flame Tree’s Asian Ghost Stories, Chromophobia, Mother: Tales of Terror and Love, Death’s Garden Revisited, and Unquiet Spirits... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT Aspen 1
This panel will discuss some of the early examples of eco-horror in literature, like Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows, and trace those influences on today’s eco-horror classics. We will also seek to define the sub-genre more clearly through our discussion: Is eco-horror merely a horror story set in the woods? Is it when nature turns against humanity? Or is it when the story carries a message about humanity's impact on the ecosystem?
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 →
Sean Patrick Carlin (he/him) is an author and essayist, as well as an environmental activist with the Climate Reality Project. His debut novel, The Dogcatcher, was published in 2023 by DarkWinter Press. An occult horror/dark comedy in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead, it's the story... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT Aspen 1
Horror fiction thrives in establishing mood and creating suspense…but, as many aficionados will tell you, too often it flubs the finale. Panelists will contend with the bugbear of their chosen field. What makes a good horror ending? Is there something inherent to the genre which complicates crafting a satisfying resolution? What stories end well…and which don’t? Does a climax that accentuates the uncanny or ineffable lose clarity? Do any stories adapted to film/video change the original prose endings for the better?
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 is due in early... Read More →
Writer of dark fiction (horror, S/F, fantasy). HWA Mentorship Program Manager. Editor at large. Talk to me about horror, writing, books, editing, movies, guitars, bourbon, or just about anything except politics!
Erika T. Wurth’s novel WHITE HORSE is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and Book of the Month Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, and Kenyon faculty. She’s published in Buzzfeed, and The Writer’s... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 5:00pm - 5:45pm EDT Aspen 1
Horror isn’t just for adults—it has long captivated young readers, from those first spine-chilling stories to the narratives that keep us coming back for more. 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,” the importance of diverse voices, and navigating sensitive issues like book bans and censorship in children’s literature.
Sarah Faxon, who publishes under S. Faxon, is a dark fantasy, horror, and urban fantasy author. Sarah is the author of the books: The Animal Court, Foreign & Domestic Affairs, Tiny Dreadfuls, Origins: The Blue Dragon Society, co-writer of Lost Aboard and How to Become A Successful... Read More →
GABY TRIANA is the Cuban-American author of 24 books for adults and teens, including Dark and Dangerous Things, Moon Child, Island of Bones, River of Ghosts, City of Spells, Wake the Hollow, Cubanita, and Summer of Yesterday. Her short stories have appeared in Classic Monsters Unleashed... Read More →
Rob Costello (he/him) writes dark and contemporary fiction with a queer bent for and about young people. He’s the contributing editor of We Mostly Come Out At Night: 15 Queer Tales of Monsters, Angels & Other Creatures, nominated for a 2024 Bram Stoker Award® and named a 2024 CYBILS... Read More →
Robert P. Ottone is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE TRIANGLE and is also the best-selling author of CURSE OF THE COB MAN, THE SLEEPY HOLLOW GANG, THE VILE THING WE CREATED and NOCTURNAL CREATURES.His short fiction has been collected in TEAR ME OPEN as well as HER INFERNAL... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 6:00pm - 6:45pm EDT Aspen 1
