StokerCon 2025

A discussion of proper etiquette and professional behavior for authors approaching agents, editors, and publishers, promoting their work, engaging in the writing community, interacting with readers, being active online, and other aspects of being a professional writer. The panel will offer tips, do's and don'ts and general advice about how to succeed in making good connections and advancing your career.

From Captain Hook’s run-in with dark magic to Sherlock Holmes narrowly escaping graveyard spirits to a happily never after for Cinderella, this horror anthology is anything but a bedtime story. In this terrifying new assemblage for young readers, the best-loved stories from the literary canon are revisited and reimagined with a deadly twist by some of the top authors working in middle grade today. Join contributors from the Scaring and Daring official HWA anthology as they talk about their stories.

The 80's and 90's were a splendor of dark fantasy and science fiction for children, some of which have haunted us since in a phenomenon known as Kindertrauma. Panelists will look back on some of their favorite classic kids media and discuss how the stories, characters and settings influenced their work and how that frightening nostalgia has driven the narrative of today's television shows and books.

This panel addresses the evolution of the Nosferatu mythos since the original film and how it has evolved over the last 100 years. This evolution includes Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot (and its prequel "Jerusalem's Lot"), which takes stronger inspiration from Nosferatu than from Dracula or other vampire traditions.

The wrong feedback can kill a story—or worse, a writer’s confidence. The right feedback? It can transform your horror into something unforgettable. In this panel, we’ll explore the full spectrum of constructive critique, from beta reader partnerships to long-term writing groups. Panelists will share experiences building supportive feedback circles, surviving toxic ones, and crafting critique that actually helps. You’ll learn how to set expectations, spot red flags, give and receive feedback that empowers, and build relationships that sharpen your storytelling and strengthen your creative resilience. Whether you’re hoping to join a writing group, build a beta reader network, or stop dreading feedback, this panel offers practical tools and cautionary tales. We’ll also leave time at the end for attendees to network and start forming their critique communities.

In his introduction to Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King noted, “I never feel the limitations of my talent so keenly as I do when writing short fiction.” Learn why short stories aren’t just lazy novels; they are an art form with its own set of rules and skills.

Southern Gothic literature is undeniably drenched in the south’s dark past. How have sub-genres like Southern Gothic changed in relation to the current social and socioeconomic issues in that region of the United States, and how are contemporary writers using horror to represent them?