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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.
Venue: Grove Ballroom 2 clear filter
Thursday, June 12
 

4:00pm EDT

Found Forms in Horror
Thursday June 12, 2025 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Join us for a panel about unique and unusual formatting of your writing beyond the epistolary -- stories told as documentary transcripts, academic papers, scientific reports, legal documents, and more. Together, we’ll look at examples of genre stories that successfully play with writing as a medium and how creative use of form can support and benefit narrative.
Moderators
avatar for Sofia Ajram

Sofia Ajram

Queer writer, poet & metalsmith. Writer of “Coup De Grâce” (Titan Books) 10/24. Editor of “Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror” (Ghoulish Books) 03/24
Speakers
avatar for Neil McRobert

Neil McRobert

Host/Producer, Talking Scared Podcast
Hi. I'm the host and producer (and everything else) of Talking Scared. Every week I talk to a different horror writer about their work, their life and their fears. It's fun. I also write about horror for Esquire. If you've heard the show then you probably already know an alarming... Read More →
avatar for Emmett Nahil

Emmett Nahil

LET ME OUT (Oni Press, 2023) // FROM THE BELLY (Tenebrous Press, 2024). Writing featured in THE BOOK OF QUEER SAINTS, VOLUME II, Laura Kate Dale's GENDER EUPHORIA anthology, and elsewhere. Favoring the historic, the strange, and the gory, in his other life Emmett makes video games... Read More →
avatar for B.R. Yeager

B.R. Yeager

Author
Wrote NEGATIVE SPACE, BURN YOU THE FUCK ALIVE, PEARL DEATH, and AMYGDALATROPOLIS
avatar for Sapphire Lazuli
avatar for Gevera Bert Piedmont

Gevera Bert Piedmont

Editor/Author, Transformations by Obsidian Butterfly
STOKERCON VENDOR COORDINATORNeurodivergent cyborg author/editor of weird and horror fiction@bybertabird | Linktree
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association.
Thursday June 12, 2025 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

5:00pm EDT

Folklore And Fiction: Turning Ancient Myths Into Modern Stories
Thursday June 12, 2025 5:00pm - 5:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Panelists will discuss how they have successfully implemented folklore in their writing, then describe how others can find, research, and use folklore as a basis or inspiration for fresh stories.
Moderators
avatar for Kristy Park Kulski (K.P. Kulski)

Kristy Park Kulski (K.P. Kulski)

KRISTY PARK KULSKI (K.P. KULSKI) is a Hawaii-born Korean-American author, historian, and career vampire of patriarchal tears. Channeling a lifelong obsession with history and the morose she’s managed to birth the gothic horror novel, Fairest Flesh, and novella, House of Pungsu... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Ricardo D. Rebelo

Ricardo D. Rebelo

Writer, Swamp Yankee Press
Ricardo D. Rebelo is a horror author and documentarian based in Massachusetts. He’s published short fiction in Dracula Beyond Stoker Issue 6, Monsters in the Mills, Halloweenthology, Flash of the Undead, and more. His self-published cryptid books explore folklore from New England... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Read
avatar for Hilary Wilson

Hilary Wilson

Literary Correspondent, The Folklore Podcast
avatar for Adam Nevill

Adam Nevill

Adam L. G. Nevill was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is an author of horror fiction. Of his novels, The Ritual, Last Days, No One Gets Out Alive and The Reddening were all winners of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel. He... Read More →
avatar for Cindy O'Quinn

Cindy O'Quinn

About the authorCindy O’Quinn is an Appalachian writer. She grew up in the beautiful mountains of WestVirginia. She writes fiction, nonfiction, and speculative poetry, which all lean heavily into thehorror genre. It was with Cindy’s fifth Bram Stoker Award® nomination that garnered... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 5:00pm - 5:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  HWA Event, Livestreamed Session

6:00pm EDT

Public Domain Horror
Thursday June 12, 2025 6:00pm - 6:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
“It’s free real estate!” From projects like the HWA’s SCARING AND DARING anthology and low-budget bloody slashers like WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD & HONEY, horror writers are dipping their pens into the public domain pot for inspiration, characters, and plot springboards. Panelists will discuss the merits and drawbacks of using public domain material, potential pitfalls for creators, the morality of using non-horror public domain material in horror projects, and will consider what upcoming public domain works might be best suited for a horror revival.
Moderators
avatar for Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and spooky tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the dark fiction collection Pre-Approved for Haunting (Keylight Books), the novellas Gargantuana's Ghost (Grey Matter... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Eric J. Guignard

Eric J. Guignard

Gentleman Extraordinaire, Dark Moon Books
Eric J. Guignard is a writer and anthologist of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press Dark Moon Books. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award, won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award.He has over 150 stories appearing in publications around the world and has edited and published thirteen anthologies, such... Read More →
avatar for Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher
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 →
avatar for Cynthia Pelayo

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor
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 standalone... Read More →
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

i've published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. I write original horror and dark fantasy as well as media tie-ins. I'm a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and I've been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award... Read More →
Thursday June 12, 2025 6:00pm - 6:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session
 
Friday, June 13
 

9:00am EDT

Bleeding Hearts: Where Horror Meets Romance
Friday June 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Horror and romance might seem like strange bedfellows, but when done well, they can elevate each other in powerful, unexpected ways. This panel explores the rich intersection between terror and tenderness—where love stories unfold amid dread, danger, and darkness. As genre mashups continue to rise in popularity, especially in the wake of the romantasy boom, more authors are weaving emotionally complex relationships into their horror-forward stories.

Join us for a candid conversation with authors who are pushing the boundaries of genre: developing compelling romantic arcs within gruesome, unsettling worlds; balancing suspense and swoon; and navigating the tonal tightrope between tragedy and happily ever after. How do they craft believable romantic pairings in stories filled with paranormal or psychological horror? Can romance ground a horror narrative—or does it risk making it less believable? Is it possible to satisfy both horror and romance readers at once?

This conversation will offer insights for writers looking to explore genre fusion and readers drawn to the emotional stakes of love in the face of fear. Expect a lively, thoughtful, and slightly twisted discussion about why these two genres might be a perfect match.
Moderators
avatar for Emma Cole

Emma Cole

Editor, Harlequin
Editor @Harlequin, acquiring for Intrigue as well as for our Harlequin Trade Publishing imprint Hanover Square Press, which publishes horror, mystery, speculative fiction and nonfiction.
Speakers
avatar for Paula Guran

Paula Guran

Editor, anthologist, and reviewer Paula Guran has edited more than 50 science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies and more than 50 novels and collections featuring the same. She was senior editor for Prime Books for seven years. Previously, she edited the Juno fantasy impr... Read More →
avatar for Clay McLeod Chapman

Clay McLeod Chapman

Author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, Kill Your Darling, Stay on the Line, What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters, Whisper Down the Lane, The Remaking, and others.
avatar for Rachel Harrison
avatar for Sumiko Saulson

Sumiko Saulson

2 Time Bram Stoker Finalist in the Poetry Collection category, Author
Sumiko Saulson is a two-time Bram Stoker Finalist in the Poetry Collection for the poetry collections Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry (Bludgeoned Girls Press) and The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry (Dooky Zines), Elgin Nominee, 3rd Place Dwarf Stars Award Winner, Winner... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →
avatar for Chloe Spencer

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 →
Friday June 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

10:00am EDT

The Myth of Making It
Friday June 13, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Surviving life as a creative. How we make ends meet. What we sacrifice and what we gain. Join our group of panelists as we talk day jobs, work/life balance, career shifts, and the many unconventional paths we walk as writers. The audience will have a look behind the curtain at some of their favorite writers while being invited to share their own experiences, as we collectively dispel the myth of making it, in a casual and candid conversation with lots of back-and-forth.
Moderators
avatar for Jamie Flanagan

Jamie Flanagan

Jamie Flanagan writes television shows. Credits include The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, The Fall of the House of Usher. Theatre nerd. Avid gamer (tabletop and video).
Speakers
avatar for Denise Tapscott

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
avatar for Meg Ripley

Meg Ripley

Writer of horror and dark fantasy, designer, and drawer. My debut novel, Necrology, is a Foreword INDIES Finalist for Best Fantasy 2024.
avatar for Mercedes M. Yardley

Mercedes M. Yardley

They call me Miss Murder. I'm a two-time Bram Stoker Award-Winner in Long Fiction and Short Fiction, and a finalist in Anthology, Fiction Collection, and Short Fiction. I bake voodoo doll cookies and make darling little quilts with skulls on them.
avatar for Matthew Bartlett
avatar for Scott Edelman

Scott Edelman

Author
SCOTT EDELMAN has published 125+ 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 →
Friday June 13, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

11:00am EDT

HWA Open Member Board Meeting
Friday June 13, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
The annual HWA Board meeting. This will include updates from Board members and a Question and Answer period.

This panel will be live-streamed.
Moderators
avatar for Becky Spratford

Becky Spratford

Readers’ Advisory Specialist; HWA Secretary, RA for All
 Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Librarian in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She writes reviews for Booklist and a Horror review column for Library Journal. Becky was a 24 year locally elected Library Trustee and a former Board member for both the Reaching Across Illinois Library System and the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with Horror... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Lisa Kröger

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.
avatar for Brian Matthews

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.
avatar for Marc Abbott

Marc Abbott

Author/Teacher/Storyteller/Treasurer, Horror Writers Association
I’m the author of 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 of Fright and Hells... Read More →
avatar for Linda D. Addison

Linda D. Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association
Linda D. Addison is an award-winning author of five collections, including How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, recipient of the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award, HWA Mentor of the Year and SFPA Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry.
avatar for Ellen Datlow

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... Read More →
avatar for Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and spooky tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the dark fiction collection Pre-Approved for Haunting (Keylight Books), the novellas Gargantuana's Ghost (Grey Matter... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Wood

Lisa Wood

Vice 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’s... Read More →
avatar for Maxwell Ian Gold

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association
Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish American multiple award nominated author who writes prose poetry and short stories in cosmic horror and weird fiction with half a decade of writing experience. Five time Rhysling Award nominee, two time Pushcart Award nominee, and author of the Bram Stoker... Read More →
avatar for Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Editor, Writer, Publisher
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 →
avatar for James Chambers

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 →
Friday June 13, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  HWA Event, Livestreamed Session

12:00pm EDT

Oh My Goth: The Gothic Heroine Renaissance
Friday June 13, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Gothic horror is undergoing a thrilling revival in both literature and film, and at the heart of this resurgence is the Gothic heroine—haunted, complex, and newly empowered. Once confined to windswept corridors and shadowy attics, today’s Gothic heroines are reclaiming their narratives, confronting modern anxieties like gaslighting, isolation, generational trauma, and societal expectations. This panel will explore how contemporary writers are reimagining the Gothic heroine for a new era—subverting traditional tropes while honoring the emotional intensity and atmosphere that define the genre. Why is the Gothic heroine resonating so strongly right now? What cultural forces are driving her return, and how are these characters evolving to meet today’s fears? As Gothic horror continues to surge in popularity, this conversation will explore why the genre—and its most iconic figure—is more relevant than ever.
Moderators
avatar for Tanya Pell

Tanya Pell

author
Tanya Pell's debut novel, HER WICKED ROOTS, a queer Gothic horror, releases in October 2025 with Gallery/S&S. She is the author of Cicada (Shortwave) and her short fiction can be found in the Bram Stoker Award nominated antho Mother Knows Best, the forthcoming Fever Dreams, OBSOLESCENCE, Shortwave... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Leanna Renee Hieber

Leanna Renee Hieber

Author, Ghost Tour Guide, Actress, Kensington, Tor and Union Square Books
An actress, playwright, ghost tour guide and award-winning, bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction for Kensington, Tor and Union Square, Leanna’s A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts, co-authored with Andrea Janes, was a Stoker Award Finalist... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Read
avatar for Rebecca Cuthbert

Rebecca Cuthbert

Writer, Undertaker Books
Rebecca Cuthbert writes feminist horror, gothic fiction, and dark poetry. Her books include IN MEMORY OF EXOSKELETONS (dark poetry, Alien Buddha Press, 2023); CREEP THIS WAY (nonfiction, Seamus and Nunzio Productions, 2024); SELF-MADE MONSTERS (feminist horror stories and poetry... Read More →
avatar for Paula Cappa

Paula Cappa

Paula Cappa is a multiple award-winning novelist and short story author of supernatural mysteries, Gothic thrillers, and dark fantasy. Her Gothic novel Draakensky, A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance is published by Crystal Lake Publishing. Other supernatural novels are The... Read More →
avatar for Jessica Drake-Thomas

Jessica Drake-Thomas

Jessica Drake-Thomas is a poet and novelist, as well as PhD student focusing on the Gothic. She's the author of Hollow Girls, which was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, as well as two poetry collections, Burials and Bad Omens. She lives in Milwaukee with Nick and their two dogs... Read More →
Friday June 13, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

1:00pm EDT

The Fearsome Final Girl
Friday June 13, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
A fan-favorite trope, final girls channel hope, grit, and vindication in fearsome fights for survival—but these novels offer even more to cheer on with their original portrayals of horror’s favorite heroes. Whether it be a late-70’s grandmother sleuthing around a retirement home, a good Catholic teen thrust into the rapture, or a struggling actress saddled with more responsibilities than she bargained for, these novels reimagine the convention and allow us to root for final girls that don’t fit the mold. In this panel, authors will discuss their own favorite final girls throughout horror history, their inspirations for these original characters, and their predictions for how this trope and the horror genre writ large might evolve in the future.
Moderators
avatar for Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries is a Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award nominated, and Ditmar, Australian Shadows and Aurealis Award-winning author based in Canberra, Australia. His novels include HOUSE OF SIGHS, THE FALLEN BOYS, A PLACE FOR SINNERS, WHERE THE DEAD GO TO DIE (with Mark Allan Gunnells... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for S. A. Barnes

S. A. Barnes

S.A. Barnes works in a high school library by day, recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick as bookmark. Barnes has published numerous novels across different genres under the pen name Stacey Kade. She lives in Illinois with more... Read More →
PF
avatar for Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen. His acclaimed novels Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings were featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, and more, and he was named one of the... Read More →
avatar for CJ Leede

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 →
GH
Friday June 13, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

2:00pm EDT

Building a Prolific Career in Horror
Friday June 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Join Gaby Triana and fellow panelists for a conversation on sustaining a long-term writing career in horror. They’ll share real-world strategies for producing consistently, staying inspired, and managing writing demands alongside life’s responsibilities. Whether you’re just starting out or working to expand your body of work, you’ll hear insights from both newer and more established writers on how to keep showing up for the work — and yourself.
Moderators
avatar for Ann Dávila Cardinal
Speakers
avatar for Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay has won the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and Massachusetts Book awards and is the author of Horror Movie, The Pallbearers Club, Survivor Song, The Cabin at the End of the World, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, the crime novels The Little Sleep... Read More →
avatar for ROYCE BUCKINGHAM

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 →
avatar for Gaby Triana

Gaby Triana

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... Read More →
avatar for Hailey Piper

Hailey Piper

Hailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, No Gods for Drowning, The Worm and His Kings, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, Benny Rose the Cannibal King, and Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, with... Read More →
Friday June 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

3:00pm EDT

A Conversation with Del Howison
Friday June 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
HWA Past President Lisa Morton sits down with Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Del Howison, to discuss his life with Co-Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Sue Howison, their accomplishments, their love of horror, and their horror-themed bookstore, Dark Delicacies.
Moderators
avatar for Lisa Morton

Lisa Morton

Author of four novels and over 200 short stories, screenwriter, Halloween and paranormal expert, past President of the Horror Writers Association.
Speakers
avatar for Del Howison

Del Howison

Owner, Dark Delicacies
Del Howison is an author, journalist, SAG actor including a cameo in the upcoming horror film Big Baby produced by Cher and directed by Spider One. He is a Bram Stoker Award-winning editor of the anthology Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre by the World’s... Read More →
Friday June 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session
 
Saturday, June 14
 

9:00am EDT

Wrestling with Horror
Saturday June 14, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
In the shadow of Titan Towers—former headquarters of the WWE—we're going to explore the relationship between professional wrestling and horror. Whether it be wrestling characters like the Phenom or the Undertaker, or horror stories set in the wrestling world, such as the recent film Dark Match, or the books Bladejob by Lucas Mangum, or the Wrestlemaniacs anthology, these two art forms have long drawn inspiration from one another. Why and how do wrestling and horror dovetail as nicely as chocolate and peanut butter? And what can horror writers learn from their wrestling counterparts?
Moderators
RB
Speakers
avatar for Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb

Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and spooky tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the dark fiction collection Pre-Approved for Haunting (Keylight Books), the novellas Gargantuana's Ghost (Grey Matter... Read More →
avatar for Bridget D. Brave

Bridget D. Brave

author, lawyer, weirdo
author, lawyer, weirdo
avatar for Johnny Compton
avatar for L.P. Hernandez

L.P. Hernandez

Author and publisher, Sobelo Books
Writer of In the Valley of the Headless Men, Stargazers, and No Gods Only Chaos. Co-owner of Sobelo Books with L.C. Marino. Host of Dog-eared Nightmares. Air Force officer. Father, husband, metalhead.
avatar for Michael Allen Rose

Michael Allen Rose

Bizarro Writers Association President, RoShamBo Publishing
Michael Allen Rose is a Wonderland Award winning author, musician, and performance artist based in Chicago, IL. In addition to writing books such as Jurassichrist & Inappropriate Toasts For All Occasions, he also edits and publishes anthologies under the name RoShamBo Publishing... Read More →
Saturday June 14, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event

10:00am EDT

Power of A Poetic Voice
Saturday June 14, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
Allen Ginsburg said, “Poetry is words that are empowered to make your hair stand on end, that you recognize instantly as being some form of subjective truth that has an objective reality to it, because somebody’s realized it.” Poetry, regardless of genre, seeks to tell the truth, speak out, and advocate for those who might not otherwise speak for themselves. In this panel, panelists will discuss how poetry can be both advocative and subjective truth.
Moderators
avatar for Maxwell Ian Gold

Maxwell Ian Gold

Executive Director, Horror Writers Association
Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish American multiple award nominated author who writes prose poetry and short stories in cosmic horror and weird fiction with half a decade of writing experience. Five time Rhysling Award nominee, two time Pushcart Award nominee, and author of the Bram Stoker... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Jamal Hodge

Jamal Hodge

CEO, Hodge Cinema
JAMAL HODGE is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and writer from Queens NYC who has won over 80 awards with screenings at Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance, Cannes, and others. He directed the first season of Investigation Discovery Channel’s ‘Primal Instinct’ and is a Producer... Read More →
avatar for Linda D. Addison

Linda D. Addison

Trustee, Horror Writers Association
Linda D. Addison is an award-winning author of five collections, including How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, recipient of the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award, HWA Mentor of the Year and SFPA Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry.
avatar for Cynthia Pelayo

Cynthia Pelayo

Guest of Honor
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 standalone... Read More →
avatar for Pedro Iniguez

Pedro Iniguez

SF/Horror Writer
Pedro Iniguez is a Mexican-American Bram Stoker, Elgin, Rhysling, and Dwarf Star Award-nominated horror and science-fiction writer from Los Angeles, California. He is also a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. He is the author of MEXICANS ON THE MOON: SPECULATIVE POETRY FROM... Read More →
Saturday June 14, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

11:00am EDT

Parental Horror: Generational Trauma and the Family Ties That Terrify
Saturday June 14, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
From emotionally immature mothers to monstrous fathers and legacies soaked in dread, horror has long used family as a vessel for fear. In recent years, the genre has seen a surge in stories centered on parental horror—where the most terrifying relationships aren’t with ghosts or ghouls, but with those closest to us.

This panel brings together authors whose work examines parent-child relationships at every stage of life: from Nat Cassidy’s When the Wolf Comes Home, where grief, care, and monstrous memory collide; to CJ Leede’s American Rapture, where family fractures amidst an apocalyptic collapse; to Philip Fracassi’s The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre, where the horror of aging meets the scars of the past. Panelists will explore how dysfunctional families, generational trauma, and the “parent as monster” trope shape their work—and why horror remains the perfect genre for unpacking the complexities of love, fear, and legacy.


Moderators
avatar for B.C. Bull
Speakers
avatar for Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen. His acclaimed novels Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings were featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, and more, and he was named one of the... Read More →
PF
avatar for Alma Katsu

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... Read More →
avatar for CJ Leede

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 →
avatar for Tanya Pell

Tanya Pell

author
Tanya Pell's debut novel, HER WICKED ROOTS, a queer Gothic horror, releases in October 2025 with Gallery/S&S. She is the author of Cicada (Shortwave) and her short fiction can be found in the Bram Stoker Award nominated antho Mother Knows Best, the forthcoming Fever Dreams, OBSOLESCENCE, Shortwave... Read More →
Saturday June 14, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

12:00pm EDT

Perspectives in the Writing Life: From Rookie to Veteran
Saturday June 14, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
This panel brings together StokerCon’s Guests of Honor—writers at different stages of their careers—to explore how the writing life evolves over time. From first publications to award wins, from chasing deadlines to mentoring the next generation, panelists will reflect on how their creative process, career goals, and relationship to the industry have changed over the years. How has the horror genre shifted? What challenges remain the same? What advice would they give to their younger selves—and to those just starting out today? Whether you're a new writer looking for inspiration or a seasoned author reflecting on your journey, this conversation offers candid insights from those who’ve seen the industry grow and transform.

NOTE: This panel lasts for ninety minutes.
Moderators
avatar for John Langan

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 Jackson... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is the author of 58 novels and many novellas, plays, short stories, and other work. She is a recipient of the National Book Award, two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize and a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Among Oates... Read More →
avatar for Scott Edelman

Scott Edelman

Author
SCOTT EDELMAN has published 125+ 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 →
avatar for Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner

i've published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. I write original horror and dark fantasy as well as media tie-ins. I'm a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and I've been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award... Read More →
avatar for Gaby Triana

Gaby Triana

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... Read More →
avatar for Adam Nevill

Adam Nevill

Adam L. G. Nevill was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is an author of horror fiction. Of his novels, The Ritual, Last Days, No One Gets Out Alive and The Reddening were all winners of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel. He... Read More →
avatar for Paula Guran

Paula Guran

Editor, anthologist, and reviewer Paula Guran has edited more than 50 science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies and more than 50 novels and collections featuring the same. She was senior editor for Prime Books for seven years. Previously, she edited the Juno fantasy impr... Read More →
Saturday June 14, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

2:00pm EDT

Authentic Representation in Horror
Saturday June 14, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
As horror continues to evolve, so does the need for authentic, nuanced representation of marginalized characters. From disabled protagonists and LGBTQ+ survivors to characters of diverse racial, cultural, and neurodivergent identities, today’s horror readers are demanding stories that reflect a broader range of human experiences, without relying on stereotypes or exploitative tropes.

This panel will feature writers from marginalized communities who bring their lived experience to the conversation about representation in horror. Panelists will explore the challenges and responsibilities of writing characters from identities other than their own, the harm caused by inauthentic or exploitative depictions, and how to craft stories that are both respectful and resonant. Examples may include the use of disability as a scare tactic, the mishandling of queer trauma, or missed opportunities for inclusive storytelling.

This isn’t about creating a checklist of what not to do—it’s about encouraging deeper awareness, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to getting it right. Whether you're writing disabled, queer, BIPOC, or otherwise underrepresented characters, this conversation will provide practical insight into how horror can honor identity while still delivering a powerful scare.
Moderators
avatar for Logan Alexander Johnson

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 →
Speakers
avatar for Gaby Triana

Gaby Triana

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... Read More →
avatar for Tamika Thompson

Tamika Thompson

Author
Tamika is author of THE CURSE OF HESTER GARDENS (Erewhon/Kensington, 2026) & 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 →
avatar for Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries is a Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award nominated, and Ditmar, Australian Shadows and Aurealis Award-winning author based in Canberra, Australia. His novels include HOUSE OF SIGHS, THE FALLEN BOYS, A PLACE FOR SINNERS, WHERE THE DEAD GO TO DIE (with Mark Allan Gunnells... Read More →
avatar for Rae Knowles

Rae Knowles

Rae Knowles (she/her) is a queer woman with multiple works forthcoming from Brigids Gate Press. Her debut novel, The Stradivarius, is coming May ’23, her sapphic horror novella, Merciless Waters, is due out winter ’23, and her collaboration with April Yates, Lies That Bind, in... Read More →
RU
avatar for Rob Costello

Rob Costello

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 →
Saturday June 14, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

3:00pm EDT

A Conversation with Joyce Carol Oates
Saturday June 14, 2025 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
A conversation with Joyce Carol Oates, her works, and her history.
Moderators
avatar for Ellen Datlow

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... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is the author of 58 novels and many novellas, plays, short stories, and other work. She is a recipient of the National Book Award, two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize and a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Among Oates... Read More →
Saturday June 14, 2025 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session

4:00pm EDT

Chilling Comics
Saturday June 14, 2025 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
A discussion of horror comics, what makes them special and influential, how to break into comics writing, historical highlights of horror comics, and why some stories can only be told in the comics medium. This will look at key horror comics through history from the EC Comics of the 1950s to the Marvel horror comics of the 1970s, the Vertigo comics of the 1980s and 90s, to current horror manga by Junji Ito and Gou Tanabe. The emphasis will be on the unique storytelling aspects of the comic book format.
Moderators
SH
Speakers
avatar for Alys Arden

Alys Arden

Author
Alys Arden was raised by the street performers, tea leaf-readers, and glittering drag queens of the New Orleans, French Quarter. Her debut novel, The Casquette Girls, garnered over one million reads online before it was acquired (Skyscape). The fifth book in the series, The Immortal... Read More →
avatar for Raymonde Chira

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 →
avatar for Scott Edelman

Scott Edelman

Author
SCOTT EDELMAN has published 125+ 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 →
JI
Saturday June 14, 2025 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session
 
Sunday, June 15
 

10:00am EDT

Cosmic Horror: Beyond Lovecraft
Sunday June 15, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
A panel discussion of non-Lovecraftian cosmic horror with an emphasis on the works of Algernon Blackwood, Robert W. Chambers, Lord Dunsany, William Hope Hodgson, and Clark Ashton Smith, who contributed to the foundation of this horror sub-genre. The panel will also look at contemporary trends in cosmic horror that take the genre beyond HPL, and where authors are finding new, fertile ground for this kind of horror.
Moderators
avatar for James Chambers

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 →
Speakers
avatar for Barbara Cottrell

Barbara Cottrell

I am the author of The Shadows Of Miskatonic, a series of supernatural thrillers set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft.
avatar for Ann Dávila Cardinal
avatar for Darius Jones

Darius Jones

Darius Jones’s stories and poems have appeared in Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast, Star*Line Magazine, and other places. He is a member of the HWA, SFWA, and SFPA. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
avatar for John Langan

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 Jackson... Read More →
avatar for Darrell Schweitzer

Darrell Schweitzer

Darrell Schweitzer's books include four novels, THE WHITE ISLE, THE SHATTERED GODDESS, THE MASK OF THE SORCERER, and THE DRAGON HOUSE, plus nine short-story collections, the most recent of which is a volume of Lovecraftian stories, THE CHILDREN OF CHORAZIN, published by Hippocampus... Read More →
Sunday June 15, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Grove Ballroom 2
  Convention Event, Livestreamed Session
 
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