External Monsters, Internal Demons
A look at how Lovecraft turned his inner demons into real monsters, thus leading the way for the horror monster tradition (everything from the Universal monster craze and the Atomic monsters of the 50s to Stephen King). How did his experiences in the early decades before WWII shape his opinions and, most importantly, his monster writing? How do our personal demons become global monsters?
Leslie S. Klinger is the editor of the highly-acclaimed New Annotated Dracula, New Annotated Frankenstein, and the two-volume New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. He also edited the anthologies In the Shadow of Dracula and In the Shadow of Edgar Allen Poe, featuring 19th- century supernatural fiction. Together with Lisa Morton, he’s also edited the anthologies Ghost Stories and Weird Women, both with extensive selections of Victorian horror. Klinger’s annotated editions include the four-volume Annotated Sandman (with Neil Gaiman), Watchmen Annotated (with Dave Gibbons), and Annotated American Gods (again with Neil Gaiman). He serves as Treasurer of the Horror Writers Association and lives in Malibu with his wife Sharon, dog Jenny Calendar, and cat Rupert Giles.
K.L. Young is an award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, and publisher. He is the author of The Secret Language of Spiders. He lives in a pop-culture museum in Washington State.
Leeman Kessler is a Nigerian-born actor living in Gambier, OH with his wife Rachel and daughter Amanda. Since 2010, he has been performing as HP Lovecraft on stage as well as online with his web-series Ask Lovecraft. He has performed at NecronomiCon-Providence and at Cthulhucon. You can hear him and his wife on their podcast Geekually Yoked.
JEFF BURK is the cult favorite author of SHATNERQUAKE, SUPER GIANT MONSTER TIME, CRIPPLE WOLF, and SHATNERQUEST. Like the literary equivalent to a cult B-Horror movie, Burk writes violent, absurd, and funny stories about punks, monsters, gore, and trash culture. Everyone normally dies at the end. He is also the the Head Editor of ERASERHEAD PRESS’ horror imprint, DEADITE PRESS and the host of the JEFF ATTACKS podcast. Born in the Pennsylvania backwoods, he was raised on a steady diet of Godzilla, Star Trek, and EC Comics. He now resides in Portland, Oregon. His influences include: Sleep deprivation, comic books, drugs, magick, and kittens.
Andrew S. Fuller writes dark and strange stories. His fiction appears in several magazines, anthologies, short films, and the new collection Constellations of Ruin (2023, Trepidatio Publishing). Since 1999, he’s been editor-in-chief of Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine. He lives in Portland, OR near two rivers, several extinct(?) volcanoes, and is friends with several crows and spiders. Visit him online at andrewsfuller.com.