Author Reading

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Hear Modern Cosmic Horror and Weird Fiction stories and excerpts, straight from the mouths of the authors who wrote them!

Presentation: The Relation Between Southern Gothic and Gothic Horror

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From Edgar Allan Poe to the uncanny, learn how Southern Gothic literature has its roots in Gothic horror. Marginalized characters, haints, and the magic of the swamps is just the beginning when you journey into a world of decadence and decay.

Presentation: Thomas Ligotti, Contemporary Heir to Lovecraft

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Delve into "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World," a tale by the legendary Thomas Ligotti, featuring an uncanny figure akin to Lovecraft's eldritch entities, yet uniquely Ligottian in its form and the existential dread it evokes. In his introduction to the story, horror author and Ligotti narrator and scholar Jon Padgett elucidates Ligotti's significance as a contemporary heir to Lovecraft. Through the lens of "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World," discover an autumnal outré horror of the sort only the mind of Thomas Ligotti could conjure.

Panel: Herbert West as Cultural Icon

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For sixty years Herbert West lingered as a minor character in a minor story overshadowed by Lovecraft's more cosmic creations. That all changed in 1985 with the release of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator. Since then Herbert West has become an icon comparable to Freddy Kruger, Michael Meyers, and Jason Voorhees spawning competing films, comic books, novels, short stories, and even a pitch for a TV series. What are the origins of this iconic character and how has he been fantastically and macabrely transformed over the years.

Panel: Getting Started in Cosmic Horror Filmmaking

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Take a peek behind the curtain of independent filmmaking with Guest of Honor Dennis Paoli and other visiting filmmakers. What are the challenges and benefits of doing cosmic horror as a starting film? How does one even take the first step? Learn how to begin, what you need to know to set yourself up for success, and what to watch out for.

Author Signing - Cody Goodfellow, Peter Rawlik

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Buy new books, get them signed by authors Cody Goodfellow and Peter Rawlik, and have a chat!

 *This event takes place at The Haunted Book Shop at 9 S. Joachim St. Go for the books, stay for Mr. Bingley!

Author Signing - Carrie Dalby & Greta T. Bates

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Buy new books, get them signed by local authors Carrie Dalby and Greta T. Bates, and have a chat!

 *This event takes place at The Haunted Book Shop at 9 S. Joachim St. Go for the books, stay for Mr. Bingley!

Presentation: Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

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or "So you want to see how the sausage is made?" Sal and Pete banter back and forth about our experience writing together and how we draw on personal experiences to produce content.

Panel: Sex and Cthulhu!

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Lovecraft seemed loathe to write about sexual acts in his fiction, but sex and miscegenation are a foundational part of his mythos. From the twisted, mind-swapped sex implied in his "Thing on the Doorstep" to the breeding of Innsmouth folk with undersea creatures, the Cthulhu Mythos is rife with doin' the dirty, even if it's offscreen! A discussion that would shiver Lovecraft's timbers, but it's no mistake that his cosmic horror relies on the "act".

Panel: Lovecraft and Science Fiction

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We all know that Lovecraft is an icon of modern horror, but he is also influential in the world of sci fi. With his works such as the classic "The Color Out of Space", to deep dives like "The Challenge from Beyond" and "In the Walls of Eryx," as well as his influence on modern sci fi from Alien to Event Horizon. Panelists discuss the influence of contemporary scientific discoveries that had a hand in shaping Lovecraft's stories.

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