[UPDATED February 27, 2018: I was added today to a Sunday morning panel. See below.]

I’ll be in Providence, Rhode Island next weekend for StokerCon 2018—will you?

If so, and you’d like to find me when I’m not hanging with friends in the bar, wandering the dealers room, at the banquet losing my eighth Stoker Award, or out recording new episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast (as I did with William F. Nolan, Elizabeth Hand, Dennis Etchison, Nancy Holder, and George R. R. Martin at StokerCon 2017 and Lynne Hansen and Jeff Strand, Maria Alexander, Mary Turzillo, Linda Addison, and Gene O’Neill at StokerCon 2016), here’s my assigned programming.

What’s Left to Say About the Dead that Walk?
Thursday, 4:00 p.m.
Have we reached “peak zombie?” Given the seemingly endless popularity of zombies in horror fiction and media it seems unlikely! Why do zombies remain so beloved by horror fans after more than twenty years of non-stop popularity in fiction, comics, television, and movies? What makes the walking dead so resilient? Are there still fresh, original stories to tell here?
with Marc Abbott, Jennifer Brozek, Craig Engler, Kristine Scheiner, and Daniel Waters

Reading
Friday, 11:00 a.m.
I’ll likely read an except from from Stoker Award-nominated novelette “Faking It Until Forever Comes.”
with Randy D. Rubin and Sara Tantlinger

Essential Works of Graphic Horror-Comic Books
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
Horror comics have a long and gruesome publishing history. From the 1947 publication of Eerie # 1, the first dedicated horror comic, through the E.C. Comics of the 1950s, the horror renaissance in the 1970s, and into the Vertigo era of the 1980s and 90s, horror comics have been a mainstay for publishers. Today, The Walking Dead is among the most popular comics in print. Creators, such as Mike Mignola and Scott Snyder, keep the genre dark and spooky. What are the landmark works of horror comics? Why are they so significant? How do they illustrate the evolving nature of the horror genre?
with Paul Di Fillipo; Panelists: Michele Brittany, Robert Payne Cabeen, Nathan Carson, Scott Edelman, James Moore

Voice, Tense, and Narrators
Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
How authors tell a story is as important as the story they tell. The choice of voice and tense directly affects the reader’s experience and defines their connection to the characters. What are the pros and cons of different voices, such as third-person limited, first person, and second person; tense, past or present; and narrators, from unreliable to omniscient. How do these choices shape one’s storytelling? How can they influence the reader’s experience and affect your work’s chances of being published?
with Marc Abbott, Ed Kurtz, Curtis Lawson, Elizabeth Massie, and Kathleen Scheiner

Edit Your Way Past the Slush Pile
Sunday, 11:00 a.m.
The competition to stand out is stiff. Often slush readers review hundreds of submissions before selecting a mere handful to pass on to an editor. What are the top edits to make to any manuscript to help you skip the slush pile and get published? What are the mistakes to avoid?
with Karen Bovenmyer, Julie Day, Wayne Edwards, Erin Roberts

I hope to see you there!