I had an terrific time at this convention, constantly being surrounded by authors, editors, screenwriters, and directors. The place was buzzing from the collective energy of so many storytellers discovering, debating, honoring and creating stories. I could not have picked a better writer’s conference to be my first. So much happened and I met so many people, that I hope I can capture it all in this post.
- John R. Little and Lisa Morton did a fantastic job putting the convention together. Managing chaos is always a difficult task, but things went smoothly, panels were well organized, the kaffeeklatsches were great and the overall experience was wonderful.
- The Panels:
- A Chat with Mick Garris and John Farris (moderated by Del Howison): Hearing about their experiences with adapting work for film (The Fury) or creating a whole new anthology show (Masters of Horror), gave you a taste of the BS behind the magic. Finding out what happened to the third season of Masters of Horror, straight from the horse’s mouth, was the highlight for me.
- Editing an Anthology with Bill Breedlove, RJ Cavender, Chad Helder, Stephen Jones, and Vince A. Liaguno (moderated by Ellen Datlow): The conversations were quite heated in this panel with the old masters on one side of the table and the (relatively) new kids on the block at the other. The strong opinions and unique personalities made me look forward to my kaffeeklatsch and also made me check out another panel I hadn’t planned on attending.
- GLBT in Horror with Hal Bodner, Chad Helder and Vince A. Liaguno (moderated by Maria Alexander): Having seen Chad and Vince at the Anthology panel, I was interested in hearing more from these guys. This panel ended up being more of a conversation between the audience and the authors. Several good points were debated, such as whether or not the gay community should take ownership of their stereotypes (a la Bamboozled). I was impressed by the well thought out point and counter points from all participants which surprisingly, didn’t devolve into a shouting match.
- Some of the other panels I enjoyed in smaller bite sized amounts as opposed to sticking around for the entire thing. There was so much happening at the same time, that I wished I could have split myself in two to enjoy it all.
- Writing Workshop by Mort Castle: This was the main draw for my attending the conference. Everything I had heard about his workshop was great and he did not disappoint. He wasn’t a touchy feeling kumbaya kinda guy trying to get you in touch with your “inner writer” and neither was he a caustic venomous bastard shredding people apart just because he could. He was fair and truthful in his assessments with the overriding focus being about the joy we tap into when writing. He was definitely a throwback from the early Jazz days, chatting about the “cats” he’d come across in his career and some of the cooler “gigs” he’d been on. He was really easy going and truly in love with the craft. I had an amazing time at this workshop, writing about things I normally wouldn’t have and boiling it all down to the essence of what a story should convey.
- Dealer Room: A lot of cool stuff for sale from some interesting smaller presses. I picked up books from Cutting Block Press, Dark Arts Books, Dark Scribe Press and HWA’s recent anthology, Blood Lite. There were also many limited edition, rare and upscale items (i.e. hardcover omnibus edition of HP Lovecraft). With so many temptations, I decided to stick with anthologies which would expose me to the widest range of newer authors per book.
- Kaffeeklatsch with Stephen Jones: I had no idea what to expect with this, never having been to one of these before. Seeing Stephen in action at the Anthology panel let me know it would be an interesting experience to say the least. He discussed how he got started in the business by networking at conventions (which made me glad I was on the right track), his first forays into publishing, recent books and the upcoming World Horror Convention in Brighton, England. We also discussed what the best markets for horror in the UK were and at the end he gave us all limited edition books as a parting gift. It was a nice intimate experience with only 6 of us total.
- Stokers Banquet: Since I didn’t know any of the people on the ballot (at the time) and I wasn’t sure how the convention experience would be in general, I didn’t snag a ticket for this. From what I heard it was a great time.
- Stokers Banquet After Party: This I did attend and had an incredible time. Writing is a solitary endeavor, so when writers get mixed together in the same space it’s a sight to behold. Also, whenever you add authors and alcohol, you have a guaranteed good time. Phenomenal conversations, fans rubbing elbows with their idols, and everyone being very cool in general. I stumbled out of there around 2:30am with an ear to ear grin. There was no better way to end my convention experience.
Everyone was extremely supportive of each o
ther, which was the one thing that caught me by surprise. Of course you have your disagreements and egos, but all in all the atmosphere was positive and encouraging with everyone concentrating on the elevation of horror as a genre. I truly felt like I finally found my tribe and can’t wait to go to the next conference.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much for the recap. I haven’t attended a convention yet. You have convinced that an HWA event would be a great place to start. I hear the Brighton tickets will be sparse though. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I’m also worried about how many names and faces I would know. I could see me recognizing some obscure writer and not a big name.
Amen, my friend. Amen. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I sincerely hope to see you again at future events. I plan to be at Brighton, so if you’re going, see you there!