Review: Writing the Uncanny: Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction (Coxon & Hirst, 2021)

I was excited to see that Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst recently won the British Fantasy Award for “Best Non-Fiction” with last year’s important release from dead ink books, called WRITING THE UNCANNY: Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction. Coxon and Hirst’s book is an excellent anthology of mostly-UK writers sharing their strategies for writing… Continue reading Review: Writing the Uncanny: Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction (Coxon & Hirst, 2021)

Folk Horror Expedition

I’ve been spending a lot of my research time lately investigating the subgenre of Folk Horror and enjoying what might be called the revival’s second wave, or a rising appreciation of it among cinephiles, spearheaded in recent days by the recent release of Kier-La Janisse’s documentary, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched from Severin Films. I’m… Continue reading Folk Horror Expedition

The Return of Dexter Notes

With the return of the television series, Dexter, after such a long hiatus (rebooted this November 2021 from Showtime as Dexter: New Blood), it is inevitable that so much of what we will see will hearken back to the past, uncanny as a visitation by a ghost as our memories are conjured up magically by… Continue reading The Return of Dexter Notes

New Online Course: “The Uncanny & The Abject”

“The Uncanny and The Abject”: Applying Psychology to Disturb the Reader Live Saturday, May 22, 5 P.M. EST — StokerCon 2021 Online Also Available Asynchronously Following the Event! Details TBA DESCRIPTION: This two hour online workshop will unravel the psychological theories of the Uncanny and the Abject. Together, we will explore how they pertain to… Continue reading New Online Course: “The Uncanny & The Abject”

Exploring Dark Short Fiction

I’ve been publishing as “Academic Advisor” to the Exploring Dark Short Fiction series of primers, put out by Dark Moon Books. Every title features a horror writer that deserves more attention particularly in the area of the short story, and includes four representative works plus a new short story they produce for the volume. I… Continue reading Exploring Dark Short Fiction

Doublement

One of the reasons that the Double is often considered frightening is because it represents a kind of evil twin — an Other that threatens the ego. We find such doubles everywhere — from fictional tales to unexpectedly catching our own reflections in the mirror. These encounters with the doppelgänger threaten to erase the ego… Continue reading Doublement

The Uncanny Mask in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Tree”

Charles Dickens is so well known for “A Christmas Carol,” that some of his other Christmas Tales are too sadly overlooked. In my favorite, the unassumingly-titled “A Christmas Tree,” the narrator muses over a tabletop Christmas Tree toy, and descends into haunted recollections about his own childhood toys and seasonal experiences in a manner that… Continue reading The Uncanny Mask in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Tree”

CALL FOR PAPERS: From Carmilla to Drusilla: Vampires Across Popular Culture (dl: Feb 15, 2018)

International Vampire Film and Arts Festival | 7-10 June 2018 | TRANSYLVANIA The third annual International Vampire Film and Arts Festival will take place in Sighisoara in Transylvania, Romania, on June 7th-10th, 2018. And to celebrate their popular fiction dual degree collaboration, WRITE TOGETHER — in which students earn an MA studying at Edinburgh Napier… Continue reading CALL FOR PAPERS: From Carmilla to Drusilla: Vampires Across Popular Culture (dl: Feb 15, 2018)

UO Feminist Media Studies Symposium (10-11 Feb 2017)

This Spring, the University of Oregon Cinema Studies program is hosting a Symposium on Feminist Media Studies in honor of the program founder, Kathleen Rowe Karlyn. Kathleen was my Ph.D. dissertation advisor in the UO English Department back in the late 90’s, helping guide me through the initial research and early draft of The Popular… Continue reading UO Feminist Media Studies Symposium (10-11 Feb 2017)

CALL FOR PAPERS: The Vampire Across Popular Culture (dl: Feb 1, 2017)

CALL FOR PAPERS CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: The Vampire Across Popular Culture INTERNATIONAL VAMPIRE FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL Transylvania, Romania May 25-28, 2017 http://www.ivfaf.com The second annual International Vampire Film and Arts Festival will take place in Sighisoara in Transylvania, Romania, on May 25th ‐ 28th 2017. [UPDATE: All paper presentations have been chosen for… Continue reading CALL FOR PAPERS: The Vampire Across Popular Culture (dl: Feb 1, 2017)