STOKERCON 2025
June 13-15, 2025
Hilton Stamford
Stamford, CT 06902
Arnzen will attend StokerCon 2025 in Connecticut!
Tickets to the convention are available on EventBrite, and early purchases are often eligible for a discount.
Currently slated guests of honor include: Adam Neville, Gaby Triana, Tim Waggoner, Graham Masterton and Paula Guran. Panels, readings, horror university workshops and more are all destined to transpire. As things develop, they will be posted at https://www.stokercon.com (and its connected “sched” page after you register). A portion of the con can be accessed virtually for a lesser charge.
I will often be found in the Dealer’s Room (in Grove Ballroom) where Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program will have an information table. Here are the other main activities I’m slated to participate in:
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Virtual Convention Panel – Online Only
Panelist, “Ghost Stories: From the Classics to the Modern”
with Eric J. Guignard (mod), Lisa Morton, KC Grifant, and Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito
Ghost stories offer a means to explore death and the unknown, while also connecting us to ancestors and the past. This panel will be a discussion on the history and importance of ghost stories, with examples of famous stories and authors, the psychology behind social fascination with it, a comparison across different cultures, and what are some of leading authors of today doing to expand our excitement for it.
Exclusively online. Additional ticket required for the virtual convention.
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Thurs., June 12, 2025, 5-6pm – Glen Room 1
Fiction & Poetry Reading
with Michael Arnzen, Robb Coutinho, and Mercedes M. Yardley
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Sat, June 14, 2025, 9-11am – Alder Room
Instructor, “The Uncanny & The Abject in Horror Fiction”
for HORROR UNIVERSITY sponsored by Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction
This two hour workshop will unravel the psychological theories of the Uncanny and the Abject. Together, we will explore how authors frighten, disturb and disgust the reader through analysis and open discussion. The class will involve short writing activities that will allow you to explore and practice the different techniques writers summon when triggering revulsion or conjuring dread.
Additional registration required.
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Sat, June 14, 2025, 2pm – Glen Room 2-3 & online
Panel Moderator: “Crafting Original Monsters”
with SA Barnes, Tim Waggoner, Cassandra Khaw, CJ Leede and Nat Cassidy.
The legendary pantheon of horror monsters is never too full! These innovative novels introduce a brand-new bestiary with creeping, crawling critters beyond your wildest nightmares. In this panel, authors will discuss how they developed these lustful zombies, apocalyptic students, and fears-made-flesh—and offer advice on how budding writers can develop unique monsters of their own.
Panel will also be live-streamed to virtual con registrants.
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Sat, June 14, 2025, 8pm – Grand Ballroom
Bram Stoker Award Ceremony
Arnzen is a finalist for the Bram Stoker award,
nominated in the category of Short Non-Fiction for his essay “Screamin’ in the Rain: The Orchestration of Catharsis in William Castle’s The Tingler”(What Sleeps Beneath, Dec 24)
Ceremony attendance is free (limited by space) and will be live-streamed. Sitting at the Banquet prior, however, requires a separate ticket purchase in advance.
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Visit www.stokercon2025.com to register and learn more.