UPDATE: The poll is now closed!
Every morning I check all of my favorite literary sites to ensure that I am hip to all of the goings-on in the genre. This morning, while visiting Brian Keene’s site, I noticed a very interesting poll. Of course, this is pure speculation on my part but it appears as if Brian may be interested in starting his own convention which would be huge. Currently there are a handful of conventions devoted to genre literature (which is mildly surprising given the abundance of shows dedicated to genre films) and even fewer conventions that are run by authors for the fans.
We have seen many genre lit conventions go under and others cut down on their literary guests. Just take a look at how the guest list was handled for Horrorfind this year. Sure, they have secured two of my favorite authors with Ronald Malfi and Hunter Shea but it wasn’t given the same treatment as past years. Maybe there isn’t money to be made with genre authors or just maybe the perceived popularity isn’t there. Who knows? What I can say is that we need something big. We need a gathering that attracts authors from all of our beloved genres- not just horror. I picture something like WHC mixed with BizarroCon and set in a punk rock club. Sure, this may just be me dreaming but one can never be sure when Brian Keene is involved.
Now I have no idea what Brian has planned but if history is any indication, this will be a show unlike any other designed for the ultimate fan experience. I encourage everyone head on over to Brian’s site to vote and show him support in this endeavor.
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John Everson, Brian Moreland will also be at HorrorFind, along with some other talented Samhain authors. Why focus on HorrorFind specifically? I get your point, but you make it seem like the other authors, who you’ve reviewed on your site, are chopped meat. Con attendance was down this year everywhere. People cant afford to attend as many as they’d like to. I mean look at The Stokers teaming up with WHC. Why are they together? It’s all money.
Sorry, not that YOU’VE reviewed, but authors that have been reviewed on Dreadful Tales.
Thanks for the comment, Joe. I focused on Horrorfind because that is the con that I find to be the most fan-friendly. Of course, that is just my opinion but, based on that opinion, I use it as my barometer. I wasn’t commenting on the talent associated with this year’s Horrorfind but instead, how the author programming was handled. In past years there were major genre heavyweights announced along with the film guests. This year the authors really seemed to take a backseat to the other guests. We went months without any announcement and when it was finally made it was done with very little fanfare.
That was the point I was trying to make. In no way was I trying to insinuate that the actual authors attending were not extremely talented and well worth con-goers time and money.
Hi. I tried to access Brian’s site using the hot link in your article, but the link doesn’t appear to be active.
It should be fixed. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
Horrorfind has, as of late, been deemed a staple of horror fiction conventions, and most notably for the mid-list authors involved in the genre. It was always dealt with from a fan’s perspective, and often curated by an author or someone who was steeped in the genre to a great extent. Keene’s own involvement in scheduling authors was a boon to the genre, and aided in getting recognition to many up and comers as well as legends and old standards.
This year’s line-up, with exception given to Everson and Malfi, don’t represent much of the established voices in the community. Credit must be given to all of the Samhain crew, as they’re doing an amazing job at trying to lift the genre to new heights, but seeing some other folks out there soon would make the trip worthwhile for those of us outside the US.
The World Horror Convention, as amazing as it is always presented, caters to a very intimate crew. As does NEcon, Killercon, Festival of Fear, and several others. Horrorfind was, and is, the working man’s horror lit convention, and should be treated as such.
It’s my opinion that Horrorfind should be THE convention that horror authors attend if they want to touch base with their fan bases. WHC is always a great experience for many, but HF seems to have a less astute and more community oriented feel to it.
As far as other authors that have been reviewed on DT, and as a former reviewer and one of the people responsible for creating this site, I’d like to echo Pat’s sentiment that the fanfare was less than stellar. The authors reviewed on this site are not taken on based on their stature in the genre, but instead upon their work. Their appearance at any convention or 7/11 doesn’t weigh into the decision to review or not review.
To say anything else would be unjustified.
Pat is completely right, but I’ll go a bit further. The handling of Horrorfind this year is less than stellar. The genre would be better respected with a more colorful array of authors from many different cross-genre arenas, and would benefit from a wider selection. Now, being that it’s only July, I assume the powers that be will do everything they can in order to please the masses. Until then, my ticket will remain unsold, as I’m sure will be the same for many others.
If the guest list gets bigger, I’ll be the first to to rent a car and drive from Canada to check this out.
– Colum
My apologies.. I didn’t mean astute. I meant “clannish”.
*swoon