I'm thrilled to be attending Chattacon 44 this weekend here in Chattanooga, TN, USA. It's hard to believe, but this will be my fifth Chattacon (okay, it's not that hard to believe based on evidence from this blog from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018). This year Chattacon will be at the Read House Hotel, which is a really nice place in a great location for restaurants in easy walking distance.
This year I'll be on a few panels, some with people I met at Chattacon in previous years. You can find the full programming schedule here, but this is what I'll be doing.
- Writing Horror- The Long and Short of It. (Fri. 5pm)
This panel will discuss writing stories designed to discomfort, distress and terrify their readers. Panelists will compare writing short stories vs. novels.
- What in Hell do We Want from Horror? (Sat. 11am)
What is it that draws us to horror stories, both in print and on film? Sure, some fans enjoy being “scared” within safe boundaries and established time limits, but is there something more? Some surprising answers recently came to light in a college Philosophy class. Come share your own opinions!
(NOTE: The "college Philosophy class" in question is my class from last fall on horror and philosophy. I'll probably talk about some issues that come up in books like Noël Carroll's The Philosophy of Horror. Thanks to Greg Nicoll for organizing this one!)
- Gaslighting in the 21st Century (Sat. 2pm)
Gaslighting is manipulation through denial, misdirection, contradiction and lying. Could our modern times, with fake news, contrived crises, and paranoid finger pointing be an example of mass gaslighting? An intriguing device for fiction writers.
- What Do Utopia and Dystopia Do For Us? (Sun. 11am)
What do we learn from dystopias like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Postman, or The Parable of the Sower?
(NOTE: This one was my suggestion, and I appear to be the only assigned panelist. If you'll be at Chattacon and are interested in joining me as a panelist on this one, let me know!)
- Horror in the Modern World (Sun. 1pm)
It was one thing to create horror stories when candlelight kept the dark, and what lurked in the dark, at bay. But in a world constantly alight, where peoples fear terrorism more than ghostly visits, how the hell do you survive as an author of horror?
I'm really looking forward to these panels. To learn more about other panels and all the non-panel events at Chattacon, check out the official website. Onward to Chattacon!
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