Well, it’s almost here…
The 2011 World Horror Convention will be in Austin from April 28, 2011 to May 1, 2011. You’ve probably seen a few announcements here at Old Major’s Dream about this one, as I’ll be managing the Dealer’s Room as well as participating in the events. But this is probably the biggest announcement yet…the calendar of events. That’s right. Want to know what’s going to be happening over the weekend? Your answers are right here.
Nick Mamatas and Martel Sardina worked incredibly hard to put this program together, and it shows. My hats off to both of them.
So, here it is, the program of events:
Nate Southard and Lee Thomas
Co-Chairs, World Horror Con 2011
SPECIAL NOTE: Guests of Honor will be performing readings as part of their Q&A sessions.
All programming is final.
THURSDAY, APRIL 28
OPENING CEREMONIES
6:30 PM – Phoenix Central
What Do Editors Want?
8:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central
Jonathan Oliver, R.J. Cavender (M), Roy Robbins, Andrew Fuller, Liz Gorinsky
Editors don’t want to send out endless numbers of form rejection slips, but they do. Nor do they want to dig through piles of unsolicited submissions, though sometimes they must. Do editors really just want “a good story” after all? Come grill a few editors from publishing companies and magazines, and find out!
Reading – Benjamin Kane Etheridge
8:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
Reading – Joel Sutherland
8:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
What The Hell Happened in the 2000s?
9:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central
Monica O’Rourke, C. Mellick III, Brett Savory, F. Paul Wilson, Vincent Chong, John Everson (M), Gene O’Neill
Horror boomed in the 1980s, and busted in the 1990s. How will the years 2000-2010 be remembered? Did the Internet save the day, or did ebooks ruin everything? Has horror become a subgenre of romance? Are those signed/limited editions actually going to be worth anything some day? Our panelists have lived through the 2000s, and they have stories to share.
Reading – Jesse Bullington
9:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
Reading – Molly Tanzer
9:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
How Much Money Do We Make?
10:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Phoenix Central
Victoria Blake, Del Howison (M), Brian Keene, Rose O’Keefe, Yvonne Navarro,
Not a lot, probably. Talking about money is the last taboo, and horror is nothing but the genre of taboo breaking. Come hear from authors, publishers, booksellers, and more about that most vital of professional questions—“Are you rich yet?”
Reading – Sylvia Shults
10:00 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
Reading – Norman Prentiss
10:30 PM Thursday April 28 – Robertson
_____________________________________________________________________________
FRIDAY, APRIL 29
Pitch Workshop/Editor Meet-and-Greet
10:00 AM Friday, April 29 – Dover’s Banquet Room
Reading – Yvonne Navarro
10:00 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Weston Ochse
10:30 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Why Write Short Stories?
11:00 AM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
Joe Hill, Suzanne Church, Orrin Grey, Claude Lalumière, Molly Tanzer (M), Brad Sinor
Eighty years ago, the pulp magazines had millions of readers, and paid one to five cents a word for short fiction. Today, the magazines have thousands of readers at best and…still pay one to five cents a word. Why bother writing what almost nobody reads and what the marketplace has declared is worth virtually nothing?
Reading – Livia Llewellyn
11:00 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Simon Stranzas
11:30 AM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Broad Universe Broad Universe is an international organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres. Readings by: April Grey (M), Leadie Jo Flowers, Jessica Reisman, and Camille Alexa.
12:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Broad Universe
12:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Brian Keene Seminar
1:00 – 5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Boardroom
Requires pre-registration. SOLD OUT!
Reading – Dark Arts Books Author Showcase Featuring Gary McMahon and S.G. Browne
1:00 – 2:00 PM, Friday April 29 – Robertson
Join host John Everson as Dark Arts Books presents readings from their latest anthology, SWALLOWED BY THE CRACKS.
Guest of Honor Q&A – Brett Alexander Savory/Sandra Kasturi (interviewed by Colleen Anderson)
1:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
The Horror of Workshops, Classes, and MFA Programs
1:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
Sarah Langan, Livia Llewellyn, Lee Thomas (M), Sheldon S. Higdon
Edgar Allan Poe never took a creative writing class, but today’s aspirants have many choices—Borderlands’ Boot Camp, Clarion, MFA programs, local writers’ groups, and more. Are academics still biased against horror? Heck, are science fiction and mystery writers still biased against horror? Can one even write the stuff without getting into trouble with sensitive classmates? Learn how to avoid a nightmare workshop.
Book Launch – EDGE Books
2:00 – 4:00 PM, Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite
Join hosts Michael Kelly and Jaym Gates for the multi-author book launch of “Chilling Tales”, “Rigor Amortis”, and “Those Who Fight Monsters”. Plus get a special sneak peek of EDGE’s Fall Horror line up, including “EVOLVE Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead”, and “Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes.”
New Blood
2:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
Rio Youers, John Horner Jacobs, John Rector, Jesse Bullington (M), Guido Henkel, Norman Prentiss
“Horror is dead”—everyone knows that. Except for these new novelists. What does the next generation of horror writer have to say about breaking in and making a career in the horror field?
What Happens To Your Book After It Sells?
2:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
Yanni Kuznia (M), Mel Odom, Louis Greenberg, Matt Moore, Del Howison
Selling a book isn’t the last step; in many ways it’s the first. Hear what editors, copy-editors, designers, publicists, and booksellers have planned for you, and how best to work with the professionals that could make, or perhaps even break, your career.
Guest of Honor Q&A – Joe Hill (interviewed by Bev Vincent)
3:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
3:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
Sandra Kasturi (M), Steve Niles, Ben Kane Ethridge, John Mantooth, Weston Ocshe
Elmore Leonard’s rules for writing begin with an absolute: “Never open a book with weather.” But the weather can be important for setting mood, establishing location, and in some stories can even be a major part of the plot. How is weather best handled in fiction, and what clichés must be avoided? Must it always rain at a funeral?
Artists Are People Too!
4:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
Scott Edelman, Russell Dickerson (M), Vincent Chong, Steve Niles, GAK
Thanks to the Internet, a right-click of the mouse lets anyone copy an artist’s work right off the Web. It’s not unusual for someone to look at a piece and declare, “My kid could paint that!” or to assume that art’s easy—just be creative once in a while and then the money flows in. We’ve heard from writers about their rights; now it’s time to hear from artists.
Frightening Small Children
4:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
Jordan Hamessley (M), Joel A. Sutherland, Lynne Hansen, Dottie Enderle
It sounds easy, but it’s not, if only because parents and teachers are lurking behind every corner, ready to ruin the fun. How do authors approach writing horror for children and middle-grade readers, and what’s hot in this section of the market today?
Reading – Rio Youers
4:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Peter Straub
4:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Guest of Honor Q&A – Vincent Chong (interviewed by Gak)
5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
The Horror of the Academy
5:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
SJ Chambers (M), Stephen Graham Jones, Helen Marshall, Chesya Burke, John Langan, Matt Cardin
The Gothic is a major part of literary history, but that doesn’t mean you can write a term paper about last week’s horror paperback and get away with it. What’s the state of literary criticism’s relationship with horror today, and what’s the best way for horror-loving students and scholars to navigate the academy?
Reading – John Everson
5:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Joe Lansdale
5:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
BREAK
Guest of Honor Q&A – Jack Ketchum (interviewed by Wrath James White)
7:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Phoenix Central
Why Horror Movies Are Terrible
7:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala
Brad Keene, Thomas Sipos, Joe Hill, SG Browne, Gemma, Files (M), Mark Wheaton
It’s not even a question—most horror movies are terrible, with stories that would be rejected from the smallest zine, acting to embarrass late-night Creature Feature hosts, and YouTube-ready cinematography. But WHY? Is it truly difficult to make an effective horror film, or are the producers and audience just so indiscriminate that quality isn’t worth the bother?
Reading – Simon Clark
7:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – John Llewellyn Probert
7:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
THE WHC CARNIVAL and Damnation Books–Book Launch
8:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Multiple Spaces
The traditional Art Show Reception has gotten Austin-ized with a multi-event carnival, taking place throughout the hotel! In addition to the Art Show Reception, we’re offering Drinks, Nibbles, Movies, Live Art Show, Cthulu Revival Meeting (you read that right), and the…
Damnation Books–Book Launch
8:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite
Come meet some of the folks inside Damnation Books. The publishers and a few editors will be in the house, as well as some of Damnation Books’ authors. Join us to relax, listen to a few readings while enjoying refreshments. Prizes throughout the night.
Reading – Brian Keene
10:00 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Reading – Mary SanGiovanni
10:30 PM Friday April 29 – Robertson
Chizine Party
10:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Convention Suite
Books! Babes! Booze! CZP co-publishers Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi—with authors Gemma Files, David Nickle, Claude Lalumière, and more—will treat you to a dazzling night of books and booze (you’re on your own for the babes) to celebrate our new Spring titles. Join us!
__________________________________________________________________________
SATURDAY, APRIL 30
Vampire Mega-Panel
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
David Wellington, Nate Southard (M), Marcus Pelegrimas, Joe Garden, Colleen Anderson, Steve Niles,
Scary. Sexy. Grotesque. Dreamy. Vampires are the unquestioned champs of horror monsters, and they are everywhere. This extended panel will look at all things vampire as they continue to dominate the dark side.
Reading – Juan Perez
10:00 AM Saturday April 30 – Dezavala
Reading – Gary Clark
10:30 AM Saturday April 30 – Dezavala
Reading – Suzanne Church
10:00 AM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – Angel Leigh McCoy
10:30 AM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
I’ll Kill You With My Bare Hands! (Well, Maybe a Gun…)
11:00 AM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala
Brian Keene, Joe Lansdale (M), Wrath James White, Hank Schwaeble, Lincoln Crisler, Sandra Wickham, Adam Coates
Violence is easy, but writing violence is difficult. Hear from martial artists, gun aficionados, and combat veterans on how to get the blood, guts, and fistfights correct.
Reading – Scott Edelman
11:00 AM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – Rain Graves
11:30 AM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
BREAK
Reading – Hank Schwaeble
12:00 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – Monica O’Rourke
12:30 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Horror Without Stephen King
1:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Jack Ketchum, Lawrence Person (M), Del Howison, William Nolan, Rocky Wood, Bev Vincent
Stephen King is the undisputed grandmaster of modern horror. But what if he had never lived, or went right to publishing literary fiction without ever writing a single scary story. What would the field look like today without the man from Maine? Would there even be a horror genre as we know it?
The End of Good Advice
1:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala
Mikal Trimm, Ian Rogers (M), Vanessa Fewings, Peter Straub, Gord Rollo, Wayne Allen Sallee
In the old days, there were a few solid ways to build a career—get some attention with short stories, or get an agent and sell a novel to New York. But good advice often has an expiration date, especially in the rapidly changing publishing field of the Internet era. What good old advice still works, and what new advice do the old pros not even know?
Reading – Wrath James White
1:00 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – John Langan
1:30 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Book Launch – Bad Moon Books
2:00 – 4:00 PM, Saturday, April 29 – Robertson
Book launch for two new titles from Bad Moon Books. Joe McKinney’s tale of killer ants gone bad, The Red Empire; and Gene O’Neill’s haunting tale of a man’s struggle against forces he cannot comprehend, Not Fade Away. Don’t miss meeting these two fabulous authors and grabbing these great new titles.
The Future of the Book
2:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Jeff Burk, Kim Glichrist, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Robert Fleck, Joe Hill, Fred Venturini
Ebooks make up ten percent of the trade marketplace, and that number is only going to grow. One of the most successful new writers around self-publishes novels through Kindle, and sells hundreds of thousands of copies each month. People read on their phones and MP3 players even as bookstore chains close hundreds of stores. What will books, and book deals, look like in ten years? Hell, what will they look like next week!
Genre Mash-Ups
2:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala
Sarah Langan, Cathy Clamp, (M), Sandra Kasturi, C. Cameron Pierce, Robert Boyczuk, Paul Tremblay
Horror is a genre of tone and emotional response, and as such it can be found virtually anywhere: in literary fiction, romance, crime, science fiction, and even experimental fiction. Find out how best to get the peanut butter in your chocolate (chocolate in your peanut butter?) with some of the field’s favorite genrebenders.
Guest of Honor Q&A – Sarah Langan (interviewed by David Wellington).
3:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Commonwealth Horror
3:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala
Simon Stranzas, Brett Savory, Allyson Bird, Gary McMahon (m), Simon Clark
Does horror from the nations of the Commonwealth of Nations—Great Britain, Canada, Australia, etc. —read differently from horror from the US, or other parts of the world? Is there such a thing as a Commonwealth aesthetic, and if so, what is it? Do the non-Anglophone members of the Commonwealth such as Cyprus or Jamaica have a commonwealth aesthetic?
How To Break In To Comics
4:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Steve Niles, Joe Hill, Brian Keene, Joe Lansdale, James Chambers
Comics are fun! Comics are colorful! Comics are…gross? The rise of an adult audience for comics means that horror is back in all its four-panel glory, but what does it take to write for the comics industry? Do you need art skills, or an artist of your own? Can a beginner get a crack at established characters? No cliffhangers here, we’ll just tell you!
Reading – William Ollie
4:00 PM Saturday April 30 – Dezavala
Reading – Claude Lalumière
4:00 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – Wayne Allen Sallee
4:30 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Guest of Honor Q&A – Steve Niles (interviewed by Scott Edelman).
5:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Things We Used To Care About
5:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Dezavala
Brian Keene (M), Chad Savage, Lois Gresh, Kelly Laymon, Rain Graves, Chad Hensley
Splatterpunk versus quiet horror! Dare you publish a story on the Internet?? Which email newsletter should I read first? Will role-playing games save the genre? And how’s about all those great new small presses that are being founded every month? On this panel we talk about the old controversies and contentious issues that history has solved for us.
Reading – Jeff Strand
5:00 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
Reading – F. Paul Wilson
5:30 PM Saturday April 30 – Robertson
MASS SIGNING!
7:30 – 10:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central
Cutting Block Press Party
10:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Convention Suite
Cutting Block Press celebrates the pre-launch of the sequel to the highly acclaimed long fiction anthology Tattered Souls. While Tattered Souls 2 will be coming out this summer, there will be a number of copies available for this pre-release, and several authors/editors including Chief Editor Frank J. Hutton will be in attendance. Please enjoy a variety of refreshments including beer, margaritas, wine, and specialty ice teas, and rumor has it there will be a surprise pizza run late night.
______________________________________________________________________
SUNDAY, MAY 1
Zombies Mega-Panel
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala
Joe McKinney (M), RJ Sevin, Julia Sevin, Nathan Robert Brown, John Skipp
Fast ones. Slow ones. Sharp as tacks. Dumb as stumps. Zombies have gnawed their way into the cultural consciousness, and their ranks continue to swell. Discuss all things Zombie with a panel of authors and editors, and find out where this popular trend is headed.
Technology and Art
10:00 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala
Chad Savage, Vincent Chong, John Picacio
How are digital technology, new materials, and even the ease of multimedia creation changing horror art? What’s next for the field, and how horror art is created and distributed.
Reading – Scott A. Johnson
10:00 AM Sunday, May 1 – Robertson
Reading – Sheldon Higdon
10:30 AM Sunday, May 1 – Robertson
Which Religion is the Correct One?
11:00 AM Sunday, May 1 – Dezavala
Don Webb, Matt Cardin (M), Scott A Johnson
We’re not letting our panelists out till they decide.
World Horror Society Board Meeting
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sunday, May 1 – Convention Suite
Comments? Questions? Ask the members of the World Horror Society until noon, at which point the meeting closes to the public.
Reading – Dark Region Press Author Showcase – Joe Morey (M)
11:00 AM to closing Sunday, May 1 – Robertson
Join host Joe Morey for readings from DRP’s recent publications.
Closing Ceremonies
1:00 PM Sunday May 1 – Pre-Function Area
Old Major's Dream 