Readercon 2026!

The Readercon 2026 schedule is out! This year, I'm on programming about cannibalism, our current political horrors, and, most nefarious of all, hope. See you there.

Writing Horror in Horrifying Times

Salon A/B Thursday, July 9, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Terence Taylor (m), F. Brett Cox, Gillian Daniels, Ian Muneshwar, Mike Allen, Scott Edelman

From its opening in 1897 to its closing in 1962, the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris specialized in horror shows. In an interview conducted after its closure, its last director explained, 'We could never compete with Buchenwald. Before the war, everyone believed that what happened on stage was purely imaginary; now we know that these things--and worse--are possible." How does one produce meaningful horror fiction when the tools feel blunted by reality? What elements of horror have retained their effectiveness in the face of daily headlines?

Defining the Monstrous

Mike Allen (m), Catt Kingsgrave, F. Brett Cox, Gillian Daniels, Kit Sedia 

Salon A/B Thursday, July 9, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

From Grendel to the cultured medieval werewolf tales of Marie de France to the contemporary novels of John Wiswell, defining and understanding the monstrous has always been a task we set ourselves, alongside defining humanity itself. Who gets to decide what a monster is? How have these definitions changed and shifted? And what does it mean when the boundary between human and monster disappears entirely?

Literary Cannibalism

Lark Morgan Lu (m), Charles Allison, Gillian Daniels, Jessica Levai, Sunny Moraine 

Salon C/D Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT

In Tender Is the Flesh-Eating: The Literary Cannibal as Exploitation and Desire, Wen-yi Lee asks, "What’s up with all the cannibals right now?" and suggests that "cannibalism is the perfect mechanism to explore different wants to possess a body: be it wanting to exploit, wanting to enact revenge, or wanting as loving desire." Let's discuss the literary cannibal, and what stories about very literally consuming each other accomplish.

This Group Reading Will Eat You Now

Andrea Martinez Corbin, Gillian Daniels, Ian Muneshwar

Empower / Embrace Saturday, July 11, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

A group reading featuring stories (not all involving cannibalism) by Andrea Martinez Corbin, Gillian Daniels, and Ian Muneshwar.

The Limits of Hope: A Meditation on Fiction as an Activist Force

E. C. Ambrose (m), Daniel José Older, Gillian Daniels, Marissa Lingen, Michael J. DeLuca

Salon C/D Sunday, July 12, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

In a keynote at the 2025 Locus Awards, Sarah Gailey challenged the focus on literature conferring hope on the reader, asking, "Are we here to provide comfort to the inert? Are we here to reassure people that experiencing a positive feeling is the end of their work?" They noted that hopelessness, fear, and despair all can be motivating, but regardless, "you are also powerful enough to act on your principles even when they oppose your emotions." How can we keep a clear eye about the practical effects of stories? How can we take lessons from fiction and writing and apply them to activism?

StokerCon 2026

This is the first time I'll be doing panels at StokerCon! For 2026, the horror convention is in Pittsburgh, June 4-June 7. I'm thrilled to be a part of their programming. I'll be reading from my debut, Jenny Will Eat You Now, and happy to buy a few folks a drink at the hotel bar.


Out of the Shadows: the Evolution of Horror into Everyday Life
Friday June 5, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Westmoreland

In the 20th century, horror moved out of the realm of antiquarians, mad scientists, old dark houses, and forgotten villages–and into the modern world! Richard Matheson pioneered the idea of the common man as a horror protagonist in I Am Legend and The Shrinking Man and decades later, Stephen King made the everyman central to the genre with characters such as Carrie White, Jack Torrance, Johnny Smith, Stu Redman, and others living ordinary lives invaded by horrors they never sought or contemplated. Ira Levin wrote about an ordinary young couple starting out in New York City in Rosemary’s Baby, and Joyce Carol Oates wrote about teenage murderer, Richard Everett, in Expensive People. What made this brand of horror so popular. How has it influenced the genre? Did it hold it back creatively or help expand interest to general readers?

Tom Deady (mod), Nat Cassidy, Gillian Daniels, Sephera Giron, John G. Hartness, Kevin Lucia

Author Readings

Saturday June 6, 2026 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT

Fayette

J.R. Blanes, Pauline Chow, Gillian Daniels

Sludging Through Doom: Heavy Metal and Horror History

Sunday June 7, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am

Westmoreland

Good horror disturbs and distorts reality with all the fuzz of a heavy metal guitar pedal. And metal music, for its part, has long drawn inspiration from the genre of the supernatural and occult. In "Sludging through Doom," panelists will explore how the horror genre has intersected with heavy metal music across time and how horror writers continue to derive inspiration from the scary music genre, banging their heads as they bang stories out on their keyboards.

Michael Arnzen (mod), John Collins, Brian Cummings, Edward J. Flora, Gillian Daniels, Jo Kaplan

 

Love in the Time of Galleys

Please enjoy this very kind newsletter update, Falling In Love with a Book, from my literary agent, Jenna Satterthwaite. I certainly did! Jenna recounts finding my book, now known as Jenny Will Eat You Now, in her slush pile during Christmas. Once I signed with her, she sold it about two weeks after it went out on submission. She also helped me get a film coagent.

Jenna's a powerhouse agent. I'm so happy she found me. 

Want to read the book yourself? For those who are signed up for NetGalley, good news! You can grab an early copy here. 

JENNY WILL EAT YOU NOW! Or, at least, in September 2026!

She's here, she's hungry, and she's available for pre-order wherever you get your books, audiobooks, and ebooks! Hope everyone enjoys (and survives) their time with Jenny this coming September!

Look at this cover! Gallery Books including designer Kelli McAdams knocked this out of the park. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Again, please pre-order and I certainly recommend supporting your local bookstore!  

Boskone: Now With(out) Censorship!

Instead of four program items for this upcoming Boskone, I'm happy to say I'll now be on five! I volunteered to be on the Censorship & How to Fight It panel. In not just our current national moment, but every moment, this is an important subject. I hope I can do it justice as a panelist.

Censorship & How to Fight It Harbor III Program Panel Sun 11:30 AM Duration: 01:00  

For the first time in ages, our government has spoken out in favor of censorship.  Has that impacted your writing (or reading or viewing)?  What are some of the effective ways to counter censorship?

Michael A. Ventrella (mod), Kevin McLaughlin,  Melinda M. Snodgrass, Gillian Daniels

Boskone 2026: Body Horror, Garbage, and Poetry!

This year, I'm on four programming items for Boskone, February 13-15, 2026! Do swing by if you like body horror, garbage (first drafts), poetry, or all of the above.

Body Horror in Fiction & Media Harbor III Fri 7:00 PM Duration: 01:00  

Body horror gets under your skin. Is it being embodied as inherently upsetting? How can body horror portray liberating transformation/acceptance of that horror?  The term "body horror" didn't seem common in public until 2024--how long has it really been around?

Justin C. Key, Bracken MacLeod, Gillian Daniels, Rebecca Rowland, RJ Taylor, Nicholas Kaufmann


How to Keep Writing When Your First Draft Is Garbage Harbor III Sat 1:00 PM Duration: 01:00  

Sometimes you write a draft that either you (or your writers' group) decides it's no good.  So what do you do?  Do you trash the draft?  Do you start something new?  Or do you decide to revise again?  How do you decide?

Charles Oberndorf, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jeanne Cavelos, Lyndsay Ely, Gillian Daniels


Reading: Gillian Daniels Independence Sat 4:00 PM Duration: 00:25


Poetry Slam Carlton Sun 1:00 PM Duration: 01:00  

Listen to poetry from some of Boskone's writers.

Romie Stott, Rob Cameron, Gillian Daniels, Courtney Floyd, Theodora Goss, Michael McAfee, Julia Rios