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?
