Part of our one-day series exploring the Contemporary Gothic.

From Bram Stoker to Stephen King, as a society we have always been attracted to scary stories. Discussing everything from the Gothic tradition to the current resurgence in horror fiction, and the lasting appeal of ghost stories, the panel will attempt to answer the question: why do we love being scared?

Featuring Mark Morris, Alison Littlewood, Lucie McKnight Hardy and Dan Coxon.

Duration: 1 hour

Studio, Carriageworks Theatre

Award-winning writer and editor Mark Morris has around forty books and a dozen audio dramas to his name. His most recent work includes the Obsidian Heart trilogy (Titan Books), a 30th anniversary short story collection, Warts And All (PS Publishing), and, as editor, the anthologies After Sundown, Beyond the Veil and Close To Midnight (Flame Tree Press).

Lucie McKnight Hardy’s debut novel, Water Shall Refuse Them, was published by Dead Ink Books in 2019. Of her second book, Dead Relatives, the Guardian said, ‘This short story collection confirms the author’s reputation in the field of literary horror.’

Her website can be found at www.lmcknighthardy.com.

Alison Littlewood’s first book, A Cold Season, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. Her other titles include Mistletoe, The Hidden People, The Crow Garden and The Unquiet House. She wrote The Cottingley Cuckoo as A. J. Elwood, along with the forthcoming The Other Lives of Miss Emily White. Her short stories have been picked for a number of year’s best anthologies and she has won the Shirley Jackson Award for Short Fiction.

Dan Coxon’s non-fiction anthology Writing the Uncanny (co-edited with Richard V. Hirst) won the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction 2022, while his short story collection Only the Broken Remain (Black Shuck Books) was shortlisted for two British Fantasy Awards in 2021 (Best Collection, Best Newcomer). His latest anthology - Isolation - was published by Titan Books in September 2022.

You can find more of his writing at www.dancoxon.com.