This Friday, March 12th, Austin’s legendary interactive, film, and music conference, South by Southwest, returns. With a history that reaches back to 1987, SXSW is an Austin institution. Since adding film and interactive programming in 1994, the conference and festival has become one of the nation’s premiere pop culture events.

This year, SXSW boasts a noticeable horror bent. The Midnighters film series showcases movies that are scary, sexy, and controversial, from rock ‘n’ roll vampire movie SUCK, which stars Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, and Alice Cooper, to Canuxploitation classic Cannibal Girls and the Gaspar Noé-helmed Enter the Void. The SX Fantastic series is a special programming track created by the fine folks at Fantastic Fest, Austin film festival celebrating the terrifying, controversial, and bizarre.

Click here for a full schedule of all films that will be screened next week!

The horror-themed fun doesn’t stop at theater, though! This year, the film conference features panels such as Slasher Films for Slasher Budgets: Making Microbudget Horror and Zombies, Vampires & Monsters: Fostering Loyal Genre Communities. With such a strong horror presence this year, it’s no wonder Austin is becoming a center for all things scary!

We’re only a few short days away from the Sixth Annual STAPLE! Independent Media Expo! That’s right! Please join committee members Nate Southard, Lee Thomas and Gabrielle Faust THIS WEEKEND! They will be in attendance taking registrations and handing out information on how you can join the 2011 horror convention in the ATX!

As always, we’re kicking things off in style with the traditional pre-party Meet and Greet at Austin Books and Comics, 5002 North Lamar Boulevard, this Friday, March 5th at 8pm. This is a great chance to chat with all your favorite STAPLE! Guests and Exhibitors in a casual setting at one of the best comic shops in the country.

Then Saturday morning, March 6, it’s STAPLE! Doors open at 11am, the show ends at 7pm and there’s great Programming all day! It starts off with two Q&A sessions: Guy Davis (BPRD, The Marquis) at noon, Andy Runton (Owly) at 1:30. Next up is a presentation by Chris Schweizer (Crogan’s Adventures) entitled “Twenty Common Cartooning Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them”, at 3pm. Last, but certainly not least, at 4:30 it’s an amazing performance of The Intergalactic Nemesis: The Living Comic Book – must be seen to be believed!

As if that weren’t enough, the party keeps on going that night at the Shangri-La, 1016 E 6th St. (just EAST of I-35) with the STAPLE! After Party Live Art Show and benefit for KOOP Radio, with DJ Digg, DJ LD and NET WT! Doors at 8, show starts at 10pm.

And if you just can’t wait for all the fun, then check out the STAPLE! Podcast page http://www.staple-austin.org/podcast/ where we’ve just posted FIVE brand new interviews with Guy Davis, Andy Runton, Joel Watson (Hijinks Ensue), Chris Schweizer and Jason Neulander (Intergalactic Nemesis), and get a little preview of all the great stuff coming up at this year’s STAPLE!

Black Static Magazine and WHC 2011 Short Story Contest:

In conjunction with Black Static Magazine, we are proud to announce the World Horror Convention 2011 Short Story Contest. Writers from around the world will be able to submit their most engaging and terrifying short fiction to our judging panel for the chance to have their story published.

And we do mean published! The winning entry will appear in the collectible WHC 2011 Souvenir Book, alongside work by Sarah Langan, Joe Hill, Steve Niles, Peter Crowther, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene and other top genre names. In addition to appearing in the Souvenir Book, the winning entry will be republished in Black Static Magazine and will be paid industry professional standard of .05 per word.

GUIDELINES:

1. Must have a WHC 2011 full membership or supporting membership at time of story submission to participate. No exceptions.

2. WHC 2011 committee, contest judges, and their families are ineligible.

3. We are seeking stories 500 – 4,000 words. Though this contest is open to international authors, all submissions must be submitted in English.

4. Traditional manuscript format: Double-spaced; 1-inch margins; paragraphs indicated by indent not extra line space; 12-point type presented in a clear, readable font (Times, Times New Roman).

5. On the first page of the story, please include Story Title, Author Name and Contact Information, and Word Count. A cover letter is not necessary and will not be forwarded to the judges.

6. This will be a blind submission, meaning author names and identifiers will be stripped from the document before being presented to judges. Page number and story title should appear in the Header.

7. Open submission dates – August 31st-Oct. 31st, 2010 (Midnight, Central Standard Time). Any submissions that arrive before or after the submission period will be deleted, unread.

8. No reprints. No simultaneous submissions. No multiple submissions. If a story is found to be in violation of any of the above, it will be disqualified from the contest.

9. Authors will receive confirmation that their stories have been received. Due to the nature of the contest, we will not be sending out rejection notices. We understand this is an inconvenience to authors and apologize (The committee is comprised of authors and empathize, but due to the nature of the contest, it just isn’t possible). Please consider your story under consideration until the winner is named. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 27, 2011.

10. Electronic submissions only! An email address for submissions will be announced the week before the open reading period begins.

11. Confirmed judges – who will pick the 3 finalists from the story submissions:

Nicholas Kaufmann – author of the Bram Stoker Award-nominated General Slocum’s Gold, as well as Chasing the Dragon, Walk In Shadows, and (as Gabriel Hunt) Hunt at World’s End. www.nicholaskaufmann.com

Weston Ochse – won the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel, and has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction, as well as the Pushcart Prize for short fiction. His most recent novel is Empire of Salt. www.westonochse.com

Mary SanGiovanni – author of the Bram Stoker-nominated The Hollower and its sequel, Found You. She has a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives in NJ with her son. www.marysangiovanni.com

Wrath James White – acclaimed author of Succulent Prey, The Resurrectionist, The Book of a Thousand Sins, His Pain, and Population Zero. http://wordsofwrath.blogspot.com/

12. The winning title will be chosen from the 3 finalists by one of WHC 2011’s Guests of Honor.

13. We ask that you not contact the judges in regard to the contest. They might get grumpy. Please direct all questions to Lee Thomas at info [at] whc2011.org. (And no, that’s not the submission address).

VINCENT CHONG ADDED AS ARTIST GUEST OF HONOR FOR WORLD HORROR CONVENTION 2011
Two-time winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist joins all-star convention line-up.

Austin – January 21: The World Horror Convention 2011 is honored to announce the addition of visionary artist and designer, Vincent Chong, as Artist Guest of Honor. The international conference of horror’s premier talents and their fans will take place in Austin, Texas from April 28th through May 1st, 2011.

“I’ve been a fan of Vinny’s work for years,” said convention co-chair Lee Thomas. “His use of texture and color are stunning, unique, and have put him in high demand the world over. It’s rare to find an artist whose work elicits such a strong sense of foreboding, particularly when the images he creates are so strikingly beautiful. Vinny is a wonder, and we can’t wait to bring him to the U.S. to meet his fans.”

Vincent Chong works as a freelance illustrator and designer in the UK. He has worked with clients from around the world on projects ranging from book and magazine illustrations to album art. His incredible illustrations have adorned the covers of the top names in horror fiction, including works by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell, Joe Hill, Simon Clark, and others.

Chong joins award-winning authors Steve Niles, Joe Hill, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, and Brian Keene on the WHC 2011 guest list. Additional Guests of Honor will be announced in the months to come. A website featuring convention and hotel information, registration, and more is live at www.whc2011.org.

The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals in the horror industry: publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating All Things Scary.

Visit our guests at:
Steve Niles: www.steveniles.com
Joe Hill: www.joehillfiction.com
Sarah Langan: www.sarahlangan.com
Joe R. Lansdale: www.joerlansdale.com
Brian Keene: www.briankeene.com
Vincent Chong: www.vincentchong-art.co.uk

For more information please contact Nate Southard at registration [at] whc2011.org or Lee Thomas at info [at] whc2011.org.

First off, a quick note about registration. As many of the committee members were overwhelmed with the holidays we were not able to make announcements about early registration the way we had intended. In lieu of this, we have extended the early-early registration discount. World Horror Convention 2011 memberships are available now through Feb. 28th, 2010 at the discounted rate of $90. After that, registration will go up to $110 until September 1.

AND now for the big news!

STEVE NILES ADDED AS MEDIA GUEST OF HONOR FOR WORLD HORROR CONVENTION 2011

Graphic novel icon and creator of 30 Days of Night joins a stellar line-up for Austin convention.

Austin – January 4: The World Horror Convention 2011 is honored to announce the addition of graphic novel great and screenwriter, Steve Niles, to its list of guests. The international conference of horror’s premier talents and their fans will take place in Austin, Texas from April 28th through May 1st, 2011.

“Steve revived horror comics as the creator of 30 Days of Night,” said convention chair Nate Southard. “But that is only the tip of the iceberg. He has all but defined horror comics for nearly a decade, and his novel and film work have cemented Steve as one of the top voices in dark fiction across numerous media. We’re thrilled to have him as a guest.”

Niles got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison, and he has worked with such talents as Bernie Wrightson, Sam Raimi, Rob Zombie, and Thomas Jane. In 2002, the success of 30 Days of Night sparked renewed interest in the horror genre, and has since gone on to be the basis for tie-in novels, a web-based action series on FearNet.com and a successful major motion picture. The sequel 30 Days of Night: Dark Days will be released in 2010. Recent years have seen the release of such comics projects as City of Dust and The Lost Ones.

Niles joins award-winning authors Joe Hill, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, and Brian Keene on the WHC 2011 guest list. Additional Guests of Honor will be announced in the months to come. A website featuring convention and hotel information, registration, and more is live at www.whc2011.org.

The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals in the horror industry: publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating All Things Scary.

Visit our guests at:
Steve Niles: www.steveniles.com
Joe Hill: www.joehillfiction.com
Sarah Langan: www.sarahlangan.com
Joe R. Lansdale: www.joerlansdale.com
Brian Keene: www.briankeene.com

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Austin – August 14: The World Horror Convention 2011 is proud to announce the addition of Award Winning and Bestselling author Joe Hill to the lineup of special author guests. The international conference of horror’s premier talents and their fans will take place in Austin, Texas from April 28th through May 1st, 2011.

“Our goal with this convention is to highlight the brightest new stars of dark fiction, the writers and artists who are helping the genre grow,” said convention chair Nate Southard. “Joe Hill’s name is at the top of that list.”

Hill burst onto the literary scene with his first book, the limited edition collection 20th Century Ghosts, which showcased fourteen of his short stories and won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, in addition to the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection and Best Short Story for “Best New Horror.” William Morrow/HarperCollins published Hill’s first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, in 2007. The novel went on to reach number 8 on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered high critical praise. Hill is also the author of Locke & Key, a successful graphic novel series published by IDW Publishing. His next novel, Horns, is due February 2010 from William Morrow.

Hill joins award-winning authors Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, and Brian Keene on the WHC 2011 guest list. Additional Guests of Honor will be announced in the months to come. A website featuring convention and hotel information, registration, and more is live at www.whc2011.org.

The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals in the horror industry: publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating All Things Scary.

Visit our guests at:

Joe Hill: www.joehillfiction.com

Sarah Langan: www.sarahlangan.com

Joe R. Lansdale: www.joerlansdale.com

Brian Keene: www.briankeene.com

For more information please contact Nate Southard at registration@whc2011.org or Lee Thomas at info@whc2011.org.

The World Horror Convention Austin is proud to announce the additions of legendary author Joe R. Lansdale and bestselling author Brian Keene to the lineup for its 2011 convention. Lansdale, the master of mojo storytelling, will be taking on the mantle of Toastmaster for the event, while Keene will be in attendance to run an intensive workshop on the business of writing.

“You can’t have a spec-fic convention in Texas without Joe,” said Convention Co-Chair, Lee Thomas. “Well, you could but it would be just plain wrong. He’s iconic. With superlative works in the suspense, science fiction, Western and horror genres, he is a versatile and exceptional craftsman, and we’re honored he’ll be attending.” Read the rest of this entry »

The World Horror Society has named Austin, Texas as the location for the 2011 World Horror Convention (WHC). The international gathering of horror’s brightest talents and their fans will take place from April 28th through May 1st, 2011.

Austin, Texas was chosen for its unique style and rich genre history. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed near the city, and the remakes of both Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th were filmed in town. Austin also serves as home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, and at sunset 1.5 million bats fly over the city, truly marking it as a horror locale. (There’s a reason the city’s motto is “Keep Austin Weird.”)

“Texas has a long history of strange fiction, serving as home to such luminaries as Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, and Joe R. Lansdale,” says Convention Co-Chair, Nate Southard. “Bringing the World Horror Convention to Austin is a natural. It’s a vibrant city with a taste for the eccentric and a love of the arts. Further, its central, southern location makes it convenient for travelers throughout the US, and visitors from abroad will have no trouble reaching us either.” Read the rest of this entry »