PANEL:  Why Do Readers and Writers Choose to be Unsettled by Horror Writing?

From Scooby Doo to Goosebumps to Stephen King, horror writing exists at every age level. What is the appeal, and what is the  value, of horror at every stage of the human experience?  Horror writers John Opalenik and Jackson Kuhl tackle our fascination with horror and dark fantasy. 

Jackson Kuhl is a writer and author specializing in American history, biography, and historical fiction.  Kuhl has written for Atlas Obscura, Electric Literature, Journal of the American Revolution, National Geographic News, the New York Post, Reason, and other publications. Kuhl lives in coastal Connecticut. He has contributed to local outlets such as Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield County Weekly, Fairfield  Minuteman, and the Stamford Advocate.  His historical fiction has appeared most recently in Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology, Love Letters to Poe, and other anthologies. Kuhl also ghostwrites boutique memoirs and has worked as a freelance web producer, largely in the education space.  www.jacksonkuhl.com

John Opalenik is the author of three novellas and a collection of short stories, The Primeval series, The Blue Beneath the Mountain, and Among the Willows and Other Strange Tales. He is an active member of the HOWL Society and a former member of the International Thriller Writers and the Horror Writers Association. He currently lives in Connecticut with his wife, Amanda, and their dog, Zoey.  www.johnopalenik.com