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Keith McCord reporting We're a long way from Halloween, but that's not stopping hundreds of people all over the world from coming to Salt Lake to talk about zombies, vampires and other scary stuff.
The 2008 World Horror Convention is underway. If you're into scary books, artwork, or want to find out what your favorite sci-fi author is up to, this is a show for you.
Believe it or not, this convention is like any other: filled with seminars, workshops, exhibits and authors on hand to autograph their latest works. But it's probably the only convention that Utah hosts that has a "gross-out" contest on the agenda.
You can tell when you walk into the front lobby of the downtown Radisson Hotel that there's something very interesting going on. At the registration table, a skeleton greets you. Another hangs from the coat rack!
Welcome to the 2008 World Horror Convention. This is the first time it's ever been held in Salt Lake.
The four-day event brings together authors, publishers, artists and editors. "There's a lot of networking that goes around. So, people who are looking into getting into the business can network and talk to people to learn the craft," explained Charlie Harmon, chairwoman for the convention.
There are writing seminars, exhibit booths and horror-related art. It's John Jude Palencar's first horror convention, but he's been drawing haunting, scary, icky stuff for years. "Actually, I work in a whole variety of fields. I do a lot of horror books. I've done covers for Stephen King, I've done covers for H.P. Lovecraft, a number of other horror authors," he said.
A number of artists will also display some of their work, and much of it is for sale. We ran into author Jeff Strand of Tampa, Fla. He's been attending these conventions since 1995. "Most of what I write is funny horror. So, they are horror novels with jokes pretty much from beginning to end," Strand said.
But Strand can do the scary stuff too. One of the most popular seminars at the annual World Horror Convention is the "gross-out" contest where dozens of authors go before an audience and do their best stuff.
"It's basically just reading the grossest story you possibly can, entertaining the audience. I came in third last year and won a banana-flavored gummy slug, so it's very tongue-and-cheek," Strand said.
The "gross-out" contest is tomorrow night from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
The 2008 World Horror Convention runs through Sunday at the downtown Radisson Hotel. The public is welcome, and the final event of the show will feature gothic belly dancers.
For more information on the convention, click the related link.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
