2026 Creepaway camp counselors

Guests of honor

  • Johnny Compton

  • Rachel Harrison

  • C.J. Leede

  • Chris Panatier

  • Sam Rebelein

  • Erika T. Wurth

  • Maxwell I. Gold

     

  • Johnny Compton is a Stoker Award nominated author whose short stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast and several other publications. His fascination with frightening fiction started when he was introduced to the ghost story “The Golden Arm” as a child. He is the author of the novels, The Spite House, Devils Kill Devils, and Dead First, as well as the short story collection Midnight Somewhere.

  • Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish-American author and poet with an extensive body of work comprising over 350 poems and six poetry collections since 2017. His writings have earned a place alongside many literary luminaries in the speculative fiction genre. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. Maxwell’s recent poetry collection “Songs of Enough: An Inferno All My Own” was released in September 2025 from Hippocampus Press. Maxwell’s work has been recognized with multiple nominations including the Eric Hoffer Award, Pushcart Prize, and Bram Stoker Awards. Find him and his work at www.thewellsoftheweird.com. Follow him on social media at @cybergodwrites. 

  • Rachel Harrison is the USA Today bestselling author of Play Nice, So Thirsty, Black Sheep, Such Sharp Teeth, Cackle, and The Return, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and in her debut collection Bad Dolls. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and their cat/overlord.

  • CJ LEEDE is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.

  • Chris is an artist and writer living in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter and a fluctuating herd of dog-like creatures (one is almost certainly a goat).  He writes short stories and novels. THE PHLEBOTOMIST, STRINGERS, and THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT, published by Angry Robot Books, are available everywhere.

  • Sam Rebelein writes (and teaches writing) in Poughkeepsie, NY. His short fiction has appeared in PseudoPod, The Deadlands, Press Pause Press, Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year, and elsewhere. His debut novel EDENVILLE was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, and won a Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel. Sam's collection of interconnected short fiction, THE POORLY MADE AND OTHER THINGS, is set in the same fictional world as EDENVILLE; GALLOWAY'S GOSPEL is set in that world as well. For more about Sam's work, and pictures of his scruffy pooch Frodo, follow him on Instagram @rebelsam94.

  • Erika T. Wurth’s novel WHITE HORSE is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and Book of the Month Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, and Kenyon faculty. She’s published in Buzzfeed, McSweeny’s, The Writer’s Chronicle, and is a narrative artist for the Meow Wolf Denver installation. She’s an urban Native of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent and lives in Denver with her partner, niece, step-kids and two incredibly fluffy dogs. Her novel THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904 has already garnered national attention. 

Featured Authors + Creators

  • Christina Bergling

    Drawn to the monstrous and macabre, Christina Bergling has been weaving nightmares since childhood. Her horror tales slither from post-apocalyptic (Savages, Screechers) to monster (Red Walls) psychological (The Waning) to comedy (The Rest Will Come) to mystery (Followers) and anything in between (various anthologies and zines including The Horror Collection series, 96th of October, Graveyard Girls, Demonic Wildlife). Bergling is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Denver Horror Collective, and Midnight Monster Club and a dedicated voice in the horror genre. She has been featured on panels at Colorado Festival of Horror. She devours horror in all its forms—movies, books, festivals, conventions, stores, haunted attractions. By day, she navigates the shadows of the IT world. By night, she turns trauma into art. When she’s not writing, she hikes rugged Colorado trails, dances wildly, and sucks out all the marrow of life with her family.

    Read more about Christina’s work on her website.

  • Daniel Braum

    Daniel Braum writes short stories that explore the tension between the supernatural and the psychological. He intentionally adopts the term “strange tales” for his “Twilight Zone-like” stories in homage to author Robert Aickman and the intentional ambiguities in his work. His most recent books are Phantom Constellations: Strange Tales and Ghost Stories from Cemetery Dance Publications and the illustrated short story collection Creatures of Liminal Space from Jackanapes Press. His stories also appear in many horror publications including the Shivers anthology series and the Best Horror of the Year edited by Ellen Datlow.

    Find him at bloodandstardust.wordpress.com or @daniel_braum on Instagram.

  • Kalvin Ellis

    Kalvin Ellis is an American author of horror with a mystery and thriller bent. Most widely known for his 2020 debut novel In the Hills Above the Gristmill and the recently released sequel, In The Grave Where The Bones Are Still Wet. Ellis has also done work for tv and short film. In addition to writing Ellis is a professional photographer, speaker, mentor, and coach. He currently resides in Denver with his partner where he can be near his three adult children.

    Read more about Kalvin and pick up something new for your TBR pile.

  • KC Grifant

    KC Grifant is an award-winning writer and editor based in Southern California who creates internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction, and weird west stories. These include the western adventure Monster Gunslinger book series and the collections Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny and Fantastica Horrifica. Her short stories have appeared in podcasts, magazines, games, and Stoker-nominated anthologies. She is editor of several anthologies (including Dread Coast and Women of the Weird West), co-founder of the San Diego Horror Writers Association (HWA), a SFWA mentor, and co-creator of Monster Gunslingers the game.
    In addition to teaching writing courses and workshops, she has been on dozens of podcasts and panels to talk about creative writing and genre storytelling. In her day job, she is a multi-award-winning nonfiction writer and editor who has penned hundreds of published science articles.

    Learn more at www.KCGrifant.com.

  • R. J. Joseph

    R. J. Joseph is an award winning, Shirley Jackson and Stoker Award™ nominated, Texas based writer/speaker/editor. Her creative and academic work examines the intersections of race, gender, and class in the horror genre and popular culture. She has most recently been at work with Raw Dog Screaming Press on their new novella line, Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena.

    She occasionally peeks out on various social media platforms from behind @rjacksonjoseph or at www.rhondajacksonjoseph.com

  • Konrad Stump

    Konrad Stump co-chairs HWA Libraries, including the Horror Writers Association's summer reading program Summer Scares, and StokerCon Librarians' Day, a full day of continuing education that connects authors and librarians and provides both with the necessary tools to engage communities with the horror genre. He also coordinates the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library's long-running "Oh, the Horror!" series, an annual celebration of the horror genre. His work has appeared in Library Journal, NoveList, and Booklist, and has been featured in Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (ALA) and The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition (ALA).

  • Marissa Yarrow

    Marissa Yarrow is a horror author from Colorado Springs, where she lives with her spouse and two cats. She is a lifelong fan of The Twilight Zone, Hole, and all things spooky. In the first grade, she picked up her first Stephen King book, and got in trouble for reading it in school. Ultimately, administrators agreed that she could read whatever she wanted as long as she didn't tell the other kids about it. Marissa’s work has been featured on the No Sleep Podcast and her forthcoming novel, Island X, is expected in July 2026 from Mad Axe Media.

    Follow Marissa on Instagram.