Wednesday, August 28, 2013

NecronomiCon Providence

I have recently returned from NecronomiCon 2013, a conference of all things H.P. Lovecraft and beyond, in Providence, RI. It was a magnificent event in a beautiful city. I was glad to reconnect with good friends like Laird Barron, John Langan, Simon Strantzas, W.H. Pugmire, Michael Cisco, Joseph S. Pulver Sr., S.T. Joshi, and many others. It was also a pleasure meeting so many readers and online friends in the flesh for the first time.

On the Saturday afternoon I was part of a panel entitled "New Weird vs. Old Weird." We swiftly dispensed with the asinine distinction of "new" and instead focused on the qualities of weird fiction in general.

Simon Strantzas and I also took part in a Lovecraftian walking tour of Providence, which included visits to the Shunned House, HPL's home, and (my personal favourite) the Charles Dexter Ward house. A display on loan from the John Hay Library allowed us to look at Lovecraft's original ms. and sketch for "The Call of Cthulhu" as well as ephemera from the pen of Edgar Allan Poe.

Saturday night I attended a rare performance by Lustmord, which was superb. Lustmord's churning soundscapes have been a soundtrack to my life since the early 1990s, so it was a pleasure being able to experience them live and at maximum intensity.

After a foray into Salem, Mass. (Visitors: be sure to tour Count Orlock's Nightmare Gallery, the finest Horror waxwork I have ever seen.), my family and I ventured home. I've always loved New England and never fail to experience a sense of place there.

Among the many great people I finally met at NecronomiCon was the wonderful Derrick Hussey of Hippocampus Press. He informed me that the e-book edition of At Fear's Altar is now available! Those with Kindle devices and so forth can order their copy here.

In closing, here is a photo of HPL seated before the Van Wickle Gate in Providence, along with one of yours truly at same.