Join horror author John S. McFarland from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 1 for a free in-person workshop hosted by the St. Louis Writers Guild at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131.

Horror as Legitimate Literature

Horror is usually considered genre or somehow less legitimate than mainstream fiction. In this workshop Author John S. McFarland will discuss the part horror has always played in human imagination and stories as well as what sparked his own interest in horror writing, his role models, and his resulting publications. We’ll explore horror styles and the work of great horror writers, past and present. Bring your questions!
“Join current SLWG meeting” button at the top of the St. Louis Writers Guild’s Events page (https://www.stlwritersguild.org/events).

John S. McFarland’s short stories have appeared in numerous journals, both mainstream and horror genre. His tales have been collected with stories by Stephen King, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, and Richard Matheson. Writers such as T. E. D. Klein and Philip Fracassi have praised his work, and he has been called “a great, undiscovered voice in horror fiction.” McFarland’s horror novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010 to universal praise. Kirkus Reviews called it, “an engaging horror tale that feels ripped from the pages of a penny dreadful.” Of his story collection, The Dark Walk Forward, Publisher’s Weekly wrote: “McFarland tempers his frights with the mercy of familial love and sympathy for outsiders and victims. Horror readers will be riveted.” His young reader series about Bigfoot, Annette: A Big, Hairy Mom, is available in three languages.