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Iowa City author starts new conference for horror writers
‘One of Us’ to convene horror authors, presses, fans
Aug. 27, 2025 6:00 am, Updated: Aug. 27, 2025 9:08 am
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IOWA CITY — A few writers say there is one conspicuous absence from Iowa City’s literature scene: horror.
One of Us, a new literary showcase launching next month, hopes to fix that.
The new conference focused on horror, existential fiction and cult fiction is planning its debut on Sept. 6 at Public Space One, where independent horror publishers and writers from across the Midwest will offer readers and authors alike a chance to connect and discover voices creating some of the genre’s latest books.
Its founder, an Iowa City horror author by pen name Ira Rat, said it’s a place for the curious and well-initiated to celebrate the strange, the independent and the profoundly personal at “the edge of the literary map” with those pushing it forward.
If you go:
When: Saturday, Sept. 6, 12 to 4 p.m.
Where: Public Space One, 538 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City
Admission: Free
Details: One of Us, a gathering of horror writers, small presses and horror fans, launches its inaugural conference with performances from local musicians, Minneapolis publishers Weirdpunk Books and Cursed Morsels Press, as well as authors Paula D. Ash, Joe Koch and Matthew Mitchell.
What does the horror scene look like?
“I noticed there’s a gap in horror events in Iowa,” said One of Us organizer and Iowa City author Ira Rat, who owns Filthy Loot Press. “Last year, there were only two.”
One of them was bundled with an anime convention and discontinued after its first and only year.
One of Us will include 19 invited guests and four presses whose work has won Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker and Splatterpunk awards, as well as features in Fangoria, Rue Morgue and Scream Magazine.
Harriet Everend, a Cedar Rapids horror author, also opened a small independent press to get her work and other writers’ work published. Her first book, “Cursed Legacy,” was published in 2021.
“It’s a pretty niche genre, in general,” she said.
Typically, she has to travel to find other horror writers. At a St. Louis conference last year, she noted the majority of writers were from the coasts. Independent writers often rely on their small presses and social media to help popularize their novels.
Rat travels regularly to Minneapolis, Chicago and the East Coast annually to get his work in front of enthusiasts. His press publishes about 10 books each year.
“For a really long time it was pretty lonely up here,” said Sam Richard, owner of Weirdpunk Books in Minneapolis since 2018. “Over the last few year’s it has gotten bigger. It seems like there’s more hunger for it than there used to be.”
He has noticed the genre’s growth in output and reach through other mediums, like films.
What are some of the trends in horror today?
Rat said current horror trends are largely a juxtaposition between visceral, bloody books and a more elevated version of horror, like what is seen in classic A24 films.
“A lot of stuff we do is more literary,” he said of his press.
Everend, who specializes in psychological and suspense thrillers, has noticed more public interest in indie horror.
“Stephen King, he’s the best of the best, but when you go to bookstores, that’s kind of all you see,” she said. “(Readers) love the big names, but want to see what more is out there.”
Richard said there has been a push over the last several years in what readers are calling “the dark internet,” with nostalgia set in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
What does horror mean to authors?
“I like the thrill of it, that adrenaline rush,” Everend said. “I enjoy horror because you don’t know what’s coming. Anything can be scary, if you think about it.”
A place to convene on the subject, she said, would be invaluable in Iowa.
“The thing with horror is it’s a transgressive genre. It subverts norms, it says what other genres can’t say directly,” Rat said. “Here in the Midwest, it’s hard to get things going in the first place. I’m just trying to get a community together.”
He got hooked as a kid watching horror movies with his father. Today, it captivates him as a controlled environment to face fears.
“I don’t think of horror as primarily scary. Fear is one possible element of what horror can be, but I think horror is capable of a lot of different modes and emotions,” Richard said.
Together, they hope One of Us sets the scene for a horrifying literary future in Iowa City.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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