🎙 INTERVIEW: Feeding the Monster: Why Horror Captivates Us—A Conversation with Anna Bogutskaya
​** This is a LIVE interview with author Anna Bogutskaya about the craft of writing and reality of building a writing career. Attendees will be sent a recording after the interview. **
​What is it about horror that keeps us turning the page? Why do we crave the thrill of fear, and how do writers harness this primal emotion to tell stories that provoke and captivate?
​Join us for an interview with Anna Bogutskaya, author of Feeding the Monster: Why Horror Has a Hold On Us and a leading voice in horror analysis. We’ll explore the intersection of fear, creativity, and culture as Anna shares her insights into why horror continues to grip audiences worldwide.
​Join us for a conversation with Anna as we discuss how to craft compelling fear-driven narratives, the mechanics of the genre, and an understanding of horror’s lasting appeal.
​We’ll also explore:
​The evolution of the horror genre in literature and film
​The psychology behind why we seek out frightening stories
​Tips for writing horror that is both unsettling and emotionally resonant
​Common tropes in horror storytelling and how to subvert them.
​Anna's creative process behind writing Feeding the Monster and her experience analyzing horror
​About Anna Bogutskaya
​Anna Bogutskaya is a freelance critic, author, film programmer and creative producer. She writes for BBC Culture, Guardian, MUBI, the Face and TimeOut, amongst others, and programmes films for BFI, Edinburgh Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. She produces and hosts The Final Girls podcast, created and produced the horror anthology podcast Eerie and has produced podcasts for Paramount, Studiocanal, BFI and Vertigo Releasing, as well as contributing to many others. Her first book, Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate, was published in the UK and US in May 2023.
​Your London Writers' Salon Hosts:
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​Parul Bavishi and Matt Trinetti are the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon, creators of the webby-nominated Writers' Hour daily writing sessions, and hosts of the London Writers' Salon podcast.
​Parul Bavishi has been an editor for over a decade. In addition to running LWS she helps thriller, YA and non-fiction writers level up their craft and get published. She writes and edits for the Story Grid. She has worked as an editor and literary scout at Random House, Quercus & Eccles Fisher. She analyses TV hit shows (Killing Eve, Ozark, Game of Thrones) on the Story Grid Showrunners Podcast.
​Matt Trinetti is a writer, publisher, TEDx speaker, and facilitator. In addition to running LWS, Matt designs programs to help unfulfilled professionals pursue creative work, start businesses, and reinvent their careers. Matt's work has appeared in Quartz, Observer, Creative Mornings, and on his blog GiveLiveExplore.
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