We’re excited to announce that we’ve signed Vince A. Liaguno’s poetry collection Demo Reels & Arthouse Madness which collects poetry from a self-identified unapologetic horror and pop culture junkie. It will be edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich and will be released in 2025.
Liaguno says, “I couldn’t be more thrilled that this collection has landed in the capable hands of Raw Dog Screaming Press. This venerable publisher has a long and rich history of singularly showcasing and elevating dark poetry. To have had the opportunity to work so closely with the gifted dark poetess extraordinaire Stephanie Wytovich on this project was pure icing on the cake. Her keen insights and editorial notes helped enrich the collection exponentially.”
About the Collection
This book of 49 poems is packed with pop culture references and explores everything from our slasher movie obsession to the work week rhythm that drives so many of us. “Horror and pop culture have enlightened every aspect of my life from as far back as I can remember,” comments Liaguno. “Cinema, in particular, informed—and continues to inform—so much of my human experience. This collection sprung from that pop culture consciousness.”
Poetry, Film and Horror
Liaguno uses poetry to explore horror film themes and influences. He explains, “When I started looking at genre through a decidedly poetic lens, I discovered an almost lyrical quality to the horror films I grew up watching. Coupled with a strong sense of nostalgia horror fans of a certain age can relate to, I began a long re-examination of these films and other horror-adjacent pop culture milestones within the context of poetry. What I found was a startling symmetry between genre conventions and elements of the poetic form—from the comforting rhythm of the slasher formula to the haiku-like repetition of the horror movie franchise. Looking at the world through Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness, I found that a dark cinematic aesthetic colored every line and verse, bringing even the most mundane explorations of everyday life and fandom into ghoulish, garish technicolor life.”
About the Author
Vince A. Liaguno is an award-winning writer, anthologist, critic, and poet. He is the Bram Stoker Award®-winning editor of Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet (co-edited with Chad Helder) and the acclaimed Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (co-edited with Rena Mason), which was a finalist for both the prestigious Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Awards. His debut novel, 2006’s The Literary Six, was a tribute to the slasher films of the eighties and won an Independent Publisher Award (IPPY).
Healthcare administrator by day, pop culture enthusiast by night, his jam: books, slasher films, and Jamie Lee Curtis. He is a member (and former secretary) of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC). Vince currently resides in the mitten-shaped state of Michigan.
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